by Sandra Miller
Back Bay Sun
In troubled times, some people seek solace in unsavory ways, but with this group, when the going gets tough, the tough get knitting.
The Greater Boston Knitting Guild has been meeting for 15 years, offering each other company and conversation while they create blankets, sweaters, hats, and other often-complicated pieces from just a ball of yarn. They’re not just making sweaters, though: they’re making connections.
Some have weaved their way into finding a job; others are transplants who knitted their brows until they figured out a way to make fast friends. Some have supported each other through surgeries and family losses.
At the very least, they support each others’ projects, with a rotating team of “doctors” to help unravel mistakes. They show off their creations or help beginners with their first strand.
Forget the stereotype of the knitwit dullard. This crowd is filled with accomplished, driven and creative people. Many are bloggers who research their patterns online, and use computer programs to design their pieces. Others can do the complicated math involved with many pieces. Many of them are successful business owners or at least are organized and resourceful types, perhaps because knitting organizes their minds. Or maybe it’s the other way around, but the point is, knitting is not just for cozy grandmas.
Busy hands
About 60 members came to the December meeting. As always, they meet the third Thursday of the month, to sit and knit. They chat and listen to speakers, but their hands are busy, busy, busy, pausing their projects only to eat their bagged lunches or to duck out early for some shopping, including at the nearby Newbury Yarns store, at 164 Newbury Street, where they can get a discount on purchases.
December’s guest speaker was knitting instructor and author Jackie Fee, sharing tips and stories with the appreciative crowd. Fee, who wore an Aram Isle pattern in an Irish-type sweater she adapted for indoor wear, is the author of "Sweater Workshop”.
"She's my mentor," said one of the group’s founders, Anita MacKinnon. "We can do anything without having to sew the seams."
During the meeting, MacKinnon knitted socks from a blue, yellow and dark green yarn. She wore her homemade Christmas knitted sweater, which has the words “fa la la la la la” written along the bottom. "My children think it's tacky," she said. In spite, she takes it with her when she visits her kids for the holidays. "I wear it a solid week, every year," she said.
The attendees also exchanged Secret Santa gifts, and held a cookie contest that was won by Jackie Fee's date balls. One knitter stood up to recommend supporting a New Orleans woman who sells yarn despite having to rebuild from the hurricane.
"These women all have interesting lives, and they take the day off to come here," said MacKinnon, who also does marketing for the College Club of Boston.
And the group also has men. Or, at least one. Board member and past president Bob Jaeger was the sole male in attendance at the December meeting, working on a wool cardigan for his wife as a Christmas present. He'll also be hosting the annual summer club retreat at his Best Western Cold Spring motel in Plymouth, where members will come and knit by the pool.
"He's a good teacher and a good knitter," said MacKinnon. "He has six kids, like I do." Jaeger added, "I knit all of them sweaters in unisex colors and styles."
Jaeger wore a decade-old gray Aran cable knit that he dug out of the attic. Most meeting attendees wore self-knitted sweaters, but it’s not a badge for entry.
"The name guild is misleading," said guild President Cheryl Mariolis, who wore her red oversize sweater made from brown sheep lambs pride bulky yarn, designed with a the help of the computer program Sweater Wizard. It sounds complicated, but actually knitting is just common sense and patience. "We don't require a level of expertise. This is really a network of people who love to knit," she added.
However, some are more creative and talented than others. Judy Dienstag of the North End held up a stunning sling purse she knitted from felted wool, which she shrunk on purpose to make a strong knit. She says people stop her on the street and ask to buy it. She also modeled a pretty Sausalito sweater jacket, lined with handmade wooden buttons from Zecca of Western Massachusetts.
For those who haven't knitted in a while, they can get tips at the club. "It's like riding a bicycle. The little motions are back, once you put the needles back in your hands, it's a muscle memory," said Jean Holtey, who owns In Stitches and The Threaded Needle in Weston. The group even provides lessons and a rotating "knitting doctor" to help out anyone with a snag.
