The teens who read their poetry at Teen Beat Night in April, backed by performer David Amram, are unlikely to understand exactly or fully his contributions to American music. But in this once-in-lifetime opportunity to perform with the 82-year-old accompanist, they will discover a like-minded and still-youthful spirit.

Rated PG-13: Making toys based on movies is a time-honored tradition, but making movies based on toys is a much rarer and trickier proposition. It’s such an unnatural reversal that it sometimes feels as wrong as having your food come up your esophagus instead of going down.

Cherry trees have a long history of connecting Japan and the United States, in times of both war and peace. In appreciation of that impulse, Portsmouth is celebrating the recent gift of cherry trees from Japan with a Cherry Tree Festival event on May 11 at Wentworth by the Sea hotel.

After being beleaguered by budget troubles in 2012, the American Independence Museum in Exeter recently announced that they will re-open their doors on a limited basis for public and school tours this spring, and under the leadership of a new interim director, will coordinate this summer’s American Independence Festival, scheduled for Saturday, July 20.

The U.S. Coast Guard will continue to investigate why a tanker that had recently arrived at the Port of New Hampshire broke free from its mooring on Monday, April 1, was swept upriver by the incoming tide and drifted broadside into the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge.

Given just four months to reach its fundraising goal, the board of trustees for Exeter Theater Company has opted not to exercise their option to purchase the IOKA Theater for $600,000 from its current owner, Alan Lewis, by the deadline of March 31.

Five years of research into the state’s ten community mental health centers indicates a range of challenges that suggest the need of both state- and community- based solutions, say the authors of a report commissioned by the New Hampshire Bureau of Behavioral Health.

Lt. Gen. Mary A. Legere, the Army’s deputy chief of staff for intelligence, will deliver the commencement speech at the University of New Hampshire Saturday, May 18.

After adding more trips for weekday commuters last summer, COAST says the number of riders on Route 2 has increased by 25 percent over the past eight months.

Route 2 bus route connects Rochester, Somersworth, Dover, Newington and Portsmouth along one of the busiest commuter corridors on the Seacoast. With chances to catch a bus every 30 minutes during the morning and evening peak commuting periods, area residents have increasingly been trying out riding on the bus, and sticking with it, says COAST director Rad Nichols.

Seacoast School Garden Network brings kids and kale together, with a little help from the White House

Ms. Fagan’s third grade classroom was a mess.

Coconut husks and basil seeds littered one table and plates filled with finger paint were scattered in a corner. Despite recent snowfall, last Wednesday, March 21, the students in Jess Fagan’s class at Dondero Elementary were planting seeds for a spring “pizza garden” of tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic and herbs.

Kate Mitchell, member of Slow Food Seacoast and organizer of the Seacoast School Garden Network, led a group in planting basil seeds. Third graders crowded around the table, mixing husks, a cost-effective alternative to potting soil, with water and packing them into plastic planter cells.

“It smells bad,” one student said.

“It smells like the forest at my camp,” another offered.

A household of minimum wage earners in New Hampshire would need nearly three people working full-time to afford a two bedroom apartment, according to a report called “Out of Reach 2013: New Hampshire,” produced by the National Low Income Housing Coalition using data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

A new play prize has been awarded to several UNH students, who will see their work performed in a showcase of one-act plays April 17 to 21.

New Hampshire Media Makers opens doors for video and web producers on the Seacoast

Leah Tompkins found herself jumping off a set of stairs the first time she went to a New Hampshire Media Makers meet-up. Someone wanted to try to take photos of people in the air, so “we all went outside and took turns leaping,” she says. “It was a nice welcome to the meet-up.” There were only 8-10 people at the time, making the photo project feasible. These days, sometimes up to 30 or 40 people attend. Crackskull’s eclectic artwork, such as the giant plastic fish mounted above the coffee counter wearing a spiky elaborate metal necklace, complements the array of personalities making friends: a martial artist chatted with a contributor for NHPR and a film orchestrator.

summer exhibits will feature bottles, beer and bridges

When you live in a region rich with 400 years of recorded history, arts and culture, plus the legacy of native inhabitants, too, there are plenty of stories to tell. Several local museums and galleries have just announced summer season exhibits designed to appeal to visitors and residents alike.

Thousands of organizations participate in National Poetry Month through readings, festivals, book displays, workshops, and other events. Plenty is happening right here on the Seacoast: famous poets will read, new anthologies will be launched, and the poet laureate torch will be passed.