The Valley Nerd Watch!
Go to a protest on June 30th if you are able to do so. If you show up, it will make a difference. People just want to know that their neighbors also realize kidnapping the children of asylum-seekers in order to torture them is wrong. It’s not a high bar.
In less distressing news, let’s talk about a Valley Creator doing a neat thing!
Have you been watching folks on Twitch? Maybe some actual-play RPG sessions? Well, so have the people writing the RPGs being played! They’re frankly giddy that there’s a sudden like participatory-watch community centered around the art form they’ve been working within for so long.
Epidiah Ravachol of Dread and more importantly at the moment Swords Without Master, has been doing “Speed Runs” of Swords Without Master! Full play-throughs with folks in less than an hour! It’s both a fun Actual Play viewing experience and a powerful example of how Swords Without Master is a great indie RPG for folks who want to have fun without devoting a lifetime to every game.
You should check it out here! https://www.twitch.tv/videos/270880758. There are a bunch of them and that’s one.
Also join the Discord to find other players! And while you watch new episodes play along using the new rules for Scrying!
It’s all very fun and neat. Buy Swords Without Master now to see what folks are getting excited about!
Go check out the Valley Creators page! As always, be sure to check out our Patreon and the Weekly Events page! There are a lot of fun things happening this and every week! And don’t forget to check out the updated Book Clubs List!
THIS WEEK
Art:
Tuesday, June 26th
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Greenfield Rocks! Kindness Rock Painting
Paint a rock! Teach the rock to love! Teach the rock to understand compassion! Warning: do not throw a friendship rock at another person, it makes the friendship rock sad.
Wednesday, June 27th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Rock Painting
Paint a rock! Make a new best friend is literally what they say here which seems kind of like an insult? Is Forbes saying we don’t have a best friend?! Bring your own rock! Or like… go outside before the event for a minute.
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Reception for Artists Pamela Acosta and Dara Herman Zierlein
Good artists! Good reception! Possibly cheese? That’s what makes or breaks a reception.
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Forbes Library Zine Club
ZINE! ZINE! ZINE! ZINE! ZINE! ZINE! ZINE! MAKE A ZINE! AT THE CLUB! A ZINE ABOUT CLUB…. SANDWICHES!
Thursday, June 28th
Gandara Youth Development Center [306 Race St., Holyoke, MA] at 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Radioplasma Recording Studio Sessions
Meet in the Teen Room to walk as a group to the Radioplasma Recording Studio to get some hands on experience with journalism, storytelling, and sound mixing! SOUNDS cool! Get it? See that? Nice.
Saturday, June 30th
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 2:00 PM to 2:30 PM
Make a CD Mandala
Using colored sharpies and other decorative elements, turn some old CDs into beautiful artwork! If you’ve got some old CDs, we think the last CD we can remember having was like a decade and a half ago.
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Greenfield Rocks! Kindness Rock Painting
Paint a rock! Teach the rock to love! Teach the rock to understand compassion! Warning: do not insult a friendship rock, because it makes the rock feel bad. Be kind to rocks!
Books:
Wednesday, June 27th
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Sunderland Short Story Series
Short stories by British mystery writers! Featuring some dramatic readings by excellent actors to really bring them to life. Linda Tardif will be reading Mr Millcroft’s Birthday by P.D. James, and Kermit Dunkelberg will be reading The Reigate Puzzle by Arthur Conan Doyle, who famous wrote the series of Conan the Detective stories.
Thursday, June 28th
Packards [14 Masonic Street, Northampton MA] at 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM
Welcome to Night Vale Boook Discussion And Dinner
Meet to talk about a book from a fun podcast! Meet, talk, eat, hang out in a nice pub. What’s not to like?
Community:
Saturday, June 30th
Millside Park [Easthampton MA] at 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Families Belong Together Stamp Out
“Join us on June 30 at 3pm at the Nashawannuck pond to peacefuly protest the separation of children from their parents on the US-Mexico border, while seeking asylum. This is a cruel policy that rips families apart.” Interested in protesting the ripping apart of families, abuse of asylum-seekers, and general deep-down evil? Check out this event or find another event near you at: https://act.moveon.org/event/families-belong-together/. Not interested in protesting? Donate! https://www.raicestexas.org/coll-page-section/donate/. Can’t donate? Talk to everyone you can and call your congresspeople! 5calls.org is a good start!
