Nerissa Nields
@nerissafranklin.bsky.social
Writer, author, musician, steward of Writing It Up in the Garden.
All manner of Nieldsy things are happening (like our big February 7th show at the Ironhorse and our special fireside show at Club Passim with our friends, High Tea). Open the latest newsletter on substack to see photos, videos and get all the latest!
January 21, 2026 at 9:34 PM
All manner of Nieldsy things are happening (like our big February 7th show at the Ironhorse and our special fireside show at Club Passim with our friends, High Tea). Open the latest newsletter on substack to see photos, videos and get all the latest!
It’s really not fair. The kids come home for winter break, they teach us all these fun games, and then they just leave! There should be a better system.
Does anyone play Catan? Can Tom and I play one-on-one?
#catan #funwithfamily #boardgames
Does anyone play Catan? Can Tom and I play one-on-one?
#catan #funwithfamily #boardgames
January 13, 2026 at 1:16 PM
It’s really not fair. The kids come home for winter break, they teach us all these fun games, and then they just leave! There should be a better system.
Does anyone play Catan? Can Tom and I play one-on-one?
#catan #funwithfamily #boardgames
Does anyone play Catan? Can Tom and I play one-on-one?
#catan #funwithfamily #boardgames
It’s been exactly five months since I gave up caffeine. It’s been the hardest substance I’ve ever put down, harder than sugar and flour, harder than alcohol.
Now, without caffeine, I’m at the whim of my body’s natural rhythms and…Read the rest at nerissanields.substack.com
Now, without caffeine, I’m at the whim of my body’s natural rhythms and…Read the rest at nerissanields.substack.com
January 9, 2026 at 3:35 PM
It’s been exactly five months since I gave up caffeine. It’s been the hardest substance I’ve ever put down, harder than sugar and flour, harder than alcohol.
Now, without caffeine, I’m at the whim of my body’s natural rhythms and…Read the rest at nerissanields.substack.com
Now, without caffeine, I’m at the whim of my body’s natural rhythms and…Read the rest at nerissanields.substack.com
Cleo, tired of herding her sheep, took matters into her own teeth.
January 6, 2026 at 5:19 PM
Cleo, tired of herding her sheep, took matters into her own teeth.
Happy New Year!
January 1, 2026 at 2:16 PM
Happy New Year!
You can still get tickets to these wonderful Almost New Year's shows with the lovely Dar Williams! Come see us.
December 26, 2025 at 2:14 PM
You can still get tickets to these wonderful Almost New Year's shows with the lovely Dar Williams! Come see us.
Holiday gift idea for the writer in your life, perhaps? Or maybe a holiday gift idea for YOU! Come EAT with us...err, WRITE with us, or all of the above! Jan 23-25 is our next gathering. Block out time today for your creative self to join us!
December 19, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Holiday gift idea for the writer in your life, perhaps? Or maybe a holiday gift idea for YOU! Come EAT with us...err, WRITE with us, or all of the above! Jan 23-25 is our next gathering. Block out time today for your creative self to join us!
Our first ever Welcome Table Chorus show is tomorrow night in Florence, MA AND we're taking sign ups for the next session (Jan 6-March 31) on Nerissa's website. Come hear the show or feel free to message if you want to learn more.
December 15, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Our first ever Welcome Table Chorus show is tomorrow night in Florence, MA AND we're taking sign ups for the next session (Jan 6-March 31) on Nerissa's website. Come hear the show or feel free to message if you want to learn more.
Happy Hannukkah and early Merry Christmas! It's been such a busy month already. Here's a Christmas "Carol" we sang with our dear friend, Ben Demerath. This month: Come see our Welcome Table Chorus (Florence, MA at Bombyx on Dec 16th) AND catch us playing 4 Almost New Year's Shows with Dar Williams.
