The Fabulous 413

Today we're talking about sweet things. Even when we’re talking about hard things to watch. This Saturday, The Triplex Cinema shows a special screening of the Oscar winning 1984 film The Killing Fields, which details the experiences of two journalists in Cambodia in 1975 at the beginning of the Khmer Rouge uprising. We chat with one of the stars of that movie who’ll be on hand at the theater for a post-movie Q & A, actor Sam Waterston. Plus it’s Pride Month, officially, and the pride celebrations are rolling out all over the 413. On June 7th you can join the celebrations with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in Greenfield as Franklin County Pride gathers all for their parade and festivities. We speak with Cynthia Fritz, Jake Krain, and Heather Mahoney about all the celebrating through the rainbow they’ll be bringing downtown on Saturday. And its in jars, cause that’s where the jam goes. In Conway a passion project has become a whole career turning berries and other fruit into low and no sugar spread-ables. We chat with Devon Whitney-Deal of Beaumont’s Berries about her pivot from working corporate jobs and managing the Greenfield Farmer’s Market to picking fruits, and making jam.(and if you're curious about the version of Technotronic's "Pump Up The Jam" that Kaliis mentioned, you can see it here, performed by Damien Robitalle)

Today we’ll give you two opportunities to engage yourself and enact or acknowledge the changes you’d like to see in the area and the world, and each is in its second year of operating. One of those is the upcoming Equity in the 413: Western Massachusetts Racial Equity Summit, which seeks to re-align efforts to advance racial equity across the region. We’ll talk with Community Foundation CEO Megan Burke and VP for People and Culture Briana Wales-Thaxton about the need and utility of this gathering especially at a time when diversity is slowly becoming a dirty word, and how the event has grown since its inception in 2023. Another is Glenmeadow where they are currently accepting nominees for their “Age of Excellence” awards, honoring folx over 60 in the myriad ways they impact our lives. Dr. Kathy Martin, President and CEO of Glenmeadow, and Rania Kfuri, Vice President of Philanthropy, speak with us about the place this holds in their organization’s 140+ year history, and changing perspectives on what aging looks like. And Mr. Universe, Kainaat Studios and Hampshire College's Salman Hameed, talks about the cuts to the NSF in the big beautiful bill, including it's repercussions for NASA, and what happens to the American scientific landscape when student and research visas are unavailable or revoked.

Today we have something lost, something gained, and something re-imagined. At the Shea Theater this weekend, a kaiju classic is getting a sonic overhaul as Cinemastorm presents an extra special screening of Noriaki Yuasa’s “Gamera vs. Guiron,” accompanied by a live soundtrack by local composer Galen Huckins and live foley by Jonathan Greber of Skywalker Sound. We talk with each of them, as well as the cast, musicians, and other performers involved in the production. A pair familiar to the 617 will soon find a place within the 413 as Boston Public Radio begins airing here on NEPM. We chat with hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan about what the eastern shores can bring to the west, and see what they know about the 4 counties of western Massachusetts. And many of us were shocked by the death of singer-songwriter/playwright/activist Jill Sobule earlier this month in a house fire. A series of tribute shows in the dates and locations she would have performed on her latest tour have been planned by her friends and colleagues coming together to fill those bills themselves. The first of these happens Saturday, May 31st at the Iron Horse in Northampton. For Live Music Friday we hear some of Jill’s songs and discuss her legacy with the host of the 413’s contribution to Jillith Fair: Erin McKeown.

May is often when we think about the growing things. Including our youth, as they are our future, as they dance into new horizons in the School for Contemporary Thought’s first narrative work: Wonderland. We speak with the director, Jen Polins, about the company members blooming into the plotlines in their pre-professional company The Hatchery, and the importance of inspiring young dancers to take up more space. Also private gardens are being opened to the public are being opened to the public. The Garden Conservancy is holding Open Gardens this week and next where many beautifully cultivated landscapes across western Mass, and the country, will be available for folx to peruse and enjoy. We’ll chat with Greenfield gardeners Elise and Laura Schlaikyer, and Sarah Chadwick, Regional Ambassador for Western Massachusetts at The Garden Conservancy, about this event which may inspire you to get your hands dirty, and how the non-profit collaborates with gardening organizations across the US, including the Greenfield Garden Club. Plus, we speak to gardner, witchy folklorist and author Varla Ventura about her latest book, “Enchanted Plants: A Treasury of Botanical Folklore and Magic,” before her event on May 31 at the South Hadley Public Library. We discuss the interesting tales the plants have to tell and the poison garden she raises at home.

We’re exploring emphasis. In Amherst, we return to an exhibit, “Sowing History, Reaping Justice,” where students of the Slavery North Initiative have spent a semester developing picture books for younger audiences to learn about slavery. We talk to student authors Emmanuel Nkuranga, River Riddle and Georgia Brabec as well as professors Charmaine Nelson of UMass and Raphael Rogers of Clark University to explore their projects. We also learn how to make art as sustainable as possible. Nestled in the neighborhood of Florence, the printmaking studio, Zea Mays, is preparing to share its wealth of knowledge with the public. We get a tour with founder Liz Chalfin of their two levels of printmaking wonders, meet some studio members and preview the prints that you too can make at their open house this weekend. And resident wordster Emily Brewster, senior editor at Merriam-Webster, gives us some rules-of-thumb about the ways we pronu-ounsee things in response to a listener's question about accents, and where we should be placing them.