The guild also helps out non-knitters, supporting The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Caps for Kids program and The Woman's Lunch Place, a daytime shelter for homeless and poor women and their children. Guild members have contributed hundreds of hand-knit and crocheted baby blankets, sweaters, hats, mittens, booties, and socks to these and other Boston organizations. The Guild’s community outreach coordinator, Elaine Cobucci, distributed 364 knit hats to children at Dana-Farber in November.
The guild has been meeting for about 15 years, starting with about a dozen knitters gathering at the old The Women's Educational and Industrial Union on Boylston Street. They outgrew the space and moved into the College Club of Boston, which was big enough to start inviting guest speakers that include historians, magazine editors, authors, and designers. They have speakers booked into the next year. Hitting the 200 member mark, with young and old traveling from as far away as Rhode Island and New Hampshire to attend, they had to move to a bigger space, and since the fall they now meet in the basement of Trinity Church.
The Economics and Mental Health of Yarn
Yes, knitting can be expensive. You can certainly buy a sweater off the rack for a lot cheaper than buying the yarn, but a homemade sweater can have a higher quality and design.
Holtey gives member discounts. Despite the economy, she has seen an increase of about 20-30 percent in customers since last year. Actually, she said, the economy probably boosted sales.
"You sort of don't save any money knitting, but it's very soothing and allows you to make economical gifts. It allows you to give something to someone. They're made with really nice yarn. If you've tried to buy it, it would be hundreds of dollars,” she said.
But Holtey added in this economy, many people turn to knitting to improve their mental health. It’s a pretty good secret: Knitting is the key to good mental health.
Knit, purl, lining up the rows, it all seems pretty simple. But all that math and counting, and then when you get into a groove and are just doing the repetitive motion that allows your mind to wander, it’s all about organization, about strengthening the mind muscle. Like other craftwork, there are connections between handiwork and cognitive ability, and dexterity and mental health. Books on yarn also include talks about neuroplasticity, beta or alpha or theta wave action in the brain.
"It's like meditating,” said Holtey. “The key is to get the beta waves going, which happens when you're knitting and you're in the zone."
Unfortunately, her left hand was bandaged temporarily, and she looked sad and a little itchy watching everyone else knit. "I'm moderately crazed right now," she said.
MacKinnon didn’t have a lot of time at the meeting to knit her socks, but otherwise, she knits everywhere – at the airport, on the train, watching TV – calling it a compulsion. "I knit and talk all the time," she said, but she also keeps a notepad nearby, because that’s when the ideas come. "You can really multi-task when you're knitting,” she said.
MacKinnon added the hobby is recession-proof precisely because it’s addictive and puts her in a happier mood. "When a lot is going on, people are coming back to knitting. When I had a really bad day, I knew my knitting and my needlepoint and my piano were home waiting for me," she said.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Back Bay art galleries get creative
Time is running out to view 'Souvenir de Boston'
by Sandra Miller
Back Bay Sun
Art lovers will only have until January 15 to view Michel Delacroix’s, “Souvenir de Boston,” a winter scene of the Boston Public Garden on display at the Four Seasons Hotel.
It is the second such painting that Delacroix had made of the garden. He had created an autumnal view of the Public Garden for a benefit Axelle Fine Arts Boston did for the Friends of the Public Garden in 2007. “The painting was in the window, and we had clients fighting over it,” recalled Amse Hammershaimb, Axelle’s senior art consultant.
Based on the success of that painting, Delacroix decided to do another one, a winter version, which is a 24-by-28 ½-inch acrylic on canvas.
The 91 Newbury St. gallery consultant decided to loan the painting to the hotel, partly because it was a natural since the Four Seasons is featured in it.
“It was so stunning, and it was in front of the Four Seasons,” she said. “I couldn’t imagine a better home for this painting.”
Hammershaimb sent a letter and an image of the painting to hotel general manager Bill Taylor, who called her the next day. “He said he loved the painting, and he’d love to have it in the lobby for the holidays,” she said.
Delacroix is a French master of the naïf tradition whose work has been featured in over 300 US solo exhibitions, as well as around the world. Delacroix was selected an Official Artist of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games and commissioned to paint three works.
The other reason why the gallery decided to loan it out was to try a little marketing creativity. The hotel used the painting for its Christmas card, and otherwise, the painting saw foot traffic the gallery may not have otherwise received.
