Theater Matters with Jarice Hanson: Finding comfort in being together: Local productions inspire hope and unity
By Jarice Hanson For the Valley Advocate If we’ve learned anything since the Inauguration of the current President, it’s that chaos can make you feel hopeless and helpless. But in such trying times, theater and the ability to join together for a common goal can be...
Shantay, You Stay! Queens of western Mass. dispel myths, misconceptions about drag culture
By EMILY THURLOW For the Advocate Whether he’s sporting villainous Maleficent-style horns, channeling his inner witch dressed as Winifred Sanderson, twirling in a red-and-black polka-dot a-line dress or lounging around in a raglan T-shirt, Aaron Johnson is still,...
Best Bites: All aboard the gummy express: Testing Northampton’s edible varieties
By ROBIN GOLDSTEIN For the Advocate I don’t know anything about weed gummies. I warned my editors about this. They shrugged and reminded me that I was a food columnist, so gummies were my territory. I nodded slowly. My gummy quest began with an educational visit to a...
An album to cry to: Death and grief are the stars in Chris Goudreau’s debut solo album, “Apocalyptic Love Songs”
By JENNIFER LEVESQUE For the Advocate I pry my body up from my laid back lounge chair that was holding me for the last 53 minutes and 41 seconds, and grab a sweater – suddenly chilled to the bone. I then check out my reflection in the mirror and wipe away my...
Theater Matters with Jarice Hanson: Memory plays, memoirs, morals and more
By JARICE HANSON For the Advocate ‘The Happiest Man on Earth,” Barrington Stage Company’s first production of the season on the St. Germain Stage, leaves the audience breathless with the story of a Holocaust survivor. The show closed June 17, but the script is...
Who run the world: Jacob’s Pillow honors 50 years of hip hop with many leading ladies
By MELISSA KAREN SANCES For the Advocate When it was time for the hip hop tribute at this year’s Grammys, Black Thought took center stage to introduce his girl: “Fifty years ago, a street princess was born to be an icon. The art form took the entire world by storm....
Bridging Access to Mental Health Services: Queer-Afro-Latina-owned Outpatient Mental Health Services Firm Thriving in the Valley
Finding mental health support can be tricky, but can be even more so when you can’t find a therapist who looks like you or shares in a similar life experience. With the lack of clinical representation and cultural competency in the field, Black, Indigenous and People...
Mostly, About a Girl: Tom Sturm’s latest release ‘Vagus Nerve Reset’ was decades in the making
“Do you want to absorb the musical equivalent of a York Peppermint Patty? A rich, chocolatey yet also refreshingly minty sensation that filters through your nervous system like a blast of Arctic air to every forgotten corner of your body and soul?” The press release...
Monte Belmonte Wines: The New Gig
Perhaps it’s an exaggeration to call it a genius move. But about 15 years ago I institutionalized a weekly wine tasting into my job as a radio host. Every Thursday afternoon at 12:30, I would descend the stairs into the basement of State Street Fruit Store, Deli Wines...
Theater Matters with Jarice Hanson: Springing onto the stage and into summer
Editor’s note: The Advocate is pleased to introduce a new theater writer. Jarice Hanson was a professor in the Department of Communication at UMass Amherst, and has been active in theater in the Valley and beyond for over 30 years. She’s a member of AEA, the...
‘Celebrate But Continue To Fight’: UMass’ Cannabis Reform Coalition is alive and well with a new name and mission
“It was my duty,” said UMass junior Liz Mawrey, upon taking the reins of a legendary but nearly dormant outfit that fought to reform brutal and inane marijuana laws for over 30 years. In the fall of 2021 a post appeared in the Campus Pulse looking for people to join...
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Staff Picks: Saturns Return, Black Refractions, Mary Jane Jones, a dictionary talk for word nerds
Saturns Return: An Immersive Movement Experience // FRIDAY The Root Cellar in Greenfield is hosting an event titled “Saturns Return: An Immersive Movement Experience,” which, according to the Facebook event, includes a hero’s journey, dancing, live music, advice for...
V-Spot: How Do I Tell Dates I’m Heartless?
I have a cold, dead heart.
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Cinemadope: Hit Parade
The mob movie is the shadowy reflection of the American Dream.