Franklin County is taking the spotlight. Because that’s where Tumble Science Podcast for Kids is making its home these days. Tomorrow night is their Joke-ha-thon, raising funds for their next season of fun things about the world to littles everywhere. We chat with hosts Lindsay Patterson and Marshall Escamilla about what makes a good dad joke and how even they are feeling the sting of the NSF cuts. It’s also where democracy is currently on display. Mohawk Trail Regional High School has been host to the exhibit, “Voices and Votes: Democracy in America,” which examines the process, procedure and current status of American democracy through historical documents and local connections. We meet with civics teacher Catherine Glennon to explore the collection before it travels across the mountains to Lee for its next stop.And it's home to tiny aliens growing in the woods. We head to the Leverett-Montague border where Boulder Top Farm is innovating mushroom agriculture and more on their 4 acres. We take a walk with proprietor Elijah Lagreze through the wood chips, wine caps and baby turtles to explore the crops, see how integrating mushrooms into other parts of the farm have had a big impact and learn where you can try some of his culinary creations locally.

Last month on April 13, we inaugurated our own holiday, 413 Day. Today on The Fabulous 413, we take you back to play a science quiz with our friends from Tumble Science Podcast for Kids, Lindsay Patterson and Marshall Escamilla.Plus, we had great music at our western Mass. celebration, so we revisit some live selections from The Fawns and Silvie’s Okay.Speaking of live music, the MiFA Victory Players are remounting their performance, “Puerto Abierto” at Holyoke’s DeLa Luz Soundstage next week. We hear about the show’s origin story with musical director and conductor Tian Hui Ng.

Today there is an over abundance of talent. We welcome back wine friend and sommelier Ken Washburn, general manager of the Leverett Village Co-Op, to the Tina Turner Memorial Wine Thunderdome with two extra fragrant choices as we pit Vouvray against Beaujolais. We also celebrate Ciarra Fragale's brand new album, "Get What You Want," for Live Music Friday, hear about her upcoming tour and how she adjusts her synthy new sounds for solo performances.Multi-disciplinary artist Saul Williams has broken ground in just about every artistic avenue he’s been on, from slam poetry to music to film and more. We chat with the inspirational artist before you can catch his concert at Mass MoCA to kick off the opening of artist Vincent Valdez’s new exhibit.

Amherst is perhaps the most densely concentrated locale of academia in western Mass., and today we give you a glimpse of how the wealth of knowledge is shared with the wider community.Amherst A Better Chance (ABC) is part of a national initiative to help Black, Latine, Indigenous and Asian students in underserved school districts achieve their dreams. Started in the late sixties, it’s been bringing young people into its residential academic program to help the transition to college and beyond. We meet the residential directors, Temistocles Ferreira, or Tem Blessed, and Nancita Alejandro, and scholar Frank Partida to learn about the program, national initiative and how their education is a community-wide effort.And Congressman Jim McGovern has had a very busy 48 hours, so we get more details of the conflicts that are associated with the latest bills and budget hitting the floor of the House of Representatives.

Say the name, say the name, because word on the common is that this weekend is a time of celebration. In Amherst, many Indigenous and First Nation peoples from the northeast and across the continent will gather for the 5th annual Odenong Powwow in song, dance, food, craft and more. Founder, organizer and multi-disciplinary artist Justin Beatty joins us to talk about sustaining the event, the nuances to learn about the traditions and peoples at the only powwow in the five college area and how this event is a perfect place to create common ground. And, Word Nerd Emily Brewster, senior editor at Merriam-Webster, is talking truth and taking names as we talk about eponyms large, small, unlikely and far beyond just album titles.

We’re honoring the area’s abolitionist past with those who carry its spirit into the future. Since 1992, the Sojourner Truth Memorial Committee has been supporting folx in the spirit of its namesake, and for twenty of those years has given to enterprising students from Hampshire and Hampden Counties who push their work toward a more just and liberated society. We meet Jameicia Estes, scholarship committee chair, and scholarship recipient Charlie Kocsmiersky to learn more about the organization, the weekend festivities, and how the changes we want to see in the world can start in your neighborhood. And, it’s also asparagus season here in western Mass., and with NEPM’s own Asparagus Festival looming on the horizon, we figure we visit where they say the best stalks grow. We head to Plainville Farm in Hadley to see Wally Czajkowski to learn how to properly harvest the ferns and how national immigration issues are affecting daily operations on the farm.

We're running the gamut of niche academia today. It's the 100th anniversary of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, and it's just our luck that Jazz à la Mode host and local dictionary editor Peter Sokolowski is one of the judges for the event. We speak with him about the nature of spelling bees, how he got involved in the event, the interesting origins of the word "spell" and more. And, Mr. Universe, Salman Hameed of Kainaat Studios and Hampshire College, explores the very boring and unimaginative scientific naming conventions for very interesting and universe breaking discoveries, little red dots (LRDs).

Have you ever looked at large architecture and wondered just how much space is being actually used, or how you could take advantage of that space? Today, we speak to Michael Townsend, a member of Tape Art art collective, who answered both of those questions with resounding yeses. We learn about “Secret Mall Apartment," a documentary about the 4-year-long inhabitable art project in a most unlikely spot, a hidden and unused space at the Providence Place Mall. You can catch the documentary and Townsend on May 19 in a screening and Q&A at Amherst Cinema. We also say goodbye to Cheap City on today’s Live Music Friday. They've been democratizing dance floors across the east coast for years and performing one of their last shows in western Mass. at the Marigold Theater on May 17. Self described as "what would happen if Zappa and Fugazi were, for some reason, collaborating on a disco record,” Cheap City affirms that they were “tasked by the city government of Cheap City to document life in the town." We find out how efforts to archive the town’s existence has led to a post-punk theatrical amalgam of psychedelic sound with many instruments and many slices of life.And, at Tip Top Wine Shop, Miranda Brown introduces us to a grape we’d never heard of before, whose name is spelled wrong, but who tastes totally right, Pineau d’Aunis enters the Wine Thunderdome.