“I do have to say that I believe that had our economic situation been a little more stable, this would not be only a loan,” said Virginia Lockwood, an administrator at Axelle. “We are, however, happy to have the exposure. This is a great way to reach both tourists and Boston natives that have yet to visit the gallery.”
Said Hammershaimb, “We’re thinking left and right on how to do the best we can in this economy.”
The happy result is that the painting was sold to former locals who now live in New York, and it increased foot traffic to both the gallery and the Four Seasons.
“It started as reaching out to the Four Seasons, but now it’s gaining exposure for the gallery,” said Hammershaimb. “It’s about thinking who might be interested in certain pieces. I definitely think we got people in here that we wouldn’t have received before. In turn, we have clients of Michel Delacroix that we’ve sent to the Fours Seasons as well. It’s a nice way for the Four Seasons to get exposure.”
side: Spotlighting the Vose Galleries by Sandra Miller
A cheapskate on a date can skip the entrance fees at one of the local museums and just wander around the many art galleries along Newbury Street.
Sure, you can look at the Museum of Fine Arts or other museums, but sometimes you just want to browse artwork that’s a little more available.
“You can see a lot of great art, take a break from your shopping, see art in a great brownstone,” says Beth Vose, whose family owns Vose Galleries at 238 Newbury Street. “A lot of people spend a lot of time looking at the pieces. We were named a good date place by one of the local magazines.”
And maybe, just maybe, on a whim and a roomy credit card, you might just be able to afford one piece of art from Vose Galleries of Boston, who now feature a “Works Under $10,000” section.
Vose specializes in 18th, 19th and early 20th century American realist paintings and works on paper. They started the “budget” section to target those who love art but are scared off by some of the local galleries’ price points. It’s still high quality paintings, but it’s a 400-piece collection of “moderately priced” works by artists such as Ernest Albert, Thomas Allen, Joel Babb and Reynolds Beal.
Vose Galleries is a multi-generation gallery that opened in 1841, but they’re definitely in the 21st century, with a sophisticated website that includes search features, a “personal gallery” for your own browsing consideration, an e-newsletter, and e-mail alerts about newly added artworks for sale. “We’re doing a whole lot over the Internet,” says Vose.
Passed down through six generations from father to son- now daughters - Vose says it is the oldest family-owned art gallery in America, with paintings hanging in over 150 museums nationwide, and it claims to have the largest inventory of American realist paintings in New England.
In 2001, after a nearly 40-year hiatus, Vose Galleries opened a contemporary division, marking its return to handling the work of living artists.
“The Works Under $10,000 is fairly unusual because many galleries don’t like to put prices on a website,” says Vose. “We think it’s important. We may be reaching those who would otherwise feel uncomfortable contacting us. Maybe they’re a beginning collector. Some people don’t realize we have works under $10,000.”
by Sandra Miller
Back Bay Sun
Art lovers will only have until January 15 to view Michel Delacroix’s, “Souvenir de Boston,” a winter scene of the Boston Public Garden on display at the Four Seasons Hotel.
It is the second such painting that Delacroix had made of the garden. He had created an autumnal view of the Public Garden for a benefit Axelle Fine Arts Boston did for the Friends of the Public Garden in 2007. “The painting was in the window, and we had clients fighting over it,” recalled Amse Hammershaimb, Axelle’s senior art consultant.
Based on the success of that painting, Delacroix decided to do another one, a winter version, which is a 24-by-28 ½-inch acrylic on canvas.
The 91 Newbury St. gallery consultant decided to loan the painting to the hotel, partly because it was a natural since the Four Seasons is featured in it.
“It was so stunning, and it was in front of the Four Seasons,” she said. “I couldn’t imagine a better home for this painting.”
Hammershaimb sent a letter and an image of the painting to hotel general manager Bill Taylor, who called her the next day. “He said he loved the painting, and he’d love to have it in the lobby for the holidays,” she said.
Delacroix is a French master of the naïf tradition whose work has been featured in over 300 US solo exhibitions, as well as around the world. Delacroix was selected an Official Artist of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games and commissioned to paint three works.
