Author: Merrimack Student

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Angels in the Mud: The Egg McMuffin That Brought Me Home

Margo McLennan

A twenty-something year old Margo pushes her luck while she travels to expand her horizons, but angels safely guide her home.

Sierra National Forest, CA (Photo Credit: Margo McLennan, 2017)

Alt text: landscape photo of mountains and clouds as the sun sets behind them

Fresh out of college, Margo traveled around the country with hopes of seeing places that looked different than her home state of Massachusetts. From mountains to deserts to bayous and beyond, she experienced unparalleled natural beauty. Her most striking discovery, though, were the angels she met along the way: people with an eagerness to feed and shelter vagabonds like herself out of the kindness of their hearts.

Red Rock Canyon, NV (Photo Credit: Margo McLennan, 2017)

Alt text: red rocks in the foreground with desert landscape and blue skies in the background

MapHub

https://maphub.net/margomclennan/map

Navigate the interactive map using the link above to see photos and locations of some of the angels Margo met and stayed with along her travels, including:

  • a woman in Buffalo, NY who fed Margo copious amounts buffalo chicken
  • a hip, young couple in Des Moines, IA who taught Margo that in some parts of the country (Iowa, for example), women leave their purses and drinks unattended in bars, because nothing bad will happen to them if they do
  • an older, single woman in Boise, ID who was obsessed with her koi ponds and grapevines. She only wore t-shirts from the koi feed store. Her WiFi network was named KOI POND.
  • a wine-maker in Portland who brought Margo mushroom hunting, where they foraged russulas for a tasty dinner
  • a fabulous, elder gay who used his Marriott points to book Margo and some friends a hotel in San Francisco on his dime
  • an equally fabulous housewife in San Francisco who welcomed Margo into her guest home for five days of crafting, wine-drinking, and going to the theater

“Y’all need any help?”

In a hot, sticky field in Georgia, Margo and her friend get stuck in the mud. The Jeep they had been living out of breaks down, the skies open to a hot, hellish rain, and they are stranded in a wet field overnight. Fortunately, a pair of angels discovers them, and their luck turns.

Lafayette, GA (Photo Credit: Margo McLennan, 2018)

Alt text: shirtless man stands in a grassy field with hands on his hips watching two men load Jeep onto a towing truck

Instagram Story

Photo Credit: Margo McLennan, 2018

Alt text: photo of a tent in the woods with the sun setting behind trees and the text overlayed “Angels in the Mud: the egg McMuffin that brought me home” with a link to Listen Now

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The President who was Hesitant – by Jimmy Kritzas

Overcoming the nerves of graduation from the stage.

“Although our class may go on to be highlighted by the negatives and missed moments…I ask you all to choose optimism…specifically development in character, adaptability…and self improvement to name a few.” – Jimmy Kritzas

Photo by Marianne Caradonna, June 4, 2021;
Alt Text: Class President Jimmy Kritzas, school faculty, community members and politicians begin to walk to the graduation stage on the turf of the school’s football stadium. Families fill the stands and chairs are prepared for graduates to sit in behind the walking group.
Screenshot from HCMedia, “The Haverhill High School Class of 2021 Graduation Ceremony”, June 4, 2021;
Alt Text: Jimmy Kritzas speaks to the Class of 2021 at a wood podium with a glass casing and several microphones
Screenshot from HCMedia, “The Haverhill High School Class of 2021 Graduation Ceremony”, June 4, 2021;
Alt Text: Jimmy Kritzas returns to the podium at the ceremony after delivering the President’s speech, with city politicians and school leadership applauding.

Social Media Post – Instagram Story

https://www.canva.com/design/DAG5kexAN4s/FIl7RytOEq4DwFygnOjp5w/edit?utm_content=DAG5kexAN4s&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

Digital Storytelling Element – Spotify Playlist

“I wish you success, good health, happiness, and the absolute best in your future endeavors….And as Drake recently said, ‘we’ll see what’s boutta happen next’, thank you.” – Jimmy Kritzas, Speech to the Class of 2021.

Photo by Marianne Caradonna, June 4, 2021;
Alt Text: School faculty, community members, and local politicians clap as Class President Jimmy Kritzas walks the stage to receive the first diploma of the night on graduation day.
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If I Had to Relive It, I Would

Liz Johnson

A story about my first time ever going to the pit for a concert and seeing the band I had always dreamed of seeing.