We have to lift you up after the tumult of yesterday’s conversation, and we do it with music since our favorite time of year is swiftly approaching. June 20-22, the Green River Festival will descend on the Franklin County Fairgrounds, bringing over 40 bands, local vendors and our community together (with hopefully better weather than last year). For the second year, John Sanders of DSP Shows is at the helm of USS GRF, and we talk to him about the lessons learned from last year, the gems in this year's lineup and how music brings us all together in times of trial.While we’re in the neighborhood, we sneak around the corner to Franklin County Technical School (FCTS) where the students have just been given an important resource on campus. We chat with school counselor Taryn Canfield about the brand new food pantry for students and how you can help them keep it stocked. Plus, we welcome back Congressman Jim McGovern and discuss some of the struggles he’s been facing since the death of his daughter, including the ICE raids in Worcester and protecting SNAP benefits and other budget line items that need fighting for on Capitol Hill.

Basically since January 21st, we’ve been hearing about federal cuts to agencies its supported and run for decades, and seeing the carnage to programming, businesses, and federal departments themselves as the dominoes continue to fall. From the USDA to the NSF, from Health to the Humanities, greater infrastructure to academics, the Library of Congress to the NEA, it seems like no industry is immune to the removal of important grants and programs.It was only a matter of time before the many arts and service organizations that we speak to were also affected, so today, we’re speaking with people from a wide swath of the organizations in the area who’ve seen their federal grants and funding disappear, or are currently unsure of where their federal funding may end up. We’ll hear from Sally Loomis of Hilltown Land Trust, Claire Higgins of Community Action Pioneer Valley, Jim Hicks of The Massachusetts Review, and Ilan Stavans of Restless Books, and review some of what organizations who've spoken with us this year have said about their operations, plus a glimpse at the official statements of some of the other local organizations that are now attempting to deal with the fallout of these rescissions as we attempt to address the federal funding elephant that’s been cut out of the middle of our 4 counties.

Today is fluffy and textured and a little afraid of us because sheep scare easily. We’re in Buckland to talk with folx at Walking Cloud Farm about the upcoming MA Sheep and Woolcraft Festival. What started as a 4H event to encourage youth in sheep raising has grown over the past almost 50 years to encompass that and much more. From spinning, to shearing to herding, we chat with farm owner Marty Ferguson, and festival organizers Barbara Goodchild and Lonnie York about the legacy and importance of Sheep as an agricultural crop, and the festival in helping to maintain that. And from across the border JayWood stops by the studio before the sold out tUnE-yArDs show at the Iron horse he’s opening for this evening. We’ve been excited about getting his band into our space since our chat with him a few weeks ago and are eager to share a glimpse of his sound with those who were not quite quick enough to snag a ticket. Plus did you know that Springfield was one of the sparks that ignited the witch trials across the Massachusetts Bay Colonies long before Salem picked up their torches? We head to Springfield Museums to get a sneak peak of their brand new exhibit highlighting the incident with curator of history Elizabeth Kapp: "Witch Panic!".

Space is the place, but first we’re headed to the ring to find the local wrestling scene, because, oh yes, western Mass. has a wrestling scene. Perry Von Vicious, a.k.a The Human Monster Truck, joins us in the studio to give insight beyond kayfabe, a lay of the local wrestling landscape, his start in the industry and what you can expect at the match up on Memorial Day Weekend to defend his title. Then, we head to space as we hear that it is not only the place, but the homeland of Sun Ra Arkestra. The collective has been innovating in jazz, funk and beyond for over 7 decades and are stopping in Northampton on May 18. We check in with the team bringing the legends to the valley, Ruth Griggs of Northampton Jazz Festival and Jim Olsen of Signature Sounds about collaborating for this show, and about the sonic legacy Sun Ra engenders. While we’re off in space, we talk to Mr. Universe, Salman Hameed of Kainaat Studios and Hampshire College, applies the scientific method to more terrestrial issues and shows us how you too can do the same.

Music is the food of active minds, and that’s just science. Plus, Fridays are typically the time that The Fabulous 413 gets its music on, so we’re excited to meet those for whom a musical journey is just beginning. We head to STEM Middle Academy with Rachel Rivard and Carolyn Dufresne of the Community Music School of Springfield (CMSS) to check out the 6th grade woodwind band, one of the classes that participate in the Sonido Musica program and benefit from the Play It Forward Drive. We hear from the students and teachers on the greatly positive impacts of having music in the curriculum.Then, for Live Music Friday, a western Mass. fixture makes a pivot in sound and a change in lineup to reinvent itself for a wider sonic perspective. Splendid Torch has risen from the bones of Mamma’s Marmalade with their latest album, “Icon,” for which you can join their release celebration tonight at The Drake in Amherst. Plus, if you were also heartbroken at the departure of our Hampden County wine friend Michael Quinlan, you’re in for a treat with the cameo in today’s wine Thunderdome at State Street Fruit Store.

There are a lot of old mill buildings in western Mass., and a lot of those old factories are finding new lives and new industries to fill their halls.Frankly, there’s so much to find in these spaces that we spend our whole day in one in North Adams,, Greylock WORKS. We chat with designer and architect Salvatore Perry about his and co-founder Karla Rothstein's vision to bring function, community and utility together in the many-purposed space, while exploring some of those spaces ourselves.We talk with one of the artist creating in the space, Julia Dixon, walk through the barrels of the Berkshire Cider Project with Kat Hand and Matt Brogan and stretch out in the newly expanded studios of Greylock Yoga with owner Nicole Rizzo. Plus we gush about the goodness and connections food brings with chef, artist and farmer Tu Le at his restaurant State.