The other reason why the gallery decided to loan it out was to try a little marketing creativity. The hotel used the painting for its Christmas card, and otherwise, the painting saw foot traffic the gallery may not have otherwise received.
“I do have to say that I believe that had our economic situation been a little more stable, this would not be only a loan,” said Virginia Lockwood, an administrator at Axelle. “We are, however, happy to have the exposure. This is a great way to reach both tourists and Boston natives that have yet to visit the gallery.”
Said Hammershaimb, “We’re thinking left and right on how to do the best we can in this economy.”
The happy result is that the painting was sold to former locals who now live in New York, and it increased foot traffic to both the gallery and the Four Seasons.
“It started as reaching out to the Four Seasons, but now it’s gaining exposure for the gallery,” said Hammershaimb. “It’s about thinking who might be interested in certain pieces. I definitely think we got people in here that we wouldn’t have received before. In turn, we have clients of Michel Delacroix that we’ve sent to the Fours Seasons as well. It’s a nice way for the Four Seasons to get exposure.”
side: Spotlighting the Vose Galleries by Sandra Miller
A cheapskate on a date can skip the entrance fees at one of the local museums and just wander around the many art galleries along Newbury Street.
Sure, you can look at the Museum of Fine Arts or other museums, but sometimes you just want to browse artwork that’s a little more available.
“You can see a lot of great art, take a break from your shopping, see art in a great brownstone,” says Beth Vose, whose family owns Vose Galleries at 238 Newbury Street. “A lot of people spend a lot of time looking at the pieces. We were named a good date place by one of the local magazines.”
And maybe, just maybe, on a whim and a roomy credit card, you might just be able to afford one piece of art from Vose Galleries of Boston, who now feature a “Works Under $10,000” section.
Vose specializes in 18th, 19th and early 20th century American realist paintings and works on paper. They started the “budget” section to target those who love art but are scared off by some of the local galleries’ price points. It’s still high quality paintings, but it’s a 400-piece collection of “moderately priced” works by artists such as Ernest Albert, Thomas Allen, Joel Babb and Reynolds Beal.
Vose Galleries is a multi-generation gallery that opened in 1841, but they’re definitely in the 21st century, with a sophisticated website that includes search features, a “personal gallery” for your own browsing consideration, an e-newsletter, and e-mail alerts about newly added artworks for sale. “We’re doing a whole lot over the Internet,” says Vose.
Passed down through six generations from father to son- now daughters - Vose says it is the oldest family-owned art gallery in America, with paintings hanging in over 150 museums nationwide, and it claims to have the largest inventory of American realist paintings in New England.
In 2001, after a nearly 40-year hiatus, Vose Galleries opened a contemporary division, marking its return to handling the work of living artists.
“The Works Under $10,000 is fairly unusual because many galleries don’t like to put prices on a website,” says Vose. “We think it’s important. We may be reaching those who would otherwise feel uncomfortable contacting us. Maybe they’re a beginning collector. Some people don’t realize we have works under $10,000.”
Friday, November 20, 2009
Grampy’s Gas Station to Become Office & Retail Building on Cambridge Street in Beacon Hill
By Sandra Miller
Beacon Hill Times
The long-delayed development of the 296 Cambridge Street property was finally greenlighted by the Boston Redevelopment Authority.
The Board approved a revised proposal for the project located at 296 Cambridge Street in Beacon Hill. After many changes in size and scope, the project is now a five-story, 35,000-square-foot brick building with commercial offices on the upper floors, and retail on the ground floor.
“The building features details that are reminiscent of Beacon Hill and other recently built buildings on Cambridge Street,” says architect Elizabeth Church of CBT, who is working with Don Megathlin of Talanian Realty as the developer, and Henry Kara as the legal counsel.
Original plans for residences and a garage are no longer being considered; Church said they “worked with the neighborhood to make it more compatible with the smaller neighborhood residential buildings.”
“It’s going to be a very nice building that will help to keep the edge of Cambridge Street consistent with what’s there.” They also promise to work with the Cambridge Street Community Development Corp. to keep up with area plantings.
The entrance for the building will be on Cambridge Street. “We’ve met with the BHCA and I believe they have the checklist with them. They gave us a vote of confidence, as we move into the BRA
process.”
