Itβs Wednesday, Boston.
βοΈ Celebrate Leap Day by β¦ booking a flight? Both PLAY and Southwest airlines are offering Leap Day deals this year, with PLAY offering one-way discounts on European round trip bookings and Southwest holding an up to 30% off sale. Bon voyage!Β
π Whatβs on tap today:
Warm, windy, wet weather
Electric street parking
The flavor trail comes to town
Up firstβ¦
ARTS & CULTURE
Taylor Swift: Harvardβs Version

Image: Seth Wenig/Associated Press. Illustration: Gia Orsino.
Weβre sure youβve heard about Harvardβs iconic βTaylor Swift and Her Worldβ class. But whatβs it actually like to take it? We talked to students, a TA, and professor Stephanie Burt to get the inside scoop.Β
β Taylor Swiftβs star power made the class possible. Professor Stephanie Burt always wanted to teach a course on one of her favorite songwriters, but until recently, none of them were big enough to grab a 20-somethingβs attention. βI could organize a whole course around Scott Miller from Game Theory β¦ but I don't think that many Harvard students would take it,β she said. And according to Mary Pankowski, a student in the class, Burtβs instincts were right: βI was like, βThere's a Taylor Swift class?β And that was it β¦ I didn't need any more convincing.β
π But donβt get it twisted: Swiftβs work is Harvard material. βSheβs also someone whose work I, at least, can easily connect to other and older kinds of literature,β said Burt. According to class TA Matthew Jordan (who was famously hired from Burtβs viral tweet), the use of Swiftβs material isnβt all that different from any other English class. βIn another poetry class, it might not feel that weird if you're just reading poetry β¦ but in this case, we're reading books about country music and reading the works of Taylor Swift.βΒ
π And so is the coursework. Unfortunately, even in this class, karaoke does not count as classwork. It is Harvard, after all. According to Pankowski, the work mostly includes readings for each class and a few papers over the course of the semester, at least one of which has to analyze Swift specifically (Pankowskiβs first paper is on the song βitβs time to goβ).Β
β¨ That said, the subject matter certainly adds a little extra sparkle. While the class is much more than a space to fangirl, the subject matter definitely adds to the energy. βThe students clearly want to be there,β said Burt. In her words, the vibes are βsuperbβ and thereβs tons of student involvement for a class this size (over 200!). And that may be because, as Jordan says, the students, in many cases βknow far more than [the professor and TAs] about Taylor β¦ the students are in some ways already experts in the subject material.βΒ
π The class reminds us of something greater. Beyond βthe idea that Taylor Swift is an artist worthy of the same critical attention that we would pay to [famous poets],β as Jordan said, the classβ existence and the media coverage thatβs followed has helped underscore an important message: βWorks of art can reach many people,β Burt said. βNew art and popular art has a great deal in common with older or more obscure art β¦ feelings are real and craft is real and genre and medium are real.β
QUICK QUESTION
π₯ Are you experiencing Taylor Swift burnout?
Let us know below!
TOGETHER WITH THE MASSACHUSETTS STATE TREASURY

π°π¦ Remember that scene in Harry Potter when he discovers a vault full of money left by his parents? Well, a similar surprise could be waiting for you in the Massachusetts State Treasury (minus the wands and magic, of course). From forgotten savings to misplaced checks, who knows what hidden cash is waiting for you? Search your name online (no goblins or spells necessary) and find out if you have unclaimed property in less than two minutes.Β
CITY
Quick & dirty headlines

Image: Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff
π§οΈ Brace for a warm, windy, wet, then frigid, 24 hours. Say goodbye to our spring weather. Because, come tomorrow, Mother Nature plans to remind us itβs still winter. Today, you can expect strong winds (think: 50 m.p.h. gusts with a wind advisory starting at 1 p.m.) along with rainy weather all day, followed by a sudden drop in temps tonight thatβll have us all feeling like itβs February again (there may even be some snow!). Tomorrow, things should dry up, but stay chilly, before warming up again later in the week. Oh, New England weather. You never cease to amaze.
π’ The migrant crisis comes to the Seaport. In the latest update from the migrant crisis, Gov. Maura Healey announced plans to open a new overflow shelter in a Seaport office building. The site doesnβt have a set opening date, but Healey said Monday that sheβd like it to open βas soon as possible.β However, the plan isnβt without pushback. United Way, the organization responsible for the project, has gotten criticism from neighborhood officials about their lack of communication with residents and failure to respond to questions.
β‘ Street parking in Boston is about to get electric. Literally. According to a Tuesday announcement from Mayor Michelle Wu, the city is planning to get 250 new curbside charging stations in the next two years, giving Bostonβs roughly 7,000 EV owners a place to plug in while theyβre parked on the street. Two companies have been selected to install the stations, but things like price and location havenβt been set yet, and the work wonβt be able to begin until their contracts are finalized and approved by the City Council.Β
π Itβs a good day to be a theater kid. Tickets to βThe Queen of Versailles,β a hot, broadway-bound show starring Kristin Chenoweth, go on sale to the general public today. Itβs making its world premiere in Boston this summer at the Emerson Colonial Theater, and tickets are expected to move fast, so grab them here. But if musical theater isnβt your thing, a slew of heavy-hitter comedians (Taylor Tomlinsonβs ex-boyfriend, Catherine Cohen, The βWhose Line is it Anywayβ crew, etc.) are coming to town this spring, and Boston.com rounded up some must-sees here.
ONE LAST THING
Expedition: Flavor!

Image: Dina Rudick/Globe Staff. Illustration: Gia Orsino.Β
Seltzerheads, rejoice! The flavor trail is in town. Polar, the Worcester-based seltzer company, just released six new flavors for their βExpedition: Flavorβ initiative, and theyβre offering free merch to anyone who can discover them in the wild.Β
Some of the flavors themselves have local ties, like cranberry raspberry, which is meant to βevokeβ memories of summers in New England, or island blueberry, which has a bright taste said to help counter our βdark, coldβ northeastern winters.Β
And while we canβt guarantee local nostalgia if you take a sip, we can tell you that they are available in Boston, and if you find and upload a new location on their flavor trail map, youβll get a free T-shirt.Β Β
β Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario
π° Thanks for reading! There isnβt much we wouldnβt do for a free T-shirt.
π Special shoutout to todayβs sponsor, the Massachusetts State Treasury, for helping residents reclaim whatβs rightfully theirs.
π¦· The results are in: B-Siders slightly underestimated the worth of their baby teeth in 2024, guessing that the tooth fairy pays $3.87 on average in the Northeast (she pays $6.87). One reader said: βSome of my kids' friends get $20 per tooth β¦ At that rate all my teeth are worth $560. Someone bring me the pliers!β
π Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].