We are taking the good with the worstest and sometimes blending the two! Author Heidi Stemple’s latest work is a complete amalgam of poetry and narrative fiction. "The Poetry of Car Mechanics" measures family trauma against self-discovery and nature in a way that try really hard not to spoil when she visits the studio to talk with us. We find out about her process of weaving plot through this mixed format.We also head to Amherst Nurseries, where trees are the lay of their agricultural land and have been for decades going. Owner John Kinchla walks us and the new head of CISA, Jennifer Core, through the rain-soaked acres to see their innovative growing methods. Plus, he provides insight to the real extent of some of the federal cuts to agriculture from a landscaping perspective. Then word nerd Emily Brewster, senior editor at Merriam-Webster, drudges up some better words for us to use for things that are terrible, so that even at our lowest, we can still use fun language to describe our catastrophic and awful circumstances.

Today has a proper patch of aligned alliteration.First, fandom, which is what we have for Randall Poster, who has been the music supervisor for over 200 films and TV shows. Starting this weekend, The Triplex Cinema will host him for conversation with a program to highlight his work and the films that inspire him. We bring the hidden aural gem onto our show to talk about soundtracks v.s. scoring, the nature of curation and more. Now onto farms, so we head into the north Berkshires. Against the backdrop of a massive limestone quarry, the woman and queer-led Full Well Farms has been thriving for 8 years, shifting focus from dairy to sustainable practices. Owner Meg Bantle, whose family has been working the land for over a century, takes us on a tour of the regenerative farm, explains the goal to address local food inequities and how flowers help succeed the farm’s mission.And lastly, funding cuts, which are on all of our minds as of late. State budget cuts are affecting Cutchins Programs for Children and Families. Established in the 1980s as an alternative to the state hospitals, the organization provides programming to help children with school, medical treatment and much more. Director Tina Champagne joins us to talk about their work and the challenges these cuts present.

Today our size is shifting to get larger and smaller simultaneously. We talk with Mr. Universe, Salman Hameed of Kainaat Studios and Hampshire College, who explains the proposed cuts to NASA and the NSF and the potential impact on both academic institutions (like the five colleges) and American astronomical research as a whole. Then, just to narrow our aperture a bit, we explore books all over the four counties! All week, Mass Kids Lit Festival will host events for kids of all ages and their grown ups all over western Massachusetts. It’s their first year expanding into the Berkshires, and we chat with organizer Courtney Andree about bringing Children’s Book Week to the Bay State and the many authors your little one can meet and collaborate with in the coming days.Speaking of narrowing, a much beloved event with a long running history at the Shea Theater in Turner’s Falls has had to put a pause on this year’s occasion. The Immigrant Voices performance has gathered many students, clients and alumni of the Center for New Americans to share talent and culture with the community. Director Laurie Millman joins us to talk about the hard decision to put the series on hiatus and the shift in circumstances her organization is seeing.

Today we've got copious amounts of music, some joy of saving the planet and two sterling examples of resisting labels within one’s artwork. One of our neighbors to the north is about to make a visit to the area, Canadian independent artist JayWood. We chat with him about his day job as a postal worker, the impact that grief has had on some of his most poignant works and the clandestine meeting that lead to his collaboration and tour with tUnE-yArDs. And, right here at home, singer-songwriter Kris Delmhorst just released a whole new album in March and will celebrate the accomplishment at the Iron Horse next week. After two years of begging and pleading, we finally get her into the studio to talk about the wealth of musical talent within her family, the wide variety of sounds that find her fretboard and what spurred her to collaborate with so many folx on this batch of songs. Plus, in Lenox, although we are in troubling times, not all news is bad news. At Dare Bottleshop with Ben and Mary Daire, we taste through some vineyards that are engaged with more sustainable growing practices and learn about their event with climate optimist and local author Anne-Therese Gennari next Tuesday.

We’re looking at the center of a couple of venn diagrams and the overlapping circles that bring those centers together. For instance, the artistic circles often overlap through the fantastic venues we have in the area. At the Shea theater, Nero Orchestra will conclude its season tomorrow night, and on that same stage the next night, Eggtooth Productions will bring in partners in unconventional theater, Karen Montanaro and Jack Golden. Additionally, Eggtooth will soon host a production of Sarah Ruhl’s “Orlando” at the Academy of Music. So we chat with Cailin Marcel Manson of Nero Orchestra, Linda Tardif of the Shea Theater and Linda McInerney of Eggtoth Productions about the performances and art spaces that have crossed their respective streams. And in Amherst, some intrepid art students are taking on a daunting task of making picture books about slavery. We head to UMass Amherst to meet a handful of students with books that are a part of the exhibit, “Sowing History, Reaping Justice,” to hear about their experiences in creating these works. Plus, we gain insight from some of the academic stewards in the topic of slavery in children’s books, Clark University professor Raphael Rogers, and the history of enslavement Canada and the U.S. north, UMass professor and Slavery North Initiative Director Charmaine Nelson.

Today we're spending all our time in higher education. Merriam-Webster Senior Editor and UMass Amherst alumna Emily Brewster joins us on the upper floors of the W.E.B. Du Bois Library to meet with digital content editor Lauren Hubbard. She introduces us to the library’s most notorious residents, the peregrine falcons, with names that should be of particular interest to our Word Nerd. The birds making their roost and catching attention with eggs close to hatching. And, just down the street at Amherst College, there is a revered literary publication called “The Common” that is celebrating its 25th year of publication. And on the last day of National Poetry Month, we talk with Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Acker and student interns Kei Lim and Aidan Cooper about the place of poetry and prose in a nation that continues to chip away at the arts.