Entertainment:
Monday, June 25th
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Great American Songbokk with Skylarkz
Kick off summer reading with a musical duo! Let’s Face the Music and Dance is some music that inspired dancers of the 30’s, 40’s, and inexplicably the 2060’s.
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Far Out Film Discussion: Spring Breakers
Spring Breakers by Harmony Korine has been called “A Movie” and also “…. huuuh.” You can get copies of it in the library, and then talk about the film in this group!
Tuesday, June 26th
Mead Art Museum [41 Quadrangle Dr, Amherst, MA 01002] at 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
HOUSE Closing Cookout
Activities, a DJ, food, beer (for people who can drink beer and also want to drink beer) and a last chance to see HOUSE before it closes in July! Free and open to all! Though probably you need to pay for food and beer?
Wednesday, June 27th
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Libraries Rock Family Night Kick-Off
“”Libraries Rock” Kickoff Event for Kids and Families: Magician, Fran Ferry, will entertain a family audience with magical storytelling, doing fancy tricks with ordinary newspaper, and bringing kids into the act with his well-known flair for child-friendly silliness and amazing magic! Free and open to the public thanks to The Friends of the Greenfield Public Library, this is the first in the summer series of Wednesday Family Night entertainment.” Wholesome as heck, yeah?
Thursday, June 28th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Mini Golf in the Library!
Mobile MiniGolf brings a fun MiniGolf course to the library! There are a ton of interesting holes for you to try putting into, and it’s suitable for kids and adults, a few holes might even be outside! Golf and the library, a match made in heaven, yeah?
Friday, June 29th
Westfield Atheneum [6 Elm St, Westfield, MA 01085] at 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
The Firebird presented by The Puppet People
“Join us for this spectacular marionette show inspired by the Russian folktale and popular ballet The Firebird. Watch as even the impossible is possible as the mythical firebird comes to life and Ivan and Princess Yelena team up to break the enchantment placed over their kingdom. This 50 minute long puppet fantasy features beautifully handcrafted marionettes, lavish costumes, and vivid sets accompanied by Stravinsky’s musical score.” Wow, dang. That sounds awesome! Register at sscott@westath.org! There’s a waiting list already!
Kids:
Tuesday, June 26th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM
LEGO Club
LEGO! FOR CHILDREN! WE CAN’T STOP YELLING WHERE’S THE CAPS LOCK
Thursday, June 28th
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 4:30 PM to 5:15 PM
Story and Craft Time @ Munson Memorial Library
Hear stories! Or well, have your kids hear stories we suppose, we’re assuming preschoolers don’t read this. Then make a craft!
Friday, June 29th
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM
Family Concert with Roger Tincknell
A good danged family concert with a local musician! Children will sing, dance, move, pretend to be animals, play instruments, sing in Spanish and other languages, and explore cultures around the world! Edify your children through wholesome musical stuff!
Saturday, June 30th
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Musical Petting Zoo with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra
The Musical Petting Zoo is the special event where animals are transformed into musical instruments for you to gently pet. Get a chance to give some weird instruments a try! Or not-weird ones, really just fool around with some instruments in a setting where no one is nervous you’re going to break something.
Movies:
Tuesday, June 26th
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Paddington 2
Paddington has been recommended to us as a real gem of a family film by multiple people, and so has the sequel! It seems like a really good one to take a look at if you’re interested in some friendly, low-key entertainment.
Westfield Atheneum [6 Elm St, Westfield, MA 01085] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Summer Reading Movie: The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom! A film that we’ve never really heard GOOD things about, but it’s definitely like, it’s a thing to experience. It’s odd and probably worth taking a look at and maybe making fun of if you’ve got a friend to josh about it with.
Wednesday, June 27th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Film: Censored Voices
“Censored Voices is an Israeli film drawn from censored audio tapes made within weeks of soldiers returning from the 1967 Six Day War. The film project was the initiative of Israel’s best known anti-war author and activist Amos Oz to be shown in advance of the current 70th anniversary of the Israeli state and the Palestinian Nakba. These men were appalled at what they were required to in the 1967 war and nearly 50 years later gather to discuss the tapes in a 2015 film made by Israeli filmmaker Mor Loushy complete with raw, real military footage. Oz and his friends are seen a half-century later listening to those tapes of their younger selves and discussing how they see the impact of that war on current Israel/Palestine, and the Occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Free and accessible. The Resistance Film series is co-sponsored by The Resistance Center of Western MA and the Northampton Committee to Stop the Wars.
