Author Marilynn Borst is the NB Town House Artist of the Month for June
I never thought of myself as an artist.
But, as a creator I take words taught to me by others and turn them into sentences and paragraphs that express my feelings, musings, knowledge and experiences.
Like a painter or photographer, I often describe what I see. Like a potter or woodworker, I end up with a product that can be of use, read silently or aloud, quoted, or acted out. And like a musician, my words often express deep feelings.
A former teacher, with a master’s degree in education, and a life-long volunteer, I turned to writing while raising my four children. I wrote newsletters for several organizations and researched and wrote guidebooks for Preservation Worcester house tours. I’ve tried my hand at writing radio dramas, parables, and love stories while taking part in WISE classes at Assumption. My poem period came during Covid when time almost stood still. The lack of personal get-togethers and public meetings left more time for reflection. After a morning walk I would sit on the dock overlooking Brooks Pond, caught up in the beauty of individual snowflake crystals, the whale-like sounds created by the expanding and contracting of the pond’s ice cover, and the haunting calls of owls and hawks. I got into the habit of carrying a tiny notebook and a pencil and would try to jot down the myriads of thoughts that came to mind.
To call attention to the Town House as the place where residents gathered to discuss and come to agreement on Town matters, I created a PowerPoint program to be used in third grade classrooms. The program teaches North Brookfield history by describing three of the town’s most important buildings. The two-session classes ended with the students organizing their own Town meeting.
My printed work is devoted to history. I love delving into the past to tell a story. My work is not just a retelling of events. I start with a theme. For George M Cohan Was Here! it was North Brookfield residents’ memories of time spent in the Town House from its opening in 1864 until its close in 2004 and their hope for its restoration. And for The True Housewives of Holden it was the reaction of women from 1915 to 2015 to town, state, and world events.
My writing has led me to some people I greatly admire:
The Town Historian and longtime North Brookfield teacher who introduced me to the Haston Public Library and spent many hours with me in the history room. Following his suggestions I haunted the place for months, reading Temple’s History and old newspapers and pouring through the file cabinet.
The volunteer who supported my North Brookfield book project by interviewing residents about their memories of the Town House and encouraging others to send information to me.
The Friends board member who formed an “email grapevine” comprised of her relatives and friends to whom I could pose questions. As they shared their memories they would ask why I, a “big city” girl born and raised in West Baltimore, Maryland, was so interested in the goings-on in their small town. I assured them that I grew up in a neighborhood much like theirs, where we roller-skated on the sidewalks and played tag at the playground, and where every mother knew your name and made sure yours knew if you misbehaved before you even had time to make it back home.
The librarian in charge of the history room of the Gale Free Library in Holden who gave me access to the papers of the Holden Woman’s Club and allowed me to bring home boxes of materials when I broke my kneecap while hiking. I was able to write my book while surrounded by binders and albums of photographs, yearbooks and minutes.
Holden Woman’s Club members who provided me support and encouragement by recommending me to the Anniversary Committee as the writer to pen the 100-year history and then writing a grant to have the book published; and who showcased my work at an elaborate Anniversary Party and a public display at the Gale Free Library.
I have been writing all my life: First, as a child, silly little poems about the seasons; then the diary entries and the newsy holiday letter that somehow turns into a newsletter; and finally, a family history just waiting to be organized and completed.
That’s the next chapter of my life.
George M Cohan Was Here! can be purchased at Brookfield Orchards in North Brookfield..
George M Cohan Was Here! Click here for more information. Marilynn’s 100 page book, with 85 illustrations and photographs, covers the history of North Brookfield’s Town Houses from 1833 to 1864 and follows the life of the present building from 1864 to 2013 – and beyond. (Note: the flyer is older and there is no November presentation.
New York Times article about George M Cohan and North Brookfield
About George M. Cohan 10 Things You Didn’t Know