Church had no predictions for how long the project would take. A call to Talanian was not returned by deadline. “Permitting is such a nebulous process,” she said. “I have no predictions for how long it will take. The neighborhood likes it, I think the city likes it; It’s very close to the 2003 design that was approved. I don’t forsee any trouble.”
BHCA executive director Suzanne Besser says they do not oppose the project. Talanian Realty, the developer, was approved by the BRA Board on April 10, 2003 to construct 16 one and two bedroom residential units with first floor retail space. The BRA since then approved the switch to a non-residential project.
For years, the project was delayed because of the reconstruction of Cambridge Street, and a moratorium of utility construction in the street. On October 16, the developer filed a Notice of Project Change that proposed a five-story office building with retail on the first floor.
“It’s not going forward as previously approved since the release states that we approved the project change and the uses are different,” said BRA spokesperson Jessica Shumaker. “The previous proposal was for a building that had 4 and 6 stories – now it will be just 5 stories. The previous height was 65 feet and now it will be 62 feet.”
“We still have permits to go through -- board of appeal, the architectural commission, other permists from the city, then we need to submit all of our design plans, construction documents… it could be finished by spring 2010,” said Megathlin, vice president at Talanian. Talanian will wait until mid-to-late 2009 to secure financing. “Now is not a good time to start, anyway,” Megathlin said.
Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced this project, along with three other projects that total more than $75 million in private investment, which received approvals from the Boston Redevelopment Authority’s Board of Directors. The projects represent more than 330 construction jobs. “We continue to see people investing in our city,” Mayor Menino said. “These development projects will greatly add to the overall quality of life in our city – and they represent new jobs and homes for our residents.”
The development site will replace the current Grampy’s Gulf Station, which includes a convenience store and Villa Mexico Café, a tiny burrito stand. It is between Strong Place and Grove Street at the base of Beacon Hill, across from Mass General Hospital.
According to the BRA, total development cost is approximately $9.5 million, and the project will create about 30 construction jobs.
The original building proposed for the site was about twice the size of another constructed by Talanian years before, at 326 Cambridge Street.
The proposed six-story residential and retail project was opposed by area residents, including abutters Jim Higgins and Rui Monteiro-Claro, who believed their adjacent home at Zero Strong Place would be dwarfed by the massive building, reducing their light and views. John Achatz, BHCA zoning and licensing co-chair, said the zoning and licensing committee reviewed issues, and the sub-committee reached agreement when Talanian agreed to step down part of the building to four stories, resulting in a loss of 6000 square feet to the building’s total floor area. The project was then given the green light by the BHCA and the city zoning board of appeal in May 2003.
Megathlin said they dropped the plans for residences when the BHCA reduced the size of the building. “It was economically infeasible to reduce the size of the project. This time they were much more supportive of our efforts and the needs we had, and we are appreciative of their support.”
Church said that the local favorite Villa Mexico Café, which serves burritos within the convenience store of Grampy’s, would be welcome to apply for a storefront. “I don’t think we could sell gas, but we could have a place for burritos,” she said with a smile.
Villa Mexico owner Julie King continued to make her burritos on Friday, not a bit worried about the announcement. She has a lease for another year and a half, and if she can’t afford a space in the new building, she said she’ll figure something out. “God will show the way,” she said. “People are asking me, what will I do? I love it here. If I have to, I’ll get a cart and go on a corner.”
Beacon Hill Times
The long-delayed development of the 296 Cambridge Street property was finally greenlighted by the Boston Redevelopment Authority.
The Board approved a revised proposal for the project located at 296 Cambridge Street in Beacon Hill. After many changes in size and scope, the project is now a five-story, 35,000-square-foot brick building with commercial offices on the upper floors, and retail on the ground floor.
“The building features details that are reminiscent of Beacon Hill and other recently built buildings on Cambridge Street,” says architect Elizabeth Church of CBT, who is working with Don Megathlin of Talanian Realty as the developer, and Henry Kara as the legal counsel.
Original plans for residences and a garage are no longer being considered; Church said they “worked with the neighborhood to make it more compatible with the smaller neighborhood residential buildings.”