We’re bringing up the lights on cool community action. Starting May 1, the fourth annual Easthampton Film Festival will kick off, with 4 days of panels, workshops, concerts and more than 30 films in a wide range of genres. We hear from organizer Chris Ferry about putting this event together, and creating community among the filmmakers in the areaWe also get to talk with folx involved in a western Mass.-focused feature film that is premiering at the festival, “Tallywacker” directed by Brendan Boogie. To hear about the filmmaking process and the vital role of music, we speak with the film’s inspiration and lead, Jeremy Macomber-Dubs, co-star Chris Goodwin and assistant producer and actor Rebecca Macomber. And, we discover a new farm that is hoping to bring fresh produce and food equity to its neighborhood. Nordica Community Farm sits on a nicely hidden 11-acre plot in Springfield that nearly was razed and developed, but through community action and community partners, this small CSA allows you to pick your own herbs among a burgeoning orchard. We speak with owners Anne Richmond and Todd Crosset with CSA Member Ariana Williams about the triumphs and trials of city growing.

Today is all rainbows, double rainbows in fact!We start with Hampshire Pride, marching in Northampton this Saturday, May 3. They’re the first and longest running pride event in the area, which means its events and leadership have seen a lot of evolution. We chat with organizers Clay Pearson and River Matos about what’s in store for the community this year and what they’ve learned in their three years at the helm.And, the valley-based Rainbow Players are celebrating 25 years of creating devised improvisational works firmly grounded in social justice and disability advocacy. We talk with the program’s artistic director and founder, Ezzell Floraniña, and company members Wole Abiodun and Jay Lithgow about their work, the development of related non-profit ETTA International, the upcoming gala, fashion show and other events to benefit their work.Plus Mr. Universe, Salman Hameed of Kainaat Studios and Hampshire College, discusses a possible sign of life on a planet 120 light years away and the pitfalls of assumptions made when such discoveries become public.

What do you get when you mix a novel approach to foster care, devised theater, and youth leadership all in one place?The answer is Truth Tellers Theater, an inter-generational theater group where cast members use the healing powers of storytelling, community and performance to share their own tales with audiences each spring. We head to Holyoke to talk with folx from the Treehouse Foundation, Heroes Youth Leadership Program and the Truth Tellers ensemble about the strength of their collaboration, the history of their short but impactful past and the bevvy of upcoming programming, including the Runway 5k at a local airport next weekend. Live Music Friday puts dance in your orbit with the space-psych-rock disco that is Escaper. We hear some of their music before they perform at The Iron Horse.Plus, we get a preview of the upcoming Italian Wine Festival at Provisions in North Amherst with a north vs south Thunderdome with a tasty cheese guest appearance.

Today is for the brothers and the birds, not a bee in sight.Well, seeing actually factors into it, too! We head to Amherst where, on a particularly idyllic corner of the UMass campus, hordes of migratory birds are making their way back north. Professor Nathan Senner grabs binoculars and his trusty dog, Oliver, to head out into the woods to discover the many feathered friends that are finding their way home. He enlightens us to the ways that the campus itself is posing problems to conservation efforts, the methods they’re experimenting with to make the school’s landscape a bit safer for the traveling birds and how you can help.And, in Florence at the Bombyx Center for Arts and Equity, prose, theater and pie are coming together on stage this weekend. The Florence Poetry Carnival is bringing in Brother’s Keeper Poetry Ensemble as the featured literary artists for “Poetry and Pie.” We speak with founding member Marlon Carey about the group’s work, the melding of their styles on stage and the clandestine meeting between him and the carnival’s founder.And, although we don't have a chance to chat with Congressman Jim McGovern, our hearts and sympathies are with him as his family navigates recent tragedy. Note: The comic artist Kaliis mentioned with illustrations of bird calls is Rosemary Mosco.

Today we’re getting extra retro with an extra New England pastime, archaic conundrums and classic ways of making art. The art is found up and down the Hilltowns through Hampshire and Franklin Counties. The Asparagus Valley Pottery Trail is a network of studios that are open for the public to witness ceramic artists in their craft. We head to Florence to peek at the only wood fired kiln along the route and chat with artists James Guggina, Tiffany Hilton and intern Lucas Putney about their work and the upcoming festivities. And, few outside of New England know of or have played our classic pastime, candlepin bowling, but it's the style housed by some of the oldest operating bowling alleys in the nation, one of which is right here in western Mass. We head to Shelburne Falls Bowling Alley where owners Tony and Tam Hanna show us how the game is played, how the lanes are maintained and how far the history of the location stretches. Plus, Word Nerd Emily Brewster, senior editor at Merriam-Webster, lays an over 700-year-old mystery in our laps. Or does it lie in your lap? We look at the homophone pairing of lay and lie, and which one we should let sleeping dogs do.

It’s Earth Day!So we’re going to look at our mother through local lenses and explore our waterways, our skies, and of course, the ways we feed ourselves and each other. If we’re looking up, light pollution has more factors than just keeping you up at night, and one of the organizations seeking to bring more awareness to those factors is Northampton City Lights. Their mission is to Protect human health and wildlife by changing the way we think about municipal lighting and we’ll hear from Catherine Moriarty how their Northampton Night Fest event tonight at Historic Northampton will help them do more of that. And if we’re looking down to the water, Prof. Christine Hatch of Umass Extension has been examining swamps, bogs, streams and more. how those precious ecosystems are affected by human interaction, and how we can aid in their preservation and restoration are some of the questions we’ll ask when she joins us in studioPlus, transport may be the least sexy part of our local foodways, but that doesn’t make it any less vital. Nick Martinelli of Marty’s Local and Cathy Stanton of Quabbin Harvest Co-op talk to us about the important place local distributors have to farmers, retailers, and consumers as well to make a healthy food ecosystem.

