Arts & Life
Book Bag: ‘The Sacred Dog’ by Joan Livingston; ‘Mud Pie’ by Lauren Arienzale
By STEVE PFARRER
The Sacred DogBy Joan Livingston; Darkstroke Books Franklin County author Joan Livingston, a former reporter and editor who once covered the Hilltowns for the Gazette, has used her experience to create a series of mystery novels set in similar towns,...
A new chapter begins at renovated, expanded North Amherst Library
By SCOTT MERZBACH
AMHERST — Arriving at the North Amherst Library from their home a short distance away Monday afternoon, Zahir Kazazi, 5, and Elsia Kazazi, 7, parked their scooters at the base of a new staircase and chairlift, excitedly looking up from the $1.7...
ARHS grad Ebon Moss-Bachrach wins best supporting actor in a comedy series for ‘The Bear’
By SCOTT MERZBACH
AMHERST — A 1995 Amherst Regional High School graduate’s work on the first season of the FX/Hulu television series “The Bear” has earned him a Primetime Emmy Award.Ebon Moss-Bachrach took home the best supporting actor in a comedy series award at the...
The Beat Goes On: A busy couple of weeks at The Drake, a new acoustic music series in Holyoke, and more
By STEVE PFARRER
In my last column, I mentioned that The Parlor Room in Northampton and the Marigold Theater are maintaining busy schedules right through these early, dead-of-winter days.Another area venue that keeps pumping up the music is The Drake in Amherst, and...
Book Bag: ‘Kindling’ by Kathleen Jennings; ‘And the Trees Talked Back’ by Frederick J. Burns
By STEVE PFARRER
KindlingBy Kathleen JenningsSmall Beer Press Kathleen Jennings had already made a name for herself as a talented illustrator of fantasy books when she began writing her own stories some years back — and it turns out she can spin some magical tales of...
Chalk Talk: The debate around ‘early college’: The success of these programs hinges on cross-school collaboration
By JOE COURCHESNE
If you’ve been near a high school for any significant amount of time in the last 10 years, you’ve likely encountered the often abstract idea of “early college.” It’s certainly an important buzzword in education these days, but what is it exactly? Does...
Get Growing with Mickey Rathbun: Thoughts of the garden in winter: Gardening has its discouraging moments, yet we persevere
By MICKEY RATHBUN
There’s not a lot going on in my garden, now blanketed under a foot of snow, to inspire this month’s column. So I took a break from dreaming over the spring promise of seed catalogs and went in search of a soul-satisfying poem about the garden in...
Hitting it big for wrong reasons: In ‘American Fiction,’ Black writer’s pastiche hailed as authentic
By STEVE PFARRER
Though it had only an initial limited theatrical release, and did not appear until December, “American Fiction” has already popped up on a number of critics’ “best films of 2023” lists, and the movie has been nominated for a slew of awards.The buzz is...
Valley Bounty: Mass Food Delivery service maximizes access to farms
By LISA GOODRICH
Farms are the foundation of our local food system, with farmers markets, farm stands, and community markets providing the predominant means of providing local food to customers. And for some members of the community, the ability to order fresh, local...
Arts Briefs: An Emily Dickinson drama in Holyoke, a closing art exhibit in Amherst, and more
The poet Emily in the Paper CityHOLYOKE — MIFA Victory Theatre is combining forces with the Emily Dickinson Museum and a New York theater company for a fresh look at The Belle of Amherst and her poetic legacy.“Because I Could Not Stop: An Encounter...
The Beat Goes On: Busy schedules at The Parlor Room and Marigold Theater, a ‘solo ensemble’ guitar concert in Greenfield, and more
By STEVE PFARRER
Early January, just after the holidays and New Year’s Eve have run their course, can be a quiet time for a lot of music venues.But The Parlor Room in Northampton has put together a pretty jam-packed schedule right through this month, starting with a...
Crossing borders: Hadley author’s short story collection explores the human stories behind immigration
By STEVE PFARRER
On the U.S.-Mexican border, a desperate mother sends her young daughter alone across a bridge over the Rio Grande to try make it into Texas. In New York City, a Jewish woman confronts the hole in her heart when she thinks of her former Muslim husband,...
Book Bag: ‘Finding Home’ by Gwen Agna and Shelley Rotner; ‘In Praise of Listening’ by Christian McEwen
By STEVE PFARRER
Finding Home: Words From Kids Seeking SanctuaryBy Gwen Agna and Shelley Rotner; Clarion Books Headlines inform us every day of the crises many people face around the world — war, climate disasters, violent crime — that force them to flee their homes....
Museum showcases Belchertown’s rich history of carriage, sleigh manufacturing
By EMILEE KLEIN
BELCHERTOWN — If you’re dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh this holiday season, then your sleigh could have been manufactured in Belchertown.The carriage, wagon and sleigh industry thrived in Belchertown during the 19th century....
And to think that I saw it at ACT: Amherst Community Theater readies for its newest production, ‘Seussical’
By STEVE PFARRER
He’s one of the most famous and beloved children’s book authors ever, and he grew about 20 miles south of here. So the work of Theodor Seuss Geisel — better known, or course, as Dr. Seuss — seemed like a natural fit for the new musical by Amherst...
The Beat Goes On: A Jeff Buckley tribute show, a slate of New Year’s weekend concerts, and more
By STEVE PFARRER
Like father, like son: Tim Buckley and his son, Jeff, both became musicians at a young age, and both died well before their time — Tim of a heroin overdose at age 28 in 1975, and Jeff from drowning at age 30 in 1997.Tim Buckley became a pretty...
Book Bag: ‘Noche Triste’ by Robert Radin; ‘My Girl Vaida’ by Caitlin Quinn
By STEVE PFARRER
Noche Trist: A Memoir of AnorexiaBy Robert RadinIbidem/Columbia University Press A few years ago, Robert Radin, the the director of citizenship and immigration services for Jewish Family Service in Springfield, wrote a memoir about his experience...
Get Growing: On Mars, gardening starts with bugs
By MICKEY RATHBUN
A recent headline in the New York Times caught my eye: “Mars Needs Insects.” As the article explained, if we are to create a human-friendly habitat on Mars, we will need to grow food there.Unlike the nutrient-laden soil that covers the earth, the...
Finding a way past apartheid: Documentary revisits program that brought Black South African students to Smith College during civil rights struggle
By STEVE PFARRER
The 1980s were a brutal time in South Africa. Decades of apartheid, the ironbound racial segregation system that relegated a majority Black population to second-class citizenship under white rule, led to increasing Black resistance, followed by severe...
Book Bag: ‘The Original Bucky Lew’ by Christopher Boucher; ‘The New Naturals’ by Gabriel Bump
By STEVE PFARRER
The Original Bucky Lew: Basketball’s First Black ProfessionalBy Chris Boucher; Wings ePress Inc.Harry “Bucky” Lew might not have the name recognition of Jackie Robinson. But the two men had something in common: Both broke an unstated color barrier in...
