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Empty Arms group supports parents who’ve experienced loss
It was October 2018 when Emily Collins of Holyoke, now 30, had her second child, Sebastian, who was born 12½ weeks premature. Sebastian lived for 15 days, then died at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. Collins’ friends and family, apart from her sister and...
Supporting Nearby Food Producers While Maintaining Social Distance
No farms, no food. That bumper sticker slogan feels more apt than ever in this time when government officials are determining what counts as an “essential service.” Could there ever have been a doubt that those growing the food to feed us pass the test?...
The V-Spot: Can I Ask for More Sex Without Being a Creep?
Hi Yana, I have a high sex drive and my partner has a low sex drive. How do I navigate this? My sex life has been leaving me disappointed for a while now but I’m afraid of putting pressure on my partner. If I ask for sex I feel like I’m coercing them into it and it...
Stagestruck: Bridging the Social Distance
With campuses closed and classrooms empty, teachers are applying long-distance work-arounds to complete their spring courses, gathering their students in Zoom rooms and juggling assignments on Moodle. Teachers of acting, directing, and other hands-on theater skills...
Biking in the Valley: Even with COVID-19, bicycling is the way to go for many
Andrea Hairston was already a pretty serious bike commuter, riding through most kinds of weather to her teaching job at Smith College, when she had an encounter several years ago with the late Frances Crowe of Northampton. It was a cold winter day, with snow coming...
Correcting The Record: You Should Wear Masks
Now firmly in the second month of intense disruption caused by the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, it’s getting clearer to see that information is among our most highly prized assets as we continue to shelter in place and undertake other efforts to flatten the...
The Beerhunter: Local Breweries Adapt to a New, Locked-Down World
This article was supposed to be about gathering in large groups. Less than a month ago, I had planned to dedicate this craft beer column to a preview of White Lion Brewing Company’s new taproom and facility in downtown Springfield, which is currently under...
Valley Show Girl: The Valley Needs Doc Westchesterson
One day late last week I scrolled through Facebook to find memes to laugh at and maybe some new music to check out. I came across a video that three or more of my friends shared. “Oh yeah!” I got excited when I saw the preview image of the YouTube video of Agawam...
Cinemadope: Alone Together
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m starting to miss the world. Out of work and holed up in the house — half the week in a kind of monkish solitude, the other half with three increasingly stir-crazy kids — is exactly the opposite of what anyone wants out of...
The V-Spot: Five Months of Sexual Unfulfillment
Dear Yana, I’ve been in a relationship for the last five months. Our relationship is hard for me to describe — it isn’t full of issues nor passion. I’m used to being in relationships that are explosive and demanding, volatile. This relationship I would...
JJ Slater on the Valley Advocate Sessions Stage
This week’s Advocate Sessions performer is singer-songwriter JJ Slater, who writes original music that blends together folk-rock and psychedelic pop with jazzy chord progressions. Interview with JJ Slater:
Educators rising to remote learning challenges
Schools across the state, country and the globe are closed amid the coronavirus pandemic. Here in Massachusetts, though schools are slated to reopen at the beginning of May, they’re now closed per Gov. Charlie Baker’s order. In the meantime, local educators in the...
We needed unemployment reform years ago, and there’s a crisis now
I’m sad to report that I was among those laid off last week by Valley Advocate parent company Newspapers of New England, which also owns the Daily Hampshire Gazette and the Greenfield Recorder. As you can see, I’m still here writing the Advocate’s...
Fred Cracklin’s ‘Anxiety Kinship’ — A Mad Science Experiment Gone Right
Western Mass-based experimental/math rock duo Fred Cracklin takes its name from a live action character played by Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore in the 1990s animated science fiction comedy “Space Ghost Coast to Coast.” The series is set up as a surreal...
The V-Spot: Polyamorous During a Pandemic
Hi Yana, I’m writing to see if you have any advice for the polyamorous community during the COVID-19 outbreak. While there aren’t many cases in Hampshire County [as of writing this question on March 20], my partner and I have decided to work from home and...
