Revere Beach Stories: Photographs and Poems by Stephenie Young, Jennifer Martelli and Kevin Carey

In the shadow of the Boston skyline, Revere Beach, Massachusetts, is a life in pictures: the natural blue ocean horizon, the restaurants and the bars, the cars cruising up and down the boulevard, the teenagers in packs on hot summer days, the retired folks walking by the sea wall. This urban beachfront also houses many poetic stories: a honky-tonk history, a revolving door of immigrants, gangsters and gamblers, and an often-crowded beach with folks from many surrounding cities. The poets involved in this project grew up in Revere in the 1960s and 70?s. They?ve both written extensively about this city and its three-mile beachfront, which is the first public beach in America. A Somerville photographer, originally from California was drawn to this local East Coast ocean and its unfamiliar culture during the pandemic. Thus began a long-term photo project about everyday life in the beach city. After a chance conversation over those photographs and a few poems, this collaboration was born. This collection attempts to capture the complicated nature of Revere Beach, with the combination of a newcomer?s eye and the personal reflections of these poets who have history here. Often overlooked by metropolitan Boston, Revere Beach is not Cape Cod or Nantucket, and that?s part of what makes it unique. Through still images and poetry, this book paints a portrait of a place that has influenced each of these artists in a profound way and it gives voice to an often-forgotten urban beach culture in a way that has not been done before. ADDITIONAL EVENTS FEBRUARY 21 Opening Reception and Reading 6 pm ? 8 pm I Commuter Lounge, ECC FEBRUARY 26 Artist Talk 12:30 pm ? 1:30 pm Reception 1:30 pm ? 3:00 pm I Commuter Lounge, ECC