Alyssa Mazzarella
1.
How long
have you been living and/or studying in Dorchester?
3 years
2.
Last book
you read that you just couldn’t put down?
"Snowflake / Different Streets" by Eileen Myles
3. When and how did you find out Santa wasn’t real?
I was eleven or twelve and sharing a bench seat on the school bus with an older girl (can’t remember her name—we weren’t even friends!). She said, “If you don’t believe me, check the closets—you’ll find the gifts.” Instead, I pretended to be to asleep on Xmas Eve and subsequently heard my parents carry the gifts in and arrange them in front of the fireplace. (My infamous bedroom door has slats—easy for spying in either direction, to my teenage self’s horror.) Finding out Santa is a sham was disappointing, but it made me appreciate my parents generosity a lot.
4. Best Christmas gift you’ve ever received?
Last year, my family decided to visit my sister, who was living in Germany at the time, instead of buying gifts. It was an incredible privilege to spend Xmas in Nuremberg together. While we had some small gifts (mostly items from the nearby Christkindlesmarkt) under a random potted ficus tree that we dressed with red ribbon, it was nice to just be together as a family. Travelling far from our lives freed us up to just enjoy each other’s company in a way we probably wouldn’t have if we had been running to the mall or grocery store or five different holiday parties.
Danya Bush
1. How long have you been living and/or studying in Dorchester?
I've been living and studying in Boston since September. I'm a first-year fiction student in the MFA program at UMass Boston.
2. Last book you read that you just couldn’t put down?
"A Girl Is A Half-Formed Thing" by Eimear McBride.
3. When and how did you find out Santa wasn’t real?
As a Jew, I feel like maybe I have an unfair advantage with this question.
4. Best Christmas gift you’ve ever received?
When I was really young, like, maybe four or five, I got an American Girl doll for Christmas, and I was so happy that I wouldn't stop crying. Everything I've received since then has been a disappointment.
1. How long have you been living and/or studying in Dorchester?
I've been living and studying in Boston since September. I'm a first-year fiction student in the MFA program at UMass Boston.
2. Last book you read that you just couldn’t put down?
"A Girl Is A Half-Formed Thing" by Eimear McBride.
3. When and how did you find out Santa wasn’t real?
As a Jew, I feel like maybe I have an unfair advantage with this question.
4. Best Christmas gift you’ve ever received?
When I was really young, like, maybe four or five, I got an American Girl doll for Christmas, and I was so happy that I wouldn't stop crying. Everything I've received since then has been a disappointment.