Today is Patriots Day, a holiday to commemorate the battle of Lexington and Concord and the “shot heard round the world” in what is now the 617 area code. But today in the 413, we look back to last week when western Mass. planted a flag on our OWN side of the state and declared April 13 as 413 Day.At our party at CitySpace in Easthampton, we were joined by regular guests of the show including Emily Brewster, resident wordster from Merriam-Webster, who enlightened us on Massachusetts regionalisms and accents and answered live audience questions.And, we talked with prof. Ousmane Power-Greene from our Power of History segment about why our abolitionist history here in the 413 is worth exploring and celebrating.Plus, we hear live music from the western Mass. stalwart, singer-songwriter Erin McKeown, with songs on a borrowed guitar and a preview of the new musical they’re working on, set to debut next year.

We are encouraging you to stay up late because The Iron Horse, now almost a year in its new incarnation, is bringing back late shows. We preview tonight’s doozy of dance, connection and genre defying music.For Live Music Friday we hear from Bella’s Bartok as they wrap up their winter/spring residency at the horse. We hear how their latest album, “Apocalypse Wow,” sounds on its feet and learn how important a residency can be to the growth of one’s sound.On that same bill is the powerful queerpunk duo, Film & Gender, who’ve just come off of a 10 day east coast tour. We talk to bassist Issley about new music, the difference in feel between DIY venues and more established ones, increasing vulnerability in lyrics and more.And, with spring officially springing, we head to the Juicebox Wine Bar in Shelburne Falls to check out orange wines in a coastal battle for the latest Tina Turner Memorial Wine Thunderdome.

Today, as every day, we are speaking the language of community near and far and in all walks of life. For instance, we’re getting to know an organization that services the Berkshires (and a little beyond) to increase access to healthy food despite widespread funding cuts. We chat with Berkshire Agricultural Ventures Executive Director Rebecca Busansky about the Market Match program, which is currently fundraising for the 2025 growing season, and filling the gap left by HIP cuts while raising all boats in the effort. We also get a little Live Music Thursday with Brooklyn and Northampton-based singer-songwriter Stefan Weiner. He’s ending a music hiatus with the release of his new album, “How Lucky You Are,” and we hear about what inspirations lay amongst the tracks and if coming home has anything to do with it. And, our weekly chat with Rep. Jim McGovern hits both far and close to home as we discuss the proposed cuts to the Corporation of Public Broadcasting, the inaction regarding detained legal immigrants, the insurrection act’s possible enactment and a pile of questions from listeners like you.

We are covering a lot of ground.Including a brand new venture for a collective right here in town, Marketplace at Gasoline Alley, a collective effort of 5 entrepreneurs who are expanding their offerings attached to the Urban Food Brood. We speak with some of the folx who’ve settled into this new spot, Kate Forest and Missy Doe of Forest Doe Botanicals and Kristina Marie Denson of Journey’s Lemonade (with the CUTEST CAMEO by the business namesake), and find out how collaborative economics can work right in our own backyard.And, we sample a 35-year career in folk music bringing all that experience and versatility to The Parlor Room stage next weekend. David Wilcox started playing guitar in college in the eighties and hasn’t stopped since, and we pepper the singer-songwriter about his Canadian doppelgänger, his greatest inspirations and the shifts in the musical landscape, both esoteric and physical.Plus, resident wordster Emily Brewster, senior editor at Merriam-Webster, explores a listener question about the contexts of the dictionary’s citations while Kaliis accidentally side steps into a question about curing meats.

Two tales of agriculture and commerce, alike in virtue, a spring of hope from a winter of despair. The Cannabis Control Commission recently swept through western Mass, making visits with officials and business owners in all 4 counties. Despite the recent shake-ups within the department, they’re currently looking forward into expanding how businesses might offer more green to the people through social consumption. We speak with acting Chair of the CCC Bruce Stebbins about what that concept could entail, how cannabis businesses are faring in the Bay State and especially Western Mass., and how the commission is faring after nearly 10 years of legal weed. We’ll also head to Conway to a farm most innovative in practice, philosophy and action. Natural Roots has been growing produce in the hilltowns in a number of ways that are unique to their plots and bringing their crops to the area. From their crop rotation, to the actual horses powering their equipment, they’ve sought to reduce and remove fossil fuels from their farming operations. We’ll chat to proprietor David Fisher about his recent award from CISA, why reducing their carbon footprint through their machinery choices was so crucial to their agricultural plans, and get a tour through their sprawling beautiful grounds along the South River, and get to meet the horses!

Although the United States was never specifically a penal colony, it is hard to deny that systematic penal labor was crucial to the founding of the nation. We think it’s important to consider as we prepare to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War. So today, we look at an art exhibit at Wistariahurst Museum that highlights the carceral system as we know it today. “Prison Reimagined" is a collection of artwork depicting U.S. presidents by incarcerated folx, organized by artistic director Caddell “Monty” Kivett from inside a correctional facility in North Carolina. We chat with Kivett and Wistariahurst’s director, Megan Seiler, about the power of this display and some of the systematic roadblocks that stood in the way.We also bring you back in time to yesterday’s party to celebrate 413 Day in Easthampton. We show you what Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll had to say when she stopped by the festivities and delivered a present from the Governor in person and in writing!And, we received another present on that stage from Mr. Universe, Salman Hameed of Kainaat Studios and Hampshire College, all while exploring the ways that galaxies are formed and photographed!

