Building a new tradition of shared, platonic love: Locals redefine intimacy through floral workshops, community swaps and the enduring power of showing up
By Melissa Karen Sances For the Valley Advocate Sixteen years ago, Newton-born actress Amy Poehler’s character, Leslie Knope, the perpetually perky deputy director of the popular NBC mockumentary sitcom, “Parks and Recreation,” took her gal pals out for...
Traditional Irish band Socks in the Frying Pan brings high-energy music to Northampton
By CAROLYN BROWNFor the Valley Advocate Socks in the Frying Pan, the high-spirited, traditional music-playing trio from County Clare, Ireland, known for combining virtuosic musicianship with humor and charm and fervor for their roots, will soon grace the Iron Horse...
‘Wicked’ gown: Holyoke designer’s Dorothy-inspired dress stuns at New York City premiere
By CAROLYN BROWN For the Advocate A dress designed in Holyoke recently made its way to the New York City premiere of “Wicked: For Good.” Fashion designer Joseph Charles, who co-owns Paper City Fabrics in Holyoke, created a dress for “Oz” collector and historian Tori...
Reaching for the stars: Thirteen-year-old Florence singer Victoria Narvaez shines with new song
By Carolyn Brown For the Valley Advocate Thirteen-year-old Victoria Narvaez of Florence knows she’s a star — and she has a new song to prove it. Narvaez released her debut single, “I’m A Star,” at a listening party at her family’s business, Goodworks Coffee House in...
Art imitates life: ‘Swamped,’ a play bridging social divides, to be performed in Hadley
By Domenic Poli For the Valley Advocate Those who missed the theatrical debut of “Swamped,” the new play written and directed by Wendell resident Court Dorsey, at the Wendell Meetinghouse in October can see it be performed in December in Hadley. “Swamped” centers...
Dancing with yourself: Madelyn Farr’s class empowers sensuality, self-expression in older adults
By CAROLYN BROWN For the Advocate When daily life seems to be speeding up, who wouldn’t love to learn “how to embrace the nuances of our experience, the beautiful and the ugly, with grace and reverence?” Or share a “cathartic experience of transcendence” in a safe and...
Earth Matters: What, who lies beneath the dog park: Exploring Northampton’s Cemetery Hill, its legacy
By Allie Martineau and Brianna McCormickFor the Valley Advocate At the unofficial Northampton dog park on Burts Pit Road, tiny rocks trickle down the steep walking trail, followed by dogs of all sizes panting their way into the forest. As the trail levels out, the...
Magical gatherings: Welcome to The Realms, a medieval live action role-playing game held throughout New England
By EMILEE KLEIN For the Valley Advocate Ken Crowley, Kaitlin Haslam and Ally Crowley are just like any other Granby family. But when they cross a wooden bridge by a willow tree somewhere in the town’s forest, suddenly, Ken, Kaitlin and Ally are no longer. But on this...
New dispensary brings unique outlet model: Oz Club is Easthampton’s fifth cannabis shop
By Sam Ferland For the Valley Advocate The Oz (pronounced ounce) Club is the newest cannabis dispensary in Easthampton, a new branch from two owners who are already familiar with the cannabis industry. The dispensary located at 17 East St. not far from Route 5 has...
Brutalism’s legacy looms large: With Trump calling for return to classical federal architecture, concrete campus landmarks highlight beauty, function
By Samuel Gelinas For the Valley Advocate Love him or hate him, Donald Trump has a point: brutalism is “unpopular.” Last month the president and former luxury real estate developer issued an executive order calling for future federal buildings to steer clear of...
Monte Belmonte Wines: Everything you ever wanted to know about cork taint: To wine snobs, cork taint smells like wet newspaper
By Monte Belmonte For the Valley Advocate Cork taint! It’s just fun to say. But when it comes to drinking wine, it is a less fun experience. When casual wine drinkers think of wine “going bad,” they often talk about it turning to vinegar. If wine is way too old or...
Sessions
Check out our most recent performances in the playlist below, or click here to dig into interviews and related material!
O Cannabis: Time to Get Growing
“I grew up in Charlemont,” Wilder Sparks said. “We know that people like (cannabis) around here, and you hate to see people you know spending money on something that they have the skills to do themselves and now they’re allowed to do it.”
Mixtape: ‘Let the Good Times Roll’: Eddie Japan with Greg Hawkes, playing the music of The Cars
By Jennifer Levesque For the Valley Advocate There are some bands whose music stand the test of time. Whether it’s their toe-tapping melodies or poignant lyrics, some songs always resonate with new audiences. In the late ’70s when rock and pop music were getting a...
V-Spot: How do I stop avoiding my partners’ partners?
I just don’t want to imagine my partners having sex with these people.
Staff Picks: Hawthorn, KidsBestFest, Ruth Garbus, and a staged Smith play reading
Lively folk music at the Shea Theater; a children’s art series at the Academy of Music; a mix of experimental folk and alternative solo artists at Ten Forward in Greenfield; a reading of a new play by Smith MFA student Mary Beth Brooker.
The Beerhunter Abroad: Norway – Despite strict alcohol laws, a new generation of craft brewers is born
“You still visit many bars in Norway today that carry only one kind of beer, and it’s yellow and fizzy,” he says. “Your average guy would walk into a pub and just say: ‘beer.’ When there’s nothing to choose from, nobody asks.”
Stagestruck: Annotated Austen
“Pride@Prejudice” (that’s @, not &) is a cyber-take on Jane Austen’s novel, a condensed rendering of her classic dissection of manners and morals, now playing at Chester Theatre Company. But it’s also inlaid with questions and comments mined from Internet chat rooms as students assigned the book in English class reach out for help in navigating the shifting currents of plot and personnel.
