photo by Janine Fay
I have lived in Somerville since 1995, which makes me a newcomer by Somerville standards, but I have come to love this city, which I now call home. In terms of my professional work, I am a retired professor of Anthropology and American Studies at Tufts University, where my teaching and research focused on U.S. Latino popular music and culture, and more locally, on Somerville’s diverse immigrant communities. I have written or co-edited books on Dominican bachata, rock in Latin America, reggaeton, and US Latino popular music.
In my non academic life, depending on the season, I enjoy gardening at our cottage in Onset, cooking for family and friends, biking, and walking. Regardless of the season, I always enjoy taking photos of quirky and unexpected things and places I encounter on walks and bike rides. I also play percussion with SheBoom, Somerville’s only post-menopausal Brazilian-inspired drumming and vocal ensemble, and I am active in a couple of groups interested in the process and experience of aging.
Now that I am retired, I have taken advantage of a more flexible time schedule to teach myself a bit of web design (with the help of web tutorials) so that I can share my photos and commentary with friends. This is my first web-based photo essay, but now that I know how to do it, I plan to create another, using photos I have taken on those same walks around town, observing the rapid changes taking place in Somerville.
If you have comments or want to contact me (Deb Pacini): debpacini@gmail.com.