Fire Letters on the Valley Advocate Sessions Stage
This week’s Advocate Sessions performance is by synth duo Fire Letters, which combines synth pop with alternative rock influences. Check out the band’s Sessions video set in the video below. Interview with Fire Letters:
Stagestruck: Ghost Lights in the Darkness
A ghost light is the single lamp that’s left burning onstage when the theater is dark, the audience has gone home and the cast and crew have called it a night. It’s the light that’s on when all the other lights are off. Ghost lights are shining 24/7 all over the...
Staff Picks: Still social distancing
Still not much going on these days in terms of live performances, but there are a few if you know where to look. Here is a hybrid staff picks from the Advocate with a livestream concert, a weird movie, and a couple of TV shows to enjoy. — Dave Home Sessions at the...
Valley Show Girl: Pamela Means is All That Jazz
A few weeks ago, before this whole quarantine thing happened, I ventured over to downtown Greenfield to catch what would be my last show for quite a bit. I parked my car just in time to see two people pass my parking spot with medical face masks on. If only I knew...
Seeking Asylum in Western Mass: Part 3 of 3 — Supporting trans asylum seekers in the Valley
Editor’s note: Due to the dangers facing those seeking asylum and their families in their home countries, as well as the sensitive natures of their legal cases, the Advocate is using pseudonyms Natty, Eva, and María for asylum seekers featured in this story and...
Giving Migrants A Chance To Live Their True Identities
As we recognize the many local businesses for being the Best in the Valley in this issue, as voted by our readers, it is a difficult time for businesses of all types — including this one. Realities of the economic effects of the coronavirus have not spared us, and we...
Cinemadope: Home Theater
It might seem silly to have a local film column this week. As I write, public schools are shutting down for a three-week hiatus, restaurants are shifting strictly to takeout service, and we’re all avoiding crowds. The long-running Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival...
Bizarro Briefs: The most useful COVID-19 app yet
The most useful COVID-19 app yet Yes, we all know that toilet paper is in short supply as a result of coronavirus panic shopping, but here’s something new: an app that lets you know exactly how many poops you have left before your toilet paper stockpile runs out....
Clueless Parent: Choosing Truth Over Punishment
I am the mother of three boys who my husband and I have raised together at our home in Westhampton. They are 26, 22, and 19, and only one still lives at home with us. When the kids were young, our house was the one everyone came to. It was always full, there was...
Podcast: Jonathan Jenner and Hope on the Western Mass Asylum Support Network
In continuation of Luis Fieldman’s “Seeking Asylum in Western Mass” series, part 2 of the series explores those in the region who are helping asylum seekers settle in western Massachusetts. Jonathan Jenner, a founder of the Western Massachusetts...
V-Spot: Kinky and Platonic?
Hi Yana, Middle-aged straight guy here. I’m in a committed, monogamous relationship with a partner who I love very much. We have a great and satisfying physical sex life though naturally there are dry spells, particularly during the winter-time. I love my partner very...
The Lost Tribe on the Valley Advocate Sessions Stage
The Lost Tribe is a CT-based band that’s led by a drum trio and combines world music jazz with Afro-funk. Check out the band’s Sessions performance in the video below. Interview with The Lost Tribe:
Bizarro briefs: Today’s forecast — droplets of iron
Today’s forecast: Droplets of iron Swiss and other European astronomers examining a hot, Jupiter-like planet 390 light-years away have discovered that rain falls there in an unusual form: iron droplets. The mega planet, called Wasp-76b, is so hot on its sunny side —...
How to entertain yourself when everything’s closed
As calendar editor, my job each week is to compile a list of activities and shows occurring in the area, letting readers know of enriching and enjoyable things to do. But now, coronavirus has suddenly caused many of the entertainment and cultural venues in the area to...
Staff Picks: Coronavirus edition
We’re doing things a bit differently this week. With so many events canceled due to fears over the coronavirus, our staff picks this week are dedicated to things we’re reading or doing on our own as we work to “flatten the curve” and participate in social distancing....
Seeking Asylum in Western Mass: Part 2 of 3 — Creating a welcoming home for those forced to flee
Editor’s note: Due to the dangers facing those seeking asylum and their families in their home countries, as well as the sensitive nature of their legal cases, the Advocate is using pseudonyms Valentina, Isabel, Ramon, and Santiago for asylum seekers featured in this...