It is a day of information for the day of our area code, April 13, which we’ll be celebrating this Sunday in Easthampton, but it turns out we’re not the only ones!Because western Mass. is too celebrate-able for just one party, we talk to Liz Rosenberg of The Toy Box in Amherst to talk about their 413 day festivities, and learn about even more celebrations across the Bay State.We have Live Music Friday with Vince Thompson of Silvie’s Okay and learn of the two opportunities to check out his bittersweet and heartfelt take on country this coming week, including our own event this Sunday, and learn how he has opened up the spectrum in his music and beyond.And, a Tina Turner Memorial Wine Thunderdome in Easthampton with great repercussions as we sip with Laurie Clark and Miranda Brown at Tip Top Wine Shop to choose which wine to get sampled at a celebration for an area code that we think is fabulous.

The Berkshires has been a dance incubator and nesting place and incubator for nearly 100 years. So, today we head to the grounds of Jacob's Pillow in Becket to get a sneak peek at their upcoming festival.Jacob’s Pillow’s executive director, Pamela Tatge, is nearing a decade at the helm of the organization, and we hear about some of her highlights from this season and her tenure..And we talk to producing director Holly Jones about the curatorial nuances behind such an extensive festival while considering each dance company's experience level and genre, and how Jacob’s Pillow continues to influence dancers across the Berkshires and beyond.Plus, we talk to both about the long lasting connections in the highly anticipated season closer, Alvin Ailey.We even get a chance to see the brand new Doris Duke Theatre, which is nearly rebuilt from the ashes after a fire destroyed the facility at the start of the pandemic.

Last year, Phil Korman of CISA announced his retirement. And just recently, our friends at the organization have found someone to fill his shoes. We talk to the new director, Jennifer Core, to hear her connections to agriculture in western Mass. and beyond, and how her insights from her own farm help push the organisation’s mission further.Our resident Word Nerd, Emily Brewster of Merriam-Webster, will have us salivating as we search for the origins of spit, spitting image, spit-take, and how clones are sorta connected to all three. Plus, how you can hang out with her in person this weekend!And, we get our first-hand government rundown a day early as we speak with Rep. Jim McGovern about the nationwide protests this past weekend, the likelihood that his hunger-free future bill survives the rigors of both house and senate, tariff-aggedon 2025 and much more.Oh plus, it's our 500th show. No biggie.

We constantly strive to be renaissance people because knowledge is power, and everyone wants to be able to properly MacGyver things.But, never in the course of the show have we seen a farm that does it like Barberic Farms. So, we head to Shelburne to see all the adorable lambs get their legs and discover the myriad of pots that Barbara and Eric Goodchild have their hands in, from wool to iron to pickles to pianos and more. Speaking of education, we discover a new film inspired by real events in the valley with locally-based actors on its celluloid. “Urban Ed” follows four students as they navigate their school’s closure, and we speak with writer, director and educator Wade Wofford and one of the movie’s main actors, Kayla Staley, about their connections to the story and the landscape for smaller films. Plus, we also learn some history with Mr. Universe, Salman Hameed of Kainaat Studios and Hampshire College, who tells the tale of Greenland's colonization in the name of science in the late 19th century and the questionable results of those efforts.

It is National Poetry Month, and as the world could use more art [full stop], we broadcast live from the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst. We hear some of the reclusive poet’s work and about who was instrumental in getting her words posthumously published with the museum’s executive director, Jane Wald. Plus, we learn about some of the museum’s upcoming programs and exciting updates on the grounds with Brooke Steinhauser, senior director of programs, including the Phosphorescence series.We also hear insights and inspiring and heartbreaking works of two local poets who’ve participated in the series, Joan Kwon Glass and DeMisty Bellinger. Content Warning: Some of the work read in this episode contains mentions of death, child death, and suicide.

If the arts funding cuts are due to continue until morale proverbially improves, we’re pretty sure that means a lot is on the chopping block. Great birthday present for a nation 250 years young. At that juncture is Mass Humanities. Among it’s other initiatives like the 4th of July readings of Frederick Douglass and the Clemente Course for the Humanities, the organization is slated to be at the center of the state’s commemoration of the Revolutionary War. But just this week their federal grants were terminated. Director Brian Boyles joins us to talk about how the festivities may continue, and what can be done to support their efforts to bring more Massachusetts stories to life. In that vein, we’re supporting organizations aiding each other, especially if it’s highlighting a pivotal work that shifted the entire landscape of two mediums in its wake. Triplex cinemas is showing a restored version of 1948’s The Red Shoes in conjunction with Jacob’s Pillow, and we’ll speak with Professor emeritus Lynn Garafolo and curator and archivist Norton Owen about the auteurs it has influenced, and the impact it has hadLive Music Friday brings the Lucky Shots to the studio. They’ve just released their second album Second Tongue and are celebrating with a show at JJ’s Tavern tonight, but we’ll get the story of their shift in recording process when they make a visit with us.

In the words of R.I.S.E Fest co-founder Gina M. Krosoczka, "art of all mediums has been scientifically proven to increase self-esteem, foster community and connection, and process emotions, feelings, trauma and so much more."So, today, we’re learning about folx at the beginning of their artistic journeys, someone with unlikely displayed artistry and someone who has been making copious amounts of it. We’ve got a little extra live music for your week with Ari Hest before he takes the stage at the Parlor Room tonight. With over two decades under his belt, we find out about the Grammy-nominated artist’s Patreon project that has him releasing a new song every two weeks.Plus, your kids are extra alright when there’s art involved. Later this month, R.I.S.E Fest returns to provide two straight days of engaging workshops, performances, presentations and more. We hear from event co-founder and NYT-bestselling graphic novelist Jarrett J. Krosoczka about the importance of fostering the artistic inclination of kids, tweens and teens. And, our weekly chat with Rep. Jim McGovern may not last for 24 hours, but it definitely covers his thoughts on Sen. Cory Booker’s filibuster, ICE arrests at Red Fire Farm, tariffs, possible weekend protests and more.

