Arts & Life
‘The Little Mermaid’ swims into view: Amherst Community Theater play on after two years of shutdowns
By STEVE PFARRER
It’s been almost three years since Amherst Community Theater has presented its annual musical at Bowker Auditorium at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, given a little problem called COVID-19 that prevented the group from returning to UMass in...
From ‘humble’ beginnings: A fully-vegan cafe is growing its roots in downtown Amherst
By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL
AMHERST — The Humble Peach, located at the former site of the Henion Bakery on Amherst’s North Pleasant Street, lays claim to the first fully vegan establishment in the socially conscious town. But the owners say that their mission isn’t merely to...
In their own words: Couple helping guide Deerfield oral history project
By CHRIS LARABEE
While sitting at the kitchen table with her husband in their Sunderland home and sharing their decades of experience in recording American folklore around Appalachia, Carrie Kline found herself looking out at the birds on their porch.Over the course...
Best Bites: Hadley, Amherst among best in Valley for Korean food
By ROBIN GOLDSTEIN
In the universe of Asian cuisines that are widely available in America, Korean is an anomaly. Chinese, Japanese and Thai restaurants came of age earlier in the 20th century — and with them, the sticky-sweet, Americanized dishes that became associated...
Back Porch Festival announces part of its lineup: Expanded roots music festival takes place in Northampton March 3 through 5, 2023
By STEVE PFARRER
The Back Porch Festival, which is set to expand to multiple venues in downtown Northampton in early March, has begun to fill out its lineup.Among numerous bands and artists that will play at the roots music showcase, begun by Signature Sounds in 2014,...
The Beat Goes On: Ushering in the new year with Bach and bluegrass in Northampton, young performers in Amherst, and more
By STEVE PFARRER
Live music typically takes something of a breather at this time of year: After all, musicians and club owners usually want to spend time with family and friends at the holidays.But starting today and proceeding through the first few several days of...
The sorrow and the laughter: Amherst writer’s first novel for adults explores the mixed emotional terrain of dying
By STEVE PFARRER
Like so many people, Catherine Newman’s life has been touched by cancer. In 2015, Newman, an Amherst writer, lost a close friend, Ali, whom she’d known since childhood, to ovarian cancer.As painful as that was, Newman also recalls Ali’s passing as a...