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 5:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Casablanca at the Library!
This one starts early because the lovely Bistro Les Gras has a special menu for the night and expanded outdoor dining for you, and you can check out art in the Forbes Hosmer Gallery from 6pm-8pm, followed by the main event later at night! After it’s dark enough to project. We’ve heard Casablanca is pretty good, but we tend to only like really good movies like Citizen Kane so… Also there’s a prize for best-dressed in a 1940 style!
Thursday, June 28th
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Family Movie: Coco and Musical Craft
Watch CoCo, widely regarded as a realy triumph of recent animation work, and make your own cardboard guitar! Cardboard guitar is an entry-level instrument, usually something you play for a while before moving on to a zinc guitar.
Sunday, July 1st
Yiddish Book Center [1021 West St., Amherst MA 01002] at 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
FILM | Song of the Lodz Ghetto
“Song of the Lodz Ghetto, a documentary by David Kaufman, is a moving account of the history of Poland’s “first and last” Jewish ghetto. The film is based on a haunting program of songs performed by the renowned Jewish music group, Brave Old World. Many of those songs were written by the ghetto’s beloved street singer, Yankele Herszkowicz, whose life story is recounted in the film through interviews and historic photographs. ” Student $4, Member $6, General Admission $8
Technology:
Monday, June 25th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Python Coding Club
Meet with interested coders to talk Python! Bring your computer and a copy of Python, which can be downloaded for free online! https://www.python.org/!
Thursday, June 28th
Merrill 215 at Amherst College at 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Debugging and Version Control for Programming
“Want your computer code to be perfect? Start by realizing that you will make mistakes when writing it! In this class you’ll learn how to discover and fix your errors. We will cover basic principles of debugging applicable to any programming language, though examples will use the Python language and its standard debugger pdb. Sometimes you’ll also want to try out new ideas without ruining the code that’s already working.” Learn to code well! This sounds really useful, and we love the fact that there’s a light dinner at 5:30pm. Register in advance at: https://www.amherst.edu/library/services/students/summer/response
Sunday, July 1st
Another Castle [30 Olive St, Greenfield MA] at 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
MAKE TALK PLAY | Pitch & Interest Meeting
“In celebration of the upcoming Canada Day, we’re holding our first game Pitch & Interest event at Another Castle on July 1st! If you’re interested in pitching or collaborating on a project, we encourage you to fill out this quick survey by June 30th. It’s not required, but it will help us facilitate the event better. It’s also kind of a karma thing. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdOxSCV2GJrfxqcK-cN3khGIDbhUl1NXo51DecZa0nNjqfDtw/viewform?usp=sf_link Here’s how this works: 1) Think of a pitch for a game idea. 2) Show up and present a 3-5 minute pitch of your idea and then talk to other devs about your idea. 3) Listen to other game developers pitch their ideas and think of ways you may want to contribute to help others make their ideas happen. 4) Profit (or at least have fun). During the event, we’ll help facilitate introductions and help hone in on your idea. After the event is over, we’ll make all pitches accessible to the group so people can follow up.”
Teens:
Monday, June 25th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM
Teens Only Movie: Back to the Future
Teens only! Teens exclusively! 12? Too young! 20? Too old! 19? That’s pushing it… but we’ll allow it. Watch a classic that your parents have already bugged you about a bunch, Back to the Future!
Friday, June 29th
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Teen Zine Workshop (Ages 12 – 17)
Madeline Dye, a local graphic artist, will help you learn how to create a zine! Learn how zines are used at cons and how they can be used to market your art! You’re going to get 10 of your danged zine to keep, too! Pre-register in advance! teens [at] joneslibrary [dot] org!
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
It’s LIT: Summer Sex and Relationship Series at the Library
In partnership with the River Valley Counselling Center, youth will have a chance to talk about sex, relationships, sexuality, and how to stay safe happy and healthy. Frankly these sorts of workshops should be attended by everyone every year in our experience. This stuff remains confusing forever. Snacks are provided, and there’s a $50 gift card you can earn for completing the whole series!
THE VALLEY NERD WATCH 