Editorial: A pandemic is a time to remember the vulnerable
As news pours in regarding the coronavirus, it is becoming clear the scale of how many people’s lives are affected in such dramatic ways. In terms of the Advocate’s function as the keeper of the community calendar, we’re having to reinvent as we go with the vast...
Monte Belmonte Wines: How to open a bottle of wine with a shoe
With the threat of coronavirus, the increasing potential that we will have at least four more years of a demagogue in the highest office, and Tom Brady considering leaving the Patriots, we are living in the End Times. You need to get yourself prepared. “Preppers”...
‘It’s sort of hanging over everything’: Local doctor volunteering at Mexico border talks about coronavirus concerns at refugee camps
David Katz, a retired family practice physician from Northampton, arrived in Brownsville, Texas, on March 14 to help refugees across the border living in a camp in Matamoros, Mexico. He planned on arriving with two other physicians, one of which is also from...
Podcast: Seeking Asylum in Western Mass Part 1, fleeing violence to arrive
Staff writer Luis Fieldman speaks about the first part of his three-part series on asylum seekers coming to Western Mass. This part focuses on the stories of Ramon and Santiago, whose names we changed to protect their identities as they escaped violence in their home...
V-Spot: The non-monogamous rumor mill and me
Hi Yana, After 16 years of monogamy, my wife and I decided to try polyamory a few years ago. It’s going well and we’ve grown a lot. Our marriage is truly stronger than ever. We’ve learned a lot about ourselves, about relationships and, major bonus, the sex within our...
Stagestruck: State of Plays
Yesterday morning I filed my column for next week’s Advocate, previewing upcoming screenings in Amherst Cinema’s National Theatre Live series. Yesterday afternoon I cancelled it when the cinema announced it’s closing until at least April 17th. There won’t be a...
Bizarro Briefs: More Than Just Birdcage Liner
More Than Just Birdcage Liner At the Advocate, we’ve had our fair share of readers disagreeing with our coverage claim the only thing this paper is good for is lining their birdcages. Well, an Australian newspaper took things a step further, and printed extra blank...
Henning Ohlenbusch on the Valley Advocate Sessions Stage
Henning Ohlenbusch is a Northampton-based singer-songwriter who performs acoustic indie rock and anti-folk with a sense of humor. Check out his Advocate Sessions performance in the video below. Interview with Henning Ohlenbusch:
The CD’s You Gave Me: Grunge and indie rock with musical clones
Take one part grunge, another part shoegaze pop, and throw in some indie rock in the vein of Elliott Smith, and you have the building blocks of Taking Space the debut nine-song, full-length album by local songwriter Aaron Noble. What’s immediately striking about this...
Seeking Asylum in Western Mass Part 1 of 3: Fleeing danger and violence to arrive in the Valley
Editor’s note: Due to the dangers facing those seeking asylum and their families in their home countries, as well as the sensitive nature of their legal cases, the Advocate is using pseudonyms Ramon and Santiago for two asylum seekers featured in this story and...
Editorial: Investigating the treatment of asylum seekers in the U.S.
This week, the Advocate begins a three-part series by Luis Fieldman about asylum seekers who have made it to western Massachusetts, and those who have helped to get them here. Political stability is something we in the United States take for granted. Even having the...
Seeking Asylum Series: Trump has made seeking asylum harder
Over the course of the Trump presidency, seeking asylum in the United States has become more difficult. Below are some policies implemented by the Trump administration that have placed additional obstacles before asylum seekers in recent years. Detaining asylum...
The Beerhunter: Road Trip to Southern Worcester County
I was a kid from the Western Mass hills, and proud of it. But at my far-off college campus, where I’d flown in search of a higher education wearing Teva sandals and an Enter the Haggis hat, my college friends would raise their eyebrows when I’d say I came from...
Cinemadope: Dog Days
“All it takes is one bad day,” a famous cartoon villain once said, “to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy.” And while Kelly Reichardt’s 2008 film Wendy and Lucy is about as far as one can get from the world of the Dark Knight, it takes that “one bad day” idea and...
