Arts
Book Bag: ‘Once We Were Home’ by Jennifer Rosner; two talks by writer and Native historian Margaret Bruchac
By STEVE PFARRER
Once We Were HomeBy Jennifer Rosner, Flatiron Books Northampton author Jennifer Rosner made a strong debut in 2020 with her first novel, “The Yellow Bird Sings,” a story set in Poland during World War II, in which a Jewish mother and daughter are...
Powerful ‘Dreams’: Pelham native’s film about a driven bodybuilder turns heads at Sundance
By STEVE PFARRER
The idea first came to Elijah Bynum about four years ago when he was exercising in a California gym and noticed an ultra-serious bodybuilder, a guy who was “radiating intensity” as he went through his paces.“There was this really intense energy about...
New leadership, new season at Chester Theatre: Intimate stage company to offer four new productions and a work in development
By STEVE PFARRER
Chester Theatre Company, which like many arts organizations struggled through the pandemic, came back last summer to offer its first season at Chester Town Hall since 2020.Now the company is preparing for its 2023 season, and they’ll do it under the...
Arts Briefs: Book launches in Amherst, jazz in Goshen, collage art in Holyoke and more
Launch those booksAMHERST — Spring is still more than three weeks away, but the days are lengthening, temperatures are mostly creeping up, and it’s not too early to think about what you might plant in your garden this year — or to think about healing...
Where authors take center stage: Amherst College’s Litfest returns this weekend
By STEVE PFARRER
February has its national landmarks: Presidents Day, the Super Bowl, Groundhog Day, Valentine’s Day.In the Valley, February also means it’s time for Amherst College’s LitFest.Now in its eighth year, the college’s literary festival brings acclaimed and...
Illustrator’s ‘Alice’ making surrealistic splash: Barry Moser’s work at heart of French exhibit
By STEVE PFARRER
Barry Moser needs little introduction in these parts, or across much of the U.S., for that matter. The Hatfield artist has won enormous praise and recognition over the years for his detailed wood engravings and his limited edition prints of classic...
Fight the power: Northampton writer's novel profiles a Black academic's frightening battle with a white supremacist
By STEVE PFARRER
When Barack Obama was elected president in November 2008, Ousmane Power-Greene recalls having a terrible thought: that a racist might try to assassinate America’s first Black president, or maybe his whole family.Perhaps that was an overly morbid...
Book Bag: ‘The House in the Pines’ by Ana Reyes; ‘The Perfect Tree’ by Corinne Demas
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...
The Beat Goes On: Seats hot for three-day Back Porch Festival; celebrated guitar pickers will hit Amherst and Northampton
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:...
The romance of the rails: 22,000 flock to the annual Railroad Hobby Show in West Springfield
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...
Arts Briefs: Film in Northampton, theater at UMass, and a public art proposal in Easthampton
STEVE PFARRER
Climate change on film in NorthamptonNORTHAMPTON — Tonight (Friday, Feb. 10) from 6 to 8 p.m., CLICK Workspace in Northampton will present several short videos by Smith College students exploring the challenges of climate change.Students in a class on...
Music of loss, grief and transformation: Concert by Illuminati Vocal Arts Ensemble will include a nod to local Black history
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...
The water cure: Storytelling event in Northampton will examine how cancer survivors move beyond the disease, including competitive rowing
By STEVE PFARRER
Story slams have become all the rage in the last couple of decades, an outgrowth of poetry slams in which competitors tell real-life tales instead of reciting verse. The topics vary, but the goal is the same: tell short, engaging and truthful...
Book Bag: ‘Sun on the Muddy’ by Jim Armenti; ‘Common Place’ by Thomas E. Johnson, Jr.; ‘The Adventures of Robo-Kid’ by Diane deGroat
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,...
The Beat Goes On: Poetry and folk in Northampton, rock, blues and punk in Amherst, and more
By STEVE PFARRER
Signature Sounds is gearing up for a considerably expanded Back Porch Festival this year, with the annual roots music fest, which takes place March 3 through 5, now featuring over 50 bands and artists performing in eight different downtown Northampton...
Art to reflect the community: Forbes Library uses anonymous donation to purchase a range of BIPOC art
By STEVE PFARRER
A couple years ago, Forbes Library received a $10,000 donation from a donor who wanted to remain anonymous but also wanted the money used for a very specific purpose: to broaden the Northampton library’s permanent art collection.More specifically,...
Come on back: The Mead Art Museum, closed to the public since March 2020, reopens Jan. 31 for all visitors
By STEVE PFARRER
AMHERST — The Mead Art Museum at Amherst College, which has been closed to the public for nearly three years, is poised to reopen with two new exhibits in place.The museum shut its doors for all in March 2020 when COVID-19 arrived, and though it...
Into ‘The Maelstrom’: Easthampton artist’s new installation contemplates the dangers of climate change
By STEVE PFARRER
About six years ago, in the midst of some of the worst violence in Syria’s long-running civil war, Harriet Diamond was contemplating a couple of different projects. On one hand, the sculptor and installation artist was horrified to hear about the...
A doctor who still makes house calls: Tracy Kidder’s new book profiles Dr. Jim O’Connell, who tends to Boston’s homeless community
By STEVE PFARRER
In a long career that’s seen him win a Pulitzer Prize, a National Book Award, and a boatload of praise, Williamsburg writer Tracy Kidder has tackled a number of different subjects: the computer revolution, elementary schools, civil war refugees, the...
Pictures of possibility: Exhibit by acclaimed illustrator Christian Robinson aims to help children explore the variety life offers
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...
