by Melissa Karen Sances | Apr 30, 2024 | Featured, Staff Picks, Uncategorized, Wellness
By Melissa Karen Sances For the Valley Advocate “Emily’s mission in life is to teach women to live with confidence and joy inside their bodies.” This sentence mesmerized me. It’s an assured statement about a complicated topic: body image and sexuality, and...
by Melissa Karen Sances | Nov 24, 2023 | Arts, Featured, Music, Uncategorized
By MELISSA KAREN SANCES For the Advocate As snow mingles with rain this Tuesday evening, the door to Spare Time Northampton is cool to the touch. But inside the bowling alley’s City Sports Grille, the cracks of falling pins fade into the warm pulse of swing music. The...
by Melissa Karen Sances | Aug 25, 2023 | Featured, Staff Picks, Wellness
By MELISSA KAREN SANCES For the Advocate Ten heavy bags stood at attention on Theresa Allen’s front lawn, while 7 women surrounded a card table just off the driveway, wrapping their hands and gloving up. My new cardio kickboxing instructor greeted me warmly and...