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By STEVE PFARRER

Though it’s still two weeks away, the Back Porch Festival is set to take up a lot of space in downtown Northampton, and some of the ticket options have already sold out, so it’s time to give a final preview of the annual roots music fest.The basics:...

By STEVE PFARRER

The House in the PinesBy Ana Reyes; Dutton There are so many mystery novels in the world today that it can be tough to make your book stand out. But take one that’s built around around psychological suspense and the elusiveness of memory, rather than...

By STEVE PFARRER

David Ruggles and Frederick Douglass, two of the most notable Black men to come to Northampton in the first part of the 19th century, left behind a strong legacy as committed abolitionists, writers, and speakers. Ruggles also lived in Florence in the...

By STEVE PFARRER

It’s no secret that the U.S. railroad system, which a century ago had the largest passenger service in the world, looks very different today.Though the nation’s freight system is still significant, passenger service has long since been eclipsed by...

By STEVE PFARRER

After nearly 18 years at the helm of the largest art gallery at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Loretta Yarlow will step down from the University Museum of Contemporary Art (UMCA) at the end of June.Yarlow, who came to the Valley from New...

By STEVE PFARRER

The Mead Art Museum at Amherst College, which has been closed to the public for nearly three years, has reopened with two new exhibits in place.The museum shut its doors for all in March 2020 when COVID-19 arrived, and though it eventually reopened...

By STEVE PFARRER

Sun on The MuddyPoems by Jim Armenti; photos by Dave Madeloni; edited by Dan Lombardo; Levellers PressJim Armenti is well known in these parts for the varied roles he’s had in the regional music scene. The multi-instrumentalist — guitar, bass,...

By STEVE PFARRER

Illustrator and children’s book author Christian Robinson calls his website “The Art of Fun,” and it seems an appropriate title. Robinson’s colorful and whimsical art — a mix of detailed collage, acrylic paint and colored pencil — transmits the sense...

By STEVE PFARRER

AMHERST — After almost 15 years leading the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Executive Director Alexandra Kennedy plans to step down from her post this year.But Kennedy, known at the Carle as Alix, says she hopes to stay engaged with the museum...

By STEVE PFARRER

Time was when Rachel Portesi did much of her photography using Polaroid film. She loved the immediacy of the image, the way each photo was different and often didn’t quite match what her eye had seen, and what she calls “the feeling of Christmas when...

By STEVE PFARRER

SPRINGFIELD — Last month, when he stepped down from WRSI 93.9 The River after nearly 17 years hosting a morning show at the station, Christopher “Monte” Belmonte said he was not stepping away from radio. But the popular radio personality wasn’t ready...

By STEVE PFARRER

Robert Harris is the author of a slew of bestselling thrillers and historical novels, covering ancient Rome, World War II, contemporary politics and more. According to one report, he’s sold over 10 million copies of his books, a number of which have...

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...

By STEVE PFARRER

AMHERST — The Emily Dickinson Museum, in the midst of a major fundraising campaign to expand its resources and reach, has received a major new donation to help realize that goal: $2.5 million.Jane and Robert Keiter of Lakeville, Connecticut, have made...

By STEVE PFARRER

As Marianne Xenos sees it, you’re never too old to find new ways to be creative.Xenos, of Amherst, is a longtime visual artist who also received a degree in literature years ago and wrote poetry and short literary fiction for a time. But that writing...

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,...

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...

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...