December 14, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Happy Hannukkah and early Merry Christmas! It's been such a busy month already. Here's a Christmas "Carol" we sang with our dear friend, Ben Demerath. This month: Come see our Welcome Table Chorus (Florence, MA at Bombyx on Dec 16th) AND catch us playing 4 Almost New Year's Shows with Dar Williams.
Very excited for tomorrow's 30 Poems in November Reading at Weinstein Auditorium in Smith College's Wright Hall at 2pm. Laurie Millman and I got to be on the Fabulous 413 yesterday with Monte and Kaliis! www.nepm.org/podcast... #centerfornewamericans
Yet Another Queer Pop-Up Market, Center for New Americans, Rep. Jim McGovern
We check in with organizers behind Yet Another Queer Pop-Up Market, find out about the "30 Poems in November" showcase fundraiser for the Center for New Americans, and McGovern with Rep. Jim McGovern.
www.nepm.org
December 12, 2025 at 11:46 PM
Very excited for tomorrow's 30 Poems in November Reading at Weinstein Auditorium in Smith College's Wright Hall at 2pm. Laurie Millman and I got to be on the Fabulous 413 yesterday with Monte and Kaliis! www.nepm.org/podcast... #centerfornewamericans
The dogs can't agree on programming. Do you have a vote? The Office or Downton Abbey?
December 10, 2025 at 9:34 PM
The dogs can't agree on programming. Do you have a vote? The Office or Downton Abbey?
Dec 16 at 7pm at Bombyx! We're so delighted to be raising money for the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts during our very first Welcome Table Chorus live performance. Invite friends and join us for a very special evening of music for a great cause.
December 9, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Dec 16 at 7pm at Bombyx! We're so delighted to be raising money for the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts during our very first Welcome Table Chorus live performance. Invite friends and join us for a very special evening of music for a great cause.
soundcloud.com/whmp/...
Laurie Millman and I had a blast this morning with Bill Newman on WHMP. We discussed 30 Poems in November's annual reading, which will be this Saturday December 13 at Weinstein Auditorium in Wright Hall at Smith College, 2-4pm.
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Laurie Millman and I had a blast this morning with Bill Newman on WHMP. We discussed 30 Poems in November's annual reading, which will be this Saturday December 13 at Weinstein Auditorium in Wright Hall at Smith College, 2-4pm.
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Laurie Millman, Dir. Ctr for New Americans, & Narissa Nields - performing LIVE in studio
12/8/25: Mass banned Christmas -- Historian Tim Blagg explains. Megan Zinn w/ Joanna Sokol: “ A Real Emergency: Stories from the Ambulance.” Laurie Millman, Dir. Ctr for New Americans, & Narissa Nield
soundcloud.com
December 8, 2025 at 10:14 PM
soundcloud.com/whmp/...
Laurie Millman and I had a blast this morning with Bill Newman on WHMP. We discussed 30 Poems in November's annual reading, which will be this Saturday December 13 at Weinstein Auditorium in Wright Hall at Smith College, 2-4pm.
1/2
Laurie Millman and I had a blast this morning with Bill Newman on WHMP. We discussed 30 Poems in November's annual reading, which will be this Saturday December 13 at Weinstein Auditorium in Wright Hall at Smith College, 2-4pm.
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Need some writing time this week? Join Morning Seeding & Tending weekday mornings 10-11am EST with Nerissa and some intrepid writers!
December 8, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Need some writing time this week? Join Morning Seeding & Tending weekday mornings 10-11am EST with Nerissa and some intrepid writers!
All the lists that are fit to print, best of 2025. Plus my questions answered! By you! All the lists that are fit to print, best of 2025. Plus my questions answered! By you!
nerissanields.substa...
nerissanields.substa...
December 4, 2025 at 11:24 PM
All the lists that are fit to print, best of 2025. Plus my questions answered! By you! All the lists that are fit to print, best of 2025. Plus my questions answered! By you!
nerissanields.substa...
nerissanields.substa...
