Carl Carlsen

Brickyard Stories 2.0 Carl Carlsen

Brickyard Stories 2.0: A Lynn MA Neighborhood Before and After Urban Renewal combines oral history and storytelling, poetry and prose, to illustrate the past century of life in a diverse working-class neighborhood of a mid-size city. In the first half of that century, before urban renewal (ca.1970), the Brickyard grew robust and dynamic, and in the second half, after urban renewal, the Brickyard has become a shrunken neighborhood and an expanding brand. Forty voices from interviews done by the author over four decades tell stories about Irish, Greek, Jewish, Italian, Black, Dominican, and Russian life in the Brickyard. The speakers range from prominent Italian old-timers to 21st century creative entrepreneurs using the Brickyard as a brand. There are stories about mothers and fathers, artistic achievement, the impact of urban renewal and life in the redeveloped Brickyard. Maps show the long history of the neighborhood and photographs by Rod Kessler show it in the present day. Essays propose the neighborhood has a literature of its own and that it has been a crucible in which to see the evolution of urban renewal into neighborhood development.

Praise for Brickyard 2.0:

"Brickyard Stories 2.0 captures the soul of a once and still close-knit community. It is readable, moving, and a valuable contribution to the broad American story."
-John Ronan, author of Taking the Train of Singularity South from Midtown former Poet Laureate of Gloucester

"...a smooth elegant stream of consideration, fact, grit and memory."
-Joe Boyd, singer-songwriter, member Lynn Museum Board of Trustees