Some memorable pictures from the night of the concert. This was honestly the best concert I’ve ever been to. After this night, I ended up seeing them two more times once the very next day after the pit, and then again this past October in Maine, in the pit again. These photos are basically the start of all of it.
This is a Spotify playlist of all the songs that were played at the concert!!!
TikTok my friends and I leading up to the concert.

Instagram story to tease multimedia storytelling piece (Pic Creds: Liz Johnson)
All of us holding hands walking back to the Garden only to see a crowd of people run out of the station and take our spots in line.
End of concert such a magical night
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♫ One Short Day in the City of London ♫

Emma McDonald reminisces about seeing Wicked on the West End with her good friend, Javier, (and the trouble they went through).

A panoramic image of a busy theatre lobby decorated in green lights. (Photo credits: Emma McDonald, 2017)
Image taken by Emma at the Apollo Victoria Theatre in London in 2017.
Emma and Javier sitting in their seats at the theatre.
Us at our seats before the show (notice how no one is seated yet behind us).

A Zoom call with Javier where we tell the story together:

Digital scrapbook page

“And me, being the little theatre kid that I am, decide that I really, really, really want to see Wicked.”

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Nonstop to China! Well, almost… by Emma Gannon

Emma shares her wild solo travel journey to China.

“Moral of the story: traveling is all fun and games until I go somewhere without my mom.”

After agreeing to visit China for the first time since 2016, Emma learns she’ll have to make the 25-hour journey alone. What follows is pure chaos: cramped flights, awkward seat-mates, a marathon walk through Heathrow, frantic texts, canceled flights, a missing driver, a crazy train station, and five hours beside snoring strangers. By the time she finally reunites with her mom and uncle, it’s clear that travel is far less glamorous without her mom by her side.

A pond with a layer of green leafy lily pads with pink lilies in front of a foggy backdrop at Yuanmingyuan, Beijing (Photo Credit: Emma Gannon, 2024)

Alt Text: A pond with a layer of green leafy lily pads with pink lilies in front of a foggy backdrop at Yuanmingyuan, Beijing (Photo Credit: Emma Gannon, 2024)

Alt Text: Photo taken in .5 of the mac and cheese, roll, fruit and cheese, side dish, dessert, and drink mentioned in the story. (Photo Credit: Emma Gannon, 2024)

Alt Text: Photo taken in .5 of the mac and cheese, roll, fruit and cheese, side dish, dessert, and drink mentioned in the story. (Photo Credit: Emma Gannon, 2024)

Animated Map

Alt Text: Animated map that zooms in and moves with an airplane depicting Emma’s trip. Starts in Boston, flies to London, then flies to Shanghai. Then takes a taxi to the train station, then a train to Beijing.

Instagram Story

Alt Text: The top photo shows a Chinese gondola on the river, while the bottom photo features a colorful archway with red, blue, and tan hues, accompanied by writing in the Summer Palace, overlaid with the words ‘Nonstop to China!’ Well, almost with a link to Listen Here.

Instagram story to tease multimedia storytelling piece (Photo Credits: Emma Gannon, 2024)

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I Remember Everything About that Day

Dempsey Lajoie went from living an ordinary day as a freshman in college to her world being flipped upside down.

Her 7 grandchildren photographed Grandma Rosemary Dempsey (Roro) after teaching her how to make a duck face.

This playlist encapsulates some songs from our favorite movies (Shirley Temple), her love for opera and songs I remeber hearing in the car

Every night before bed, Roro would give me a hug and kiss and say “goodnight, red”. Once I taught her how to make a heart with her hands, she would incorporate that into our nightly routine.

Instagram Story

Instagram story post I made in real time of my grandmother’s passing. A photo of flowers that were sent to us, and her memorial card, layered with a photo of the two of us.
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Concert Chaos; An Unforgettable Night at Fenway

Michelle Bradanese’s long awaited Lana Del Rey concert spirals into chaos, comedy, and magic she never saw coming.

close up selfie of young woman looking upset: the weather is stated at 91 degrees: with a caption stating: LANA I'm sweating.
Selfie of a very sweaty Michelle on the Samuel Adams deck upon arrival to the concert.
dark blue and gray clouds fill the sky, overlooking a filled Fenway park at dusk.
Mother Natures revenge on Fenway Park; the sky moments before a man would get up on stage and announce the lightning storm delay.