Podcast: Coronavirus preparations in the Valley discussed by Chris Goudreau
Valley Advocate Associate Editor Chris Goudreau speaks with Editor Dave Eisenstadter about local preparations for the coronavirus in the Pioneer Valley, based on reporting he did speaking with hospitals, municipalities, and individuals. In the time since this podcast...
V-Spot: Has My Date Been Canceled?
Writer’s note: I’ve added completely random and fake names into this column for reading clarity! Hi Yana, I ran into Sam who is a friend of mine that I have been distancing myself from because I think they’re mean and selfish. Sam invited me out and I said “Oh, I have...
Peter J. Newland on the Valley Advocate Sessions Stage
This week’s Advocate Sessions performer is blues/ rock singer and songwriter Peter J. Newland (of legendary Valley-based band FAT). Check out his performance in the video below. Interview with Peter J. Newland:
Bizarro Briefs: Gecko CPR
Gecko CPR A man from Australia might have saved a tiny gecko’s life after he fished the lizard out of his beer at a pub and then performed CPR on the animal when it seemingly stopped breathing. The man thought staff at the Amble Inn in Corindi Beach, New South Wales...
Staff Picks: Loudon Wainwright III, Valley Voices Story Slam, 13th Floor Music Lounge show, and Irish music
Loundon Wainwright III at the Iron Horse // Saturday There are few songwriters who have raided their family history as much as Loudon Wainwright III — and even fewer who have done it as successfully. Like a guy on the proverbial psychiatrist’s couch, the veteran...
Editorial: Lessons from a less-than-super Tuesday
It’s Opposite Day in the Democratic primary. Super Tuesday was forecast to be a major victory for the progressive movement, culminating in a possibly insurmountable delegate lead for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, with moderates hopelessly divided. Instead, former Vice...
Coronavirus under the Microscope: Western Mass hospitals, municipalities, and individuals prepare for a possible outbreak
With countries across the world responding to the threat of coronavirus outbreaks, here in Massachusetts and, more locally, in the Pioneer Valley, local hospitals and municipalities are working to prepare and plan for a potential outbreak of the new respiratory viral...
Valley Show Girl: Experimental Noise Fixations
“Our focus is equal parts towards experimental art and hosting great DJ nights,” Ten Forward owner Sarah Lanzillotta told me through an email. “We aim to serve as a home for artists in Western MA to grow creatively, to try out ideas with one another, and as a resource...
Editorial: Preserving community amid a communicable disease
I’ve watched with growing concern the reports about the coronavirus morphing from an outbreak local to a region of China into what health experts are warning could become a full-blown pandemic. It’s important to state up front that the risk of contracting the virus in...
Stagestruck: One-Pitch Wonder
In baseball parlance, having “a cup of coffee” refers to a player who is called up from the minors for a brief stint with the major-league team – staying just long enough to have a figurative cuppa. Stan Freeman’s The Pitch is about a fictional ballplayer who barely...
The V-Spot: Can My Clit Learn to Trust Again?
Dear Yana, I recently got out of a seven-year relationship and a five-year heterosexual marriage. Initially, we had a very regular and healthy sexual relationship but over time it disintegrated to an essentially sexless relationship. He had an affair and we divorced....
Brian Dickens on the Valley Advocate Sessions Stage
This week’s Advocate Sessions performer is Americana/ folk singer-songwriter Brian Dickens who brings a contemporary feel to classic folk inspired songs. Check out his Advocate Sessions performance in the video below. Interview with Brian Dickens:
Local drone pilots organize national protest against FAA rule changes, citing privacy and expense concerns
A local man concerned about new rules proposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) affecting drone pilots is organizing a national protest in Washington, D.C., this weekend. Michael Duhl of Deerfield is the head organizer of “Help Save Our Hobby,” which will...
Staff Picks: Celseigh’s album release, ‘Peter and the Starcatcher,’ Bernie Sanders, and DREAM Project
Celseigh’s Album Release Party at the 413 // FRIDAY Doom ballad folk and outlaw country inspired artist (and Valley Advocate Sessions alumna) Celseigh will be releasing her debut album, “Ghosts’ Stories,” at the 413 in Easthampton this Friday. The show will also...E-Edition
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