“It’s going to be a very nice building that will help to keep the edge of Cambridge Street consistent with what’s there.” They also promise to work with the Cambridge Street Community Development Corp. to keep up with area plantings.
The entrance for the building will be on Cambridge Street. “We’ve met with the BHCA and I believe they have the checklist with them. They gave us a vote of confidence, as we move into the BRA
process.”
Church had no predictions for how long the project would take. A call to Talanian was not returned by deadline. “Permitting is such a nebulous process,” she said. “I have no predictions for how long it will take. The neighborhood likes it, I think the city likes it; It’s very close to the 2003 design that was approved. I don’t forsee any trouble.”
BHCA executive director Suzanne Besser says they do not oppose the project. Talanian Realty, the developer, was approved by the BRA Board on April 10, 2003 to construct 16 one and two bedroom residential units with first floor retail space. The BRA since then approved the switch to a non-residential project.
For years, the project was delayed because of the reconstruction of Cambridge Street, and a moratorium of utility construction in the street. On October 16, the developer filed a Notice of Project Change that proposed a five-story office building with retail on the first floor.
“It’s not going forward as previously approved since the release states that we approved the project change and the uses are different,” said BRA spokesperson Jessica Shumaker. “The previous proposal was for a building that had 4 and 6 stories – now it will be just 5 stories. The previous height was 65 feet and now it will be 62 feet.”
“We still have permits to go through -- board of appeal, the architectural commission, other permists from the city, then we need to submit all of our design plans, construction documents… it could be finished by spring 2010,” said Megathlin, vice president at Talanian. Talanian will wait until mid-to-late 2009 to secure financing. “Now is not a good time to start, anyway,” Megathlin said.
Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced this project, along with three other projects that total more than $75 million in private investment, which received approvals from the Boston Redevelopment Authority’s Board of Directors. The projects represent more than 330 construction jobs. “We continue to see people investing in our city,” Mayor Menino said. “These development projects will greatly add to the overall quality of life in our city – and they represent new jobs and homes for our residents.”
The development site will replace the current Grampy’s Gulf Station, which includes a convenience store and Villa Mexico Café, a tiny burrito stand. It is between Strong Place and Grove Street at the base of Beacon Hill, across from Mass General Hospital.
According to the BRA, total development cost is approximately $9.5 million, and the project will create about 30 construction jobs.
The original building proposed for the site was about twice the size of another constructed by Talanian years before, at 326 Cambridge Street.
The proposed six-story residential and retail project was opposed by area residents, including abutters Jim Higgins and Rui Monteiro-Claro, who believed their adjacent home at Zero Strong Place would be dwarfed by the massive building, reducing their light and views. John Achatz, BHCA zoning and licensing co-chair, said the zoning and licensing committee reviewed issues, and the sub-committee reached agreement when Talanian agreed to step down part of the building to four stories, resulting in a loss of 6000 square feet to the building’s total floor area. The project was then given the green light by the BHCA and the city zoning board of appeal in May 2003.
Megathlin said they dropped the plans for residences when the BHCA reduced the size of the building. “It was economically infeasible to reduce the size of the project. This time they were much more supportive of our efforts and the needs we had, and we are appreciative of their support.”
Church said that the local favorite Villa Mexico Café, which serves burritos within the convenience store of Grampy’s, would be welcome to apply for a storefront. “I don’t think we could sell gas, but we could have a place for burritos,” she said with a smile.
Villa Mexico owner Julie King continued to make her burritos on Friday, not a bit worried about the announcement. She has a lease for another year and a half, and if she can’t afford a space in the new building, she said she’ll figure something out. “God will show the way,” she said. “People are asking me, what will I do? I love it here. If I have to, I’ll get a cart and go on a corner.”
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Professor Wexler goes on the road for Holy Hullabaloos
BU Law Professor and divinity school grad Jay Wexler took a six-month road trip around the country, stopping at places where the significant church-state Supreme Court cases originated. This included visits to a high school football game in East Texas (Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe), a community of Orthodox Jews in New York State (Board of Education of Kiryas Joel v. Grumet), a Santeria gathering in South Florida (Church of Lukumi Babalu Ave., Inc. v. Hialeah), and Missouri to talk to a Mennonite who was the sole living plaintiff from the Wisconsin v Yoder religious freedom case.
