Arts
Greening our brains and our thumbs: The many opportunities in the Valley to increase your garden knowledge and skills
By PAT JAMES
After moving from the city into a rural home with land 25 years ago, I was excited that the property was mostly bare ground that I could bend to my will and create beautiful gardens over time. As a kid, I’d helped in the garden a lot, so how hard...
Chalk Talk: When kids turn work in late: Navigating the tricky balance of deadlines and support for students
By NICOLE GODDARD
It’s March again, which means that in many high schools a new semester is well underway. At the end of every grading period, the same conversation starts making the rounds in teaching circles, on social media, in the teacher’s lounge, all sharing a...
Arts Briefs: BIPOC poets and racy love letters in Northampton, music inspired by T.S. Eliot in Holyoke, and more
Poetry night celebrates BIPOC writers andorganizing workNORTHAMPTON — Franny Choi, the new poet laureate of Northampton, will do a reading tonight (Friday, March 1) at 6 p.m. at the Northampton Center for the Arts, where they’ll be joined by a number...
Around and About with Richard McCarthy: Turn on, tune in, drop out: Exploring Timothy Leary’s Pioneer Valley roots
By RICHARD MCCARTHY
I suspect a fair number of readers are aware who Timothy Leary was, and more still have heard his name as part of the lexicon of popular culture. For those who do not know, he was one of the more famous (or infamous, depending on your perspective)...
Speaking of Nature: From rare to regular: The Carolina Wren may soon become a regular backyard bird for all of us
By BILL DANIELSON
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 2023 was the warmest year ever recorded. I remember it being hot in the summertime, but I think the effect of this heat was most noticed by me in the autumn. The Thinking Chair...
Best Bites: Ordering off the kid’s menu: 9-year-old budding food critic shares his top 15 places to eat
By AZAI DUGGER and ROBIN GOLDSTEIN
Note from Robin Goldstein: For this column, I asked my 9-year-old nephew and co-author Azai Dugger to choose his favorite restaurants and briefly describe each one — the same task as I undertook for my last Gazette column.With great difficulty and...
Valley Bounty: Empowering our local food system: River Valley Co-op invests in regional farms and the interests of community
By JACOB NELSON
In just 15 years, River Valley Co-op has grown into an indispensable part of the local food economy. For local farms, food businesses and community members who want easy access to local food, their continued growth is something to celebrate.“River...
The ABCs of children’s books: ‘Alphabet Soup’ at the Eric Carle Museum looks at how picture books come to life
By STEVE PFARRER
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art has no shortage of material to draw on for exhibits.Aside from highlighting work from traveling exhibits, or showcasing illustrations of specific artists drawn from various sources, the Amherst museum can...
There is a Season with Molly Parr: Inspired by an old favorite: Mushroom Infinity is delicious, vegan and can be gluten-free
By MOLLY PARR
Not quite 30 years ago, I studied in Manhattan. I had my first computer and went online for the first time. Back then I still found most of my news from actual newspapers, and social media didn’t exist. Even though the “Seinfeld Diner” was practically...
Weekly Food Photo Contest: This week’s winner: Robert D. Shycon of Northampton
‘Buns both naked and glazed,” writes winning photographer Robert D. Shycon of Northampton. “My wife, Linda Dell, makes these cinnamon buns with sourdough starter she began in the Great Sourdough Start-up of 2020.”How to enter: Snap a pic of something...
Book Bag: ‘What’s New, Daniel?’ by Micha Archer; ‘Monkeyface’ by Judith Podell
By STEVE PFARRER
What’s New, Daniel?Written and illustrated by Micha ArcherPenguin/Random HouseIn the last several years, Leverett illustrator and children’s book author Micha Archer has been gaining increasing attention for her eye-catching art and for stories that...
A league of their own: Division Q, a new basketball league created by and for queer players, hopes to grow after successful first season
By HANNAH BEVIS
Every Sunday morning from November to early February, dozens of people rolled up to Easthampton Mountain View school to play basketball.Games started at 10 a.m., but players always showed up early to shoot around and warm up (some sleepier than...
New year, new look: Bombyx Center adds more varied arts programming to its lineup while making infrastructure improvements
By STEVE PFARRER
What a difference a year makes.Late last May, the Northampton Fire Department abruptly shut down virtually all music performances at the Bombyx Center for Arts & Equity in Florence, citing inadequate fire prevention measures at the venue.The move...
The Beat Goes On: The Back Porch Festival is just three weeks away, and the Iron Horse announces its opening lineup
By STEVE PFARRER
If you’re like me, counting the days to spring, it’s a little over three weeks to the official first day, March 19.Yet that’s just a date on the calendar, and the weather in mid-March can still spell winter. But one antidote to that is to hit the Back...
Literary musing and gatherings: Amherst College host its ninth annual LitFest this weekend
By STEVE PFARRER
Amherst College has sent many a successful writer into the world, or brought them in to teach: David Foster Wallace, Robert Frost, Richard Wilbur, Robert Stone, Lauren Groff, Chris Bohjalian, Charles Mann and many others.That legacy will be celebrated...
Speaking of Nature: Midnight wail — The call of the Red Fox
By BILL DANIELSON
It was early in the morning. I had a fresh cup of coffee and a little something to nibble on as I sat down at my computer and tried to make a decision. What was I going to write about this week? There were two ideas rattling around in my head but...
Valley Bounty: CSA season gets jump on growing season next week
By LISA GOODRICH
Though more weeks of winter lie ahead, National Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) week — Feb. 19-25 — marks the symbolic start of the CSA cycle, when member sign-ups start rolling in and participating farmers begin planning for the coming growing...
From Holland with love: Julia van IJken takes up more of the reins with Young@Heart Chorus
By STEVE PFARRER
In the early days of the COVID-19 lockdown, Julia van IJken was at her parents’ home in the Netherlands, unable to travel back to England, where she’d been working on a master’s program in art and communication at the Royal College of Art in...
Music festivals small and large: Jazz Shares mini-fest and a new outdoor indie rock festival are headed to Northampton
By STEVE PFARRER
It’s still winter, but music festivals, small and large, are in the works. Here’s a look at some coming events, one that’s imminent and one further down the road.First off, Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares is offering a mini-fest next weekend, Feb. 22-25,...
Art Briefs: Classical music in Hadley, jazz in Amherst, and a unique art exhibit in Northampton
Haydn and Hummel in Hadley (with Beethoven) HADLEY — Arcadia Players will give an early boost to spring, or least to the spirit of spring, on Feb. 18 with a performance of chamber works from the late 18th and early 19th centuries, including...
