Thriving through vision loss: 5 Bostonians on identity, career growth and giving back
In this part of a series exploring what thriving means to different people, Technical.ly spoke with members of the visually impaired community about how they've overcome challenges, and what drives them now. By Lian Parsons-Thomason Twenty-two years ago, Nina Livingstone’s world went very dark and very quiet. The writer, journalist and public speaker lives with Usher [...]
Q+A: Jamie Bissonnette and Ken Oringer
By Nina Livingstone | Edible Boston Magazine It was one of those spectacular, only-in-New-England October evenings—an even blend of summer and fall. As my friend and I confirmed, if there was a perfect night to be out in Boston, this was it. Turning onto Newbury Street, hundreds of people crowded the sidewalks, pressing together [...]
Jane Sutton has Chutzpah and Here’s Why
The author unveils her latest book By Nina Livingstone When a college professor encouraged Jane Sutton to write about something that she’d always wanted to do, the assignment proved to be life-changing for the Brandeis University student, who shared her love of writing children’s books. Jane Sutton Now, with 12 books to her [...]
Boston is Growing: Mayor Wu’s GrowBoston and Office of Food Justice unveil edible options
By Nina Livingstone Photos courtesy of Michael Piazza In October 2020, then–City Councilor Michelle Wu laid out an ambitious 66-page plan she titled “Food Justice Agenda for a Resilient Boston.” In part, it was in response to the broken food supply the pandemic had exposed. Wu released her plan just a month after announcing her [...]
Finding her true fortune: Lisa Schiller exits corporate life to enter a world of possibilities
By Nina Livingstone In the late ‘90s, Lisa Schiller was a movie producer working with Hollywood stars Tyne Daly and Ally Sheedy. By the 2000s she was vice president of operations for a Fortune 500 company serving clients that included Procter & Gamble, TD Ameritrade, Wells Fargo, among others, across more than 50 countries. “My [...]
A Race from the Heart: Becca Pizzi is a Worldwide Verb
By Nina Livingstone Becca Pizzi believes she trained her whole life to run the World Marathon Challenge, which she did in 2016, completing seven marathons in seven continents in seven consecutive days. Then, two years later, the Belmont native decided to do it again. Both times she walked away with a new world record. (The [...]
Boston Casting: Catch of the Day
The women who bring local talent to the big screen By Nina Livingstone When “CODA” won an Oscar for Best Picture no one was more surprised than the women behind the film’s casting. This was “the biggest moment in our career — so far,” said Angela Peri, owner and founder of Boston Casting. [...]
Voices That Matter
After 50 years, SpeakOUT still has something to say Celebrating its 50th anniversary By Nina Livingstone | Boston Spirit All photos courtesy of SpeakOUT Boston “I was a very naive and closeted guy who grew up in Buffalo, New York, in the ’60s and ’70s. I didn’t come out until I was 24 after [...]
British Actor Kieran Hodgson: The “Undoing” of the “Crown”
By Nina Livingstone British actor, writer, and comedian Kieran Hodgson is what both sides of the pond refer to as a “rising star.” With his ingenious wit and deft impressions —think the entire cast of “The Undoing,” “The Crown,” “Succession” among others — Hodgson is surely on the cusp of universal recognition. It was [...]
HBO Max’s “Julia” feeds our insatiable appetite for Julia Child
By Nina Livingstone https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZBacZqwbCA With 18 films to her name, Boston-based food stylist Christine Tobin quickly admits that Julia proved to be the most challenging. “All of the food production and styling work I’ve had leading up to [Julia] has trained me to do this job,” she said during a recent press junket promoting [...]
Dreams Come True
Y/A fantasy fiction writer Aaron Pacheco creates books he never had as a kid By Nina Livingstone Growing up in a small town in the late-1990s, Aaron Pacheco remembers what it was like to be young and gay. “I didn’t really have access to stories with young LGBTQ+ characters, either on TV or in [...]
The Art of the Eye: How Artist Alexia Stefanovich Sees the World
By Nina Livingstone Alexia Stefanovich started Right Eye Studios in 2018. Due to health complications, Alexia has slowly gone blind in her right eye. “I thought of the name as a way to honor what I've lost while remaining grateful for everything I do have that allows me to continue painting,” she writes. Alexia [...]
“CODA” Star Marlee Matlin on Deaf Representation in Hollywood
The deaf actor and Academy Award winner discusses her new film and inspiring journey. Marlee Matlin in “CODA” (Promotional still) In 1987, Marlee Matlin made Academy Awards history as the first deaf actor to be nominated for—and to win—an Oscar. At 21, she was also the youngest to win the best actress award. The film [...]
Oscar-nominated “CODA”: Kayla Caulfield strikes a perfect note as “Off Key Girl”
Kayla Caulfield was at a doctor’s appointment when she heard the news: “CODA” had been nominated for three Oscars, including Best Picture. The 24-year-old Massachusetts native, who played the role of “Off Key Girl” in “CODA,” is certainly on key with 27 film and TV credits creating a solid portfolio. But being associated with an [...]
Harvard’s Hasty Pudding “Man of the Year” — Jason Bateman
Despite the setbacks and adjustments imposed by the pandemic, it was almost business as usual at Thursday night’s Hasty Pudding Man of the Year roast honoring Jason Bateman. True, the in-person event meant we’d need our vaccine cards at the ready, as we secured our masks in place just to enter Harvard’s Farkas Hall. But [...]