We’re jumping into National Poetry Month with two poets, extra descriptive language and a former state senator.One of these things may not be like the others, but is relevant to a key moment in history. Former Poet Laureate of Northampton Richard Michelson has written a new children’s book on the first presidential Passover Seder, “Next Year in the White House.” We talk with him and Eric Lesser, former state senator and White House aide, about being at the table with the Obamas.In Shelburne Falls, another poet is celebrating a new work. UMass professor and Guggenheim fellow Martín Espada is releasing his new book of poems, “Jailbreak of Sparrows,” and we gain his insight on the nuances of collecting his pieces anew before his reading at Raven Used Books this weekend.Word Nerd Emily Brewster, senior editor at Merriam-Webster, is encouraging us to be more descriptive with unusual words for very specific shapes.

Literacy equals liberation, and each can take several forms. To the letter of this equation, the western Massachusetts-based Literacy Project has been providing adult basic education programs and opportunities for 40 years. We talk with Executive Director Colleen Kucinski and Sagrario “Charro” Turner, a recent program graduate and commencement speaker, about filling this often overlooked gap in education, supporting participants to engage in meaningful and equitable learning to participate in the economic, social, cultural and civic community. And an event where you can celebrate the milestone with them!And the 4th annual Power of Truths Festival is happening this Friday and Saturday in Florence to harness the power of education and art for racial and social justice. We welcome back to the show festival co-founder Michael Lawrence Riddell, executive director of Self-Evident Education, and one of the festival performers, Washington DC-based emcee and author Sa-Roc.

New lands, and new works, and new looks oh my.We meet Margaret Russo, board president of the Scarlet Sock Foundation, whose mission it is to support works of social Justice theater. But how does a foundation come to such a specific niche. We’ll learn the history of the organization, about the many folx they support, and hear more on the free gala they’ll be hosting this SaturdayAnd we’ll head to Amherst to see the newest farm we’ve ever been to. Little Light Farm is taking a novel approach to CSAs, land conservation and preservation, and community connection, and they’re just getting started. New farm proprietor Emmy Smella talks to us about her plans for the plot of land, as well as some of the framework she’s established in starting a brand new farm. Plus PhD candidate at UMass, local historian Erika Slocumb outlines some of the recent changes that have been happening at the Stowe Center for Literary Activism, and how they’re shifting focus in their collection and in their curation, which might just shift some of your perspectives as well

This is about making big efforts in small places. We head to Pittsfield for one such endeavor. March 31 is Trans Day of Visibility, and Wander Berkshires is hosting a series of events to celebrate transgender and non-binary folx in a time when community members increasingly face endangerment and anti-trans legislation. We chat with founder Jay Santangello about the things he’s got planned for us all to enjoy and to make our neighborhoods inclusive. In Montague, the Bard comes alive all over town, bringing folx from all the way across the pond to breathe life into his words. The Montague Shakespeare Festival is in full swing with performances this weekend and the next, and we speak with artistic director Nia Lynn, artistic director; Kenny Butler, executive director; and Fiona Ross, director and lead practitioner, about what the second year of the festival has to offer. And Mr. Universe, Salman Hameed of Kainaat Studios and Hampshire College, remembers our eclipse fever from last year and tells us about 2 more eclipses, one of which you can see here in western Massachusetts, and dark energy in space (somehow those aren’t directly related).

If you’ve driven on Route 9 through the hilltowns, you’ve probably seen Beaver Brook Golf Course on the bend between Williamsburg and Northampton. But, there are some changes on the horizon for that gigantic parcel of land with the goal of expanding public access and climate resiliency.We talk with Kate Theoharides, Wendy Ferris and Mary Dettloff of the Trustees of Reservations about the goal to purchase the 200+ acres with help from the fundraising and conservation efforts of the public and surrounding towns.Live Music Friday brings author and banjoist Max Wareham to our shores before you can celebrate the recent release of his album. “DAGGOMIT!,” with him at a Watermelon Wednesday concert next Saturday.And, we get ready to feel the pain of EU tariffs in the next Tina Turner Memorial Wine Thunderdome. We explore one of the mother varieties at State Street Fruit Store in a return to Cabernet Franc as California challenges Loire on our palettes.

Today there's food for your tummies and your intellect, because that is how we roll.First, we head to Mesa Verde in Greenfield to learn about a new grant program to help small independent restaurants feed the community and meet their margins. We speak with Kate Lawless and Hannah Sobel of the Franklin County Community Development Corporation (FCCDC); Amy McMahon of Mesa Verde; and Valerie Hudson of Franklin County Community Meals Program (FCCMP) to hear about the state-wide initiative to help people in five counties to eat better while fueling local economies.For the latest Power of History segment, we celebrate the 100th birthday of Alain Locke's seminal piece, "The New Negro," that framed the start of the Harlem Renaissance. We talk with Clark University professor Ousmane Power-Greene about this work and the places where Black literature, art, music and thought thrived at the turn of the 20th century.And, Rep. Jim McGovern worries about the constitutional crisis we may be in, including similar worries within his own party close behind. And, he has tales to tell from his town meetings across his district, including the one that just happened in Greenfield.