This is a Spotify playlist of the concert setlist including a curated cover with a photo of Michelle and Nasia, post concert, wearing matching Lana T-shirts looking like they had just endured a tornado outside of Fenway Park (they had). Most songs in the setlist were blended together and not sang all the way through due to the shortened concert.
multimedia element
Multimedia scrapbook collage depicting the varying themes of the night. It includes photos of the performer, the view from the deck, the squished fans, special celebrity guests and images that depict the scattered chaotic feelings throughout the night. Pearls, lace and bows are used as symbols of what the crowd was wearing. The top right photo in the collage is a picture of the “underbelly” of Fenway where 40,000 fans were crammed into. This unhinged scrapbook is a direct representation of what it was like the night of June 20th, 2024 at Fenway Park.
Multimedia element: Instagram Post layered with stormy photo of Fenway Park depicting Lana Del Ray in the middle of the post, three anonymous people to the left of the post and it is titled "One Very Special Show" with the date June 20th, Fenway Park in scripted font.
Playful Instagram teaser post is layered with a photo from the Sam Adams Deck at Fenway Park before the monsoon erupted. The post emulates the mood of the night while embracing key elements of the story.

Newspaper Article Titled: Lana Del Rain in large print. Breaking News is stated underneath. A photo of a surge of people sprinting is highlighted to the right of the print. In the photo to the left of the mob of people are empty metal chairs and to the right of the people is the empty stage. Workers are seen in yellow vests escorting the mob. Blue ponchos are scattered about the frame.
This fake newspaper article multimedia element helps tease the events of the night. It highlights the chaos and shows readers the infamous “stampede” photo of Lana fans rushing back to the pit after the two hour delay. Seen are fans fighting each other to get closest to the barricade.
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Lost… Yet Found in Tokyo by John Dollase

A cautionary tale of travelling abroad: always charge your phone before leaving the hotel.

“I’m not the type of person to go exploring on my own in Boston, let alone halfway across the world!”

A large crowd is on a walkway leading towards a temple. Stalls line the street with cherry blossom branches on the tops.

The crowded Nakamise Street leading towards the temple of Sensō-ji in Tokyo. (Photo Credit: John Dollase, 2024)

Alt text: A large crowd on a street leading towards a temple. Various stalls line the road, with cherry blossom branches on top.

A snapshot of the Tokyo Skytree from the Mito Kaido bridge. (Photo Credit: John Dollase, 2024)

Alt text: The Tokyo Skytree towers over the other buildings nearby on a clear spring day.

The Tokyo Skytree towers over the other buildings nearby on a clear spring day.

Interactive Map

Click Here to See the Journey!

Social Media Post

A monkey sitting on a stool eating a strawberry with the words Lost... Yet Found in Tokyo is overlaid, along with a link that reads 'Listen Now!'

Instagram post used to tease the story visually (Photo Credit: John Dollase, 2024)

Alt text: A monkey in a robe sitting on a stool eating a strawberry with the words ‘Lost… Yet Found in Tokyo’ overlaid, along with a link that reads ‘Listen Now!’

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The three most important steps to affordably run a small garden

By Nicholas Ciriello

Overview: While the task of running a garden, let alone on a budget, might seem daunting, once you break down the task into small, achievable steps, the task becomes much lighter. This blog post will break down the gardening process into easy, manageable steps that will keep your wallet happy. 

Step 1: Figure out what you want to grow and the ideal spot to grow them. It might seem obvious, but knowing what you want to plant is important in growing a garden, as certain plants might not grow well together, (source: Kate Morgan) Additionally, you want to find the ideal spot to have this garden and grow what would work in the allowed area. For instance, most types of flowers require six to eight hours of sun a day. If you don’t have any space with that much available sunlight, you’ll likely need to compromise and grow something else, (source: Andrea Beck). (Photo credit: One Kindesign)

Step 2: Look for affordable or even free seeds on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. Lots of people sell or give away their extra seeds. Utilizing seeds people are willing to give away can be a great way to find cheap or even free seeds to start your garden with, (source: Tracey Besemer). It is essential to note, however, that the initial cost of growing your own seeds will be more than just buying plants or vegetables, due to the additional expenses associated with setting up the garden. However, once you have your garden set up, you will save money buying seeds compared to buying fruits or vegetables, (source Natalia Gonzalez Blanco Serrano). Finally, it’s worth mentioning that some plants self-seed. Growing these would be a good investment since they produce their own seeds, saving you money. (Photo credit: SOW Right Seeds)