Join us for tons of fun this month, starting with the first ever performance by The Welcome Table Chorus (directed by Nerissa and Katryna) on December 16th at Bombyx and culminating with four fabulous Almost New Year’s shows with our dear friend Dar Williams.
Coming to a show? Let us know!
Coming to a show? Let us know!
December 3, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Join us for tons of fun this month, starting with the first ever performance by The Welcome Table Chorus (directed by Nerissa and Katryna) on December 16th at Bombyx and culminating with four fabulous Almost New Year’s shows with our dear friend Dar Williams.
Coming to a show? Let us know!
Coming to a show? Let us know!
Final post in our Vintage Blog series. I had just written two new verses for our version of America the Beautiful. America is beautiful. And complicated. This piece was written in July 2018.
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December 2, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Final post in our Vintage Blog series. I had just written two new verses for our version of America the Beautiful. America is beautiful. And complicated. This piece was written in July 2018.
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An early rehearsal of The Welcome Table Chorus. See us at Bombyx doing a benefit for the food bank! Enrollment for Winter session is open now at nerissanields.com.
December 1, 2025 at 1:00 AM
An early rehearsal of The Welcome Table Chorus. See us at Bombyx doing a benefit for the food bank! Enrollment for Winter session is open now at nerissanields.com.
Need some writing time this week? Join Morning Seeding & Tending weekday mornings 10-11am EST with Nerissa and some intrepid writers!
December 1, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Need some writing time this week? Join Morning Seeding & Tending weekday mornings 10-11am EST with Nerissa and some intrepid writers!
This is sort of a sonnet. After Ha Jin's "A Center"
#30poemsinnovember (see link in bio)
#30poemsinnovember (see link in bio)
November 29, 2025 at 1:00 PM
This is sort of a sonnet. After Ha Jin's "A Center"
#30poemsinnovember (see link in bio)
#30poemsinnovember (see link in bio)
One of my 30 Poems for 30 Poems in November. This is a sestina, sort of. Well, half of one. It's called "One Day I Woke Up and My Ambition Was Gone."
You can still donate to the Center for New Americans at my link in bio!
You can still donate to the Center for New Americans at my link in bio!
November 27, 2025 at 4:53 PM
One of my 30 Poems for 30 Poems in November. This is a sestina, sort of. Well, half of one. It's called "One Day I Woke Up and My Ambition Was Gone."
You can still donate to the Center for New Americans at my link in bio!
You can still donate to the Center for New Americans at my link in bio!
This just happened today. Wild turkey alert and a poem for the day to support Center for New Americans. Also, leaf blowers? Nooooooo......
November 26, 2025 at 11:11 PM
This just happened today. Wild turkey alert and a poem for the day to support Center for New Americans. Also, leaf blowers? Nooooooo......
One of my 30 Poems for 30 Poems in November. This is a pantoum, a form in which you repeat the second and fourth lines of each four-line stanza. It has a kind of...numbing effect? Crazy-making effect? So I wrote about the years on the road, of course.
Donate here: cnam.org/civi/pcp/inf...
Donate here: cnam.org/civi/pcp/inf...
November 25, 2025 at 5:29 PM
One of my 30 Poems for 30 Poems in November. This is a pantoum, a form in which you repeat the second and fourth lines of each four-line stanza. It has a kind of...numbing effect? Crazy-making effect? So I wrote about the years on the road, of course.
Donate here: cnam.org/civi/pcp/inf...
Donate here: cnam.org/civi/pcp/inf...
While Katryna and I were at our Passim concert, this was happening at home. The dogs met up in the park and invited Greta over for dinner.
November 24, 2025 at 7:04 PM
While Katryna and I were at our Passim concert, this was happening at home. The dogs met up in the park and invited Greta over for dinner.
Need some writing time this week? Join Morning Seeding & Tending weekday mornings 10-11am EST with Nerissa and some intrepid writers!
November 24, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Need some writing time this week? Join Morning Seeding & Tending weekday mornings 10-11am EST with Nerissa and some intrepid writers!