Arts & Life

The local logophile, an erudite Easthamptonite: Veteran Merriam-Webster editor Peter Sokolowski is the public face of the country’s oldest dictionary

03-15-2024 3:35 PM

By STEVE PFARRER

When Peter Sokolowski started work as an editor at Merriam-Webster 30 years ago, about 80 people worked at the venerable dictionary company in Springfield, including about 45 editors.But based on how quiet the offices were, it might have seemed the...


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Valley Bounty: Maple syrup time: After year-long prep, Hickory Hill Farm readies for Massachusetts Maple Weekend

03-15-2024 3:35 PM

By JACOB NELSON

It turns out pancakes and hot air balloons have at least one thing in common: they both pair well with maple syrup.“Flying over the woods is a good way to find maple trees,” offers Paul Sena, owner of both Worthington Ballooning and Hickory Hill Farm....


Book Bag: ‘One of a Kind: The life of Sydney Taylor’ By Richard Michelson; ‘Joyful Song: A Naming Story’ by Lesléa Newman

03-15-2024 3:33 PM

By STEVE PFARRER

One of a Kind: The Life of Sydney TaylorWritten by Richard MichelsonIllustrated by Sarah GreenCalkins Creek Valley poet and children’s author Richard Michelson has often delved into history in some of his books for young readers, such as “The Language...


Lamenting language loss: Where would national identity be today if Irish was still spoken in Ireland?

03-15-2024 3:32 PM

By ROSEMARY CAINE

The 2019 Green River Festival had Rhiannon Giddens as the headliner on the last Sunday afternoon.I was intrigued by her background: a banjo player, violinist and singer, an ethnomusicologist trained in opera at Oberlin College, a charming beauty and...


Weekly Food Photo Contest: This week’s winner: Erin Carey of Easthampton

03-15-2024 3:31 PM

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! To celebrate, Erin Carey of Easthampton served her son corned beef and cabbage dinner while he was home for spring break.How to enter: Snap a pic of something delicious-looking and send it with your name, town and a sentence...


Righting the writing ship: Longstanding WriteAngles Conference returns after five-year absence

03-14-2024 2:48 PM

By STEVE PFARRER

Since 1987, the WriteAngles Conference had been an annual fixture in the Valley, typically held at one of the local colleges, bringing together area writers, poets, editors, publishers, and booksellers to examine all things literary.Then COVID-19...


Arts Briefs: Two-artist exhibits in Easthampton and Amherst, the South Hadley Chorale performs, and more

03-14-2024 2:40 PM

Artistic minds that think alikeEASTHAMPTON — City artists Ken Gagne and Adell Donaghue share a number of traits, from an inquisitive eye to a penchant for sketching surreal or humorous scenes in their drawings, yet that also engage viewers’...


Earth Matters: Living in a recycled material world: Hitchcock Center inspires a fossil free future

03-14-2024 10:22 AM

By MARGAUX PAINE

As the world grapples with environmental challenges, the Fossil Free Zones initiative, championed by Leave it in the Ground Initiative (LINGO), takes inspiration from the transformative work at The Hitchcock Center for the Environment. The Center...


Speaking of Nature: Bring the birds to you: A behind-the-scenes tip of nature photography

03-12-2024 10:23 AM

By BILL DANIELSON

Every week, rain or shine, winter or summer, I try to find something fun, interesting and positive to talk about in my column. This is actually an easy thing to do, but what can be somewhat problematic is finding a photo that will pair nicely with the...


Weekly Food Photo Contest: This week’s winner: Linda Marston of Amherst

03-09-2024 10:01 AM

If you’ve yet to try cauliflower crust pizza, a gluten-free, higher-fiber alternative to traditional wheat-based pizza crust, Linda Marston’s Artichoke Pesto Pine Nut Pizza may make you a convert. “Cooked in the toaster oven on a pizza stone” for that...


Turning 35, with some new plays to mark the occasion: Chester Theatre unveils its 2024 program

03-09-2024 9:08 AM

By STEVE PFARRER

Chester Theatre Company turns 35 this year, and for its 2024 season, the ensemble is throwing in some new wrinkles to mark the occasion, from the world premiere of two new plays, the addition of some Friday matinees, and a production that The New York...


Get ready to freak out: Northampton High School and the community come together to stage ‘Freaky Friday’

03-09-2024 9:06 AM

By STEVE PFARRER

It’s a common refrain for a lot of teens when they argue with their parents: “You just don’t understand what my life is like.”Of course, parents can turn that back on their kids: “What do you know about having to go to work, paying the bills, and...


Taylor Swift, Emily Dickinson: Related in art and fact

03-08-2024 5:15 PM

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

The Pioneer Valley’s most famous poet, it turns out, has a genealogical connection to the the modern world’s most famous singer-songwriter.In a segment on NBC’s “Today Show” on Monday, the genealogy website Ancestry.com revealed that Emily Dickinson...


Get Growing with Mickey Rathbun: Become an educated gardener: Three upcoming symposia will answer all your gardening questions

03-08-2024 9:51 AM

By MICKEY RATHBUN

Most of us humans assume that other creatures experience the world through their senses of sound, taste, smell and touch, the same way we do. But we couldn’t be more wrong, as science writer Ed Yong explains in his fascinating new book, “An Immense...


Change the world in 1,000 days: It starts with supporting babies and their families

03-08-2024 9:41 AM

By DOUG SELWYN

A recent essay by Blythe Thomas, initiative director at 1000 Days, an organization that fights “to make health and well-being during the first 1,000 days (between pregnancy and a child’s 2nd birthday) a policy and funding priority,” begins by asking...


Direct from the Sunshine State: Augusta Savage Gallery celebrates its namesake with group show from Florida

03-07-2024 1:13 PM

By STEVE PFARRER

Augusta Savage rose to prominence as a sculptor and educator when she moved to New York City in the 1920s, where she soon became a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance.But Savage, who was also a determined advocate for equal rights for African...


Earth Matters: In awe of the evolution of seeds: Seeds have lives and ecosystem roles far beyond their use to humans

03-07-2024 1:10 PM

By LAWRENCE WINSHIP

February in New England brings longer days, uncertain weather … and seed catalogs! We gardeners pour over highly anticipated pages of glossy photos offering the promise of gorgeous fruits and flowers, all for the small price of a seed packet.Seed...


The Beat Goes On: Chamber music at The Drake, a Saint Patrick’s weekend musical smorgasbord, and more

03-07-2024 1:09 PM

By STEVE PFARRER

Since opening in the spring of 2022, The Drake has featured a wide range of music, from blues to rock to folk (and various combinations thereof), to jazz and more.“More” includes the Amherst club’s periodic forays into classical music, with concerts...


Only Human with Joan Axelrod-Contrada: I want to ‘Paint it Black’: A rock ’n’ roll anthem provides validation through tough times

03-07-2024 1:07 PM

By JOAN AXELROD-CONTRADA

I heard the song “Paint It Black” by the Rolling Stones on the radio early in my late husband Fred’s illness.Never before had I listened to the lyrics carefully enough to know they were about grief. I’d always taken it as a song about generalized...


Speaking of Nature: The bird that surprised me: Brown Creeper uncommon for most of year, expertly camoflauges among dead trees

03-05-2024 1:20 PM

By BILL DANIELSON

It was the end of a very long day, but, because of the increasing daylight that we have all been enjoying, it was still light out when I got home. I pulled up to the garage, but I had to get out to open the garage door because my door opener had died....



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