Step 3: Try to find cheap, high-quality soil for your garden. Admittedly, this could be the hardest step because if you have poor soil, nothing would grow, and high-quality soil might cost more, so we recommend buying soils in bulk as it is a good way to get affordable, high-quality soils for cheap, as buying soils in bulk is cheaper than repeatedly buying smaller soil bags, (source: Asphalt Materials Inc.). Additionally, wood chips and their scraps would make a great source of mulch for your soil, and luckily, there’s a free service called Chip Drop that’s available in many areas that delivers free logs, wood-chips, and or tree scraps, (source: Becca Lewis). Once you have your soil we recommend testing at a local cooperative extension office, (source: Andrea Beck). These tests are inexpensive and sometimes even free. However you could even preform these tests yourself as cheap soil testing kits usually range around $10 per sample, (source USDA).  If your soil needs it, you could also improve its health for free by composting or from aged manure from local farms, (source: Lauren Landers). (Photo credit: E.P. Jansen Nursery LLC).

There are endless possible things you could do to run an affordable farm. However, in summary, these are the three most important steps to affordably run a garden, as without seeds, soil, and a suitable location for your garden, it doesn’t matter what else you do; you won’t be able to run a successful garden. 


  1. https://home.howstuffworks.com/companion-planting.htm#:~:text=By%20planting%20corn%2C%20beans%20and%20squash%2C%20they,more%20fruitful%20gardens%20and%20natural%20pest%20management. ↩︎
  2. https://www.bhg.com/gardening/yard/garden-care/ten-steps-to-beginning-a-garden/ ↩︎
  3. https://www.ruralsprout.com/garden-for-free/#:~:text=Another%20great%20way%20to%20source,I%20suggest%20you%20get%20them. ↩︎
  4. https://www.bhg.com/gardening/yard/garden-care/ten-steps-to-beginning-a-garden/ ↩︎
  5. https://zerowastehomestead.com/dirt-cheap-12-easy-ways-to-garden-on-a-budget/ ↩︎

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Growing up with the Garden

By: Alana Brockett

Growing up I saw such a sense of community around gardening. I live in a big neighborhood in Southbury, Connecticut. Neighbors walk to each other’s houses carrying veggies and plants they have too much of. It’s a love language for a lot of people, including my mother, who takes pride in what she grows. Every summer my mother’s favorite plants to grow are cucumbers, tomatoes, and Black Eyed Susan’s. To this day whenever I see Black Eyed Susans I think of my mom. She would always make a nice arrangement of them in a vase and give them to me to put in my room. She also taught me how to take care of flowers so they survive for a long time. She always taught me to cut off most of the leaves and cut the stems a little shorter and put them in a vase of water. Now in college whenever my friends get bouquets I am the one who knows the best way to take care of them.

Southbury is rural with a lot of farm land so gardens and garden centers are something I grew up going to with my mom. I saw her always working hard to make sure her plants survived, I saw her going to garden centers picking up supplies and asking for advice. She showed her love to people by giving them her favorite things that she grew. I saw her support local farm stands and buy eggs from people with chickens, and it really impacted me and made me want to support local farmers more rather than big companies.  I found that food I bought from local places tasted better and was also cheaper. It really made me question some of the produce at the grocery store.

Local farm stand in Southbury CT

Image from mitchellfarmct.com

Growing up my mom also loved to compost and loved what it did for our soil and helped her plants grow. She has a coffee container that she replaces every few weeks and we put all our fruit and veggie scraps in there. Im so used to it that now being in college and just throwing egg shells away feels so weird. The compost has made me a lot more conscious of what Im throwing away and what can go in the compost. I love that we are able to repurpose food scraps into really good soil for the plants. I love these memories I have with my mom. It makes me feel closer to her and I love learning about the things that make her happy. I love that she loves sharing her interests with me.

Now every summer I look forward to not having to purchase cucumbers or tomatoes because they are in my front yard. I make salads with our veggies and display the flowers throughout the house. My mom always spent so much time on her garden every spring and summer and I have so many memories of her putting in the time to make her plants grow. My mother inspired me in so many ways to be environmentally conscious while also growing things you are proud of.

Our garden by our walkway! Lots of Black Eyed Susan’s!

Photo taken by my mother Eugenia Brockett