After 13 years of leading Artbarn Community Theater, Jackie Borck will step down as Executive Director of this Brookline- based nonprofit, effective June 30th.

Matthew Swensen, a 19 year-old, temporary Boston-area resident and vocal performance student at the Boston Conservatory, has come up with a unique way to use his talents to tackle a problem getting a lot of attention in the community lately: hunger.  To that end, he will perform in an upcoming benefit for the Brookline Emergency Food Pantry.

The downstairs, used book/event space at the Brookline Booksmith in Coolidge Corner was abuzz with conversation by those seated in the packed column of short-rowed seats down the middle of the room just before 7 p.m. on a Monday night. It was the 23rd of April to be exact, and even a couple of leashed canines were present as Meredith Goldstein, scribe and savior for the lovelorn at the Boston Globe, spoke about and read (briefly) from her new (film-optioned) book, The Singles (out April 24th from Plume and Penguin).

Brookline has long standing reputation for excellent educational institutions, but it may be surprising to know that a number of its students are from underprivileged backgrounds and may be at-risk for achieving academic success. Enter 12 year-old organization, Steps to Success.

This past Saturday, March 24, the Brookline Arts Center, a 48-year-old institution on Monmouth Street, held its annual Spring gala at the Putterham Grille in Chestnut Hill and succeeded in raising funds for the Center as well as regaling guests with food, drink and an ebullient atmosphere. Local luminaries contributed to the fundraising efforts and to table conversation, as all members of the community enjoyed the vibrantly artistic vibe of the evening.

You’d think Brookline High School would be a quiet place on a Saturday afternoon. If you walked by the building this past Saturday, though, you were treated to echoes of piano and beatboxing, exceedingly danceable salsa, a children’s choir, and even a one-shot Jackson 5 cover band. If you followed the music inside, down the poster-plastered halls, and to the auditorium, you came upon a long table staffed by enthusiastic Brookline Literacy Partnership members, who welcomed you to the second annual Intellijam Concert.

While meeting with press this past Monday afternoon at Brookline's Coolidge Corner Theatre where he received 2012 Coolidge Award for excellence in film, actor Viggo Mortensen exuded warmth, generosity and a lightness of spirit that charmed the modest press corps in the Coolidge’s second-floor movie house.

Is your post-Oscars award buzz wearing off? Do your Thursday nights suffer from a distinct lack of inspiration? You might want to check out the Brookline Commission for Women’s 20th annual Women Who Inspire Us event, a celebration dedicated to those who lead the community on the front lines and on the home front.

The recent Feed Brookline Drive was an unprecidented success, with close to $13K raised to fight hunger in Brookline.  The demand upon the Food Pantry to provide residents in need with food, however,  is ongoing.  To that end, Brookline Hub Publisher, Harvey Bravman announced the publication will launch FeedBrookline.org in the Spring of this year.  

Hey, Brookline-ites – need a little help getting into the Valentine’s Day spirit this year?  Well, you’re in luck – the Rotary Club is writing a giant love letter to the Brookline Food Pantry, and everyone is invited. The Second Annual Have a Heart Chocolate Extravaganza promises enough atmosphere to rarefy any dreary spirit, enough chocolate to lure Cupid out of the clouds, and enough community spirit to melt the shell off the hardest candy heart. And at $15 a ticket, it’s even a cheap date.