The trip eventually produced the highly acclaimed Holy Hullabaloos: A Road Trip to the Battlegrounds of the Church-State Wars, released in June by Beacon Press. “My book tells the story of this trip while also explaining the basics of church-state law and making jokes,” Wexler explained on his blog. He claims inspiration from similarly thought-provoking on-the-road nonfiction such as Sarah Vowell's Assassination Vacation, Chuck Klosterman's Killing Yourself to Live, and Steve Almond's Candyfreak.
Before going to Stanford Law, Jay Wexler studied religion at the University of Chicago. “I’ve always been fascinated by religion, so it was natural that I would continue to be interested in the subject after studying law,” he said. “I like to think and write not only about how the law ought to treat religious beliefs and practice, but also about what role religion should play in the legal process.”
A member of the School of Law faculty since 2001, Professor Wexler teaches law and religion, administrative law, environmental law and natural resources law. Prior to BU Law, Professor Wexler clerked for Judge David Tatel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the U.S. Supreme Court. He also spent two years as an attorney-advisor at the Office of Legal Counsel in the Department of Justice, advising components of the Justice Department and other executive branch actors on statutory and constitutional issues.
Professor Wexler has published articles, essays and book reviews on these topics in publications such as the Georgetown Law Journal, the Vanderbilt Law Review, the George Washington Law Review, the William and Mary Law Review and the Washington University Law Review. This is his first book.
“The students really have liked it a lot,” he said of the book.. “A lot of people who took my First Amendment class last spring came to a reading last June, and they seemed to think it complements the course nicely. They said that they can hear my voice in my writing, which is a compliment. I wrote the book like I teach the class. That was my goal.”
Professor Wexler said many not connected to his class or BU also have picked up the book, including a reviewer in the fourth largest town in Alaska. “I don’t know how anyone there got hold of it,” he said. And a Minnesota Vikings fan is mad at his poking fun of the team’s record. Otherwise, Pamela Karlan at Stanford Law said, “I’ve read a lot of entertaining travelogues and informative studies of Supreme Court cases, but never at the same time… Thank God for Holy Hullabaloos.”
Professor Wexler’s humor is welcome by many of the readers who otherwise would find the subject matter a bit tedious. “There’s a debate as to whether (readers) like the humor,” he said. “It’s kind of different from any other book on this issue.”
He has no idea how many books have sold, but just for the understanding of Constitutional law alone, he said, “I wish more people would read it.”
He didn’t get to cover as much ground as he would have liked, so is there a sequel planned? “Depends. If anyone pays me to do a Part Two, I’ll do it.” In the meantime, he’s a few chapters into his next book, about “10 weird clauses” in the Constitution such as laws that bar U.S. officials from accepting a title of nobility from another country and keep the government from adopting the Metric system. It’s due spring 2011.
Other books he’s considering penning would examine a specific legal case concerning religious freedom, and one on environmental law. He intends to cover less ground, physically at least.
“I doubt I’d do another religion road trip,” he said. “It may be unhealthy to travel to Superfund sites.”
Professor Wexler said his phone has been quiet on a movie treatment of Holy Hullabaloos, but there are a few YouTube clips, including a “reading” by Walter, his five-year-old. On his website you can even listen to the book’s theme song, written and sung by Mike Newdow, the California lawyer who sued to have "under God" removed from the Pledge of Allegiance. Wexler recently spoke and signed copies of his book at the BU Barnes & Noble, as detailed in this article in the Daily Free Press or available on video.
The author is scheduled to also read at the following locations:
- October 23-24 Marin County, California, at a Marin High School conference he was invited to via Facebook by his old 1986 debate partner.
- November 5-7 Sanibel Island Writers' Workshop, where he’ll be doing a reading, as will CandyFreak’s Steve Almond.
- November 12 Newton North High School (Huntington Lecture Series) 4 p.m.
- December 10 Social Law Library, Boston 5 p.m.
Reported by Sandi Miller
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
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