Hadley

July 3rd – July 9th

The Valley Nerd Watch!

Happy Fourth of July! Celebrate responsibly, and maintain all of your fingers and arms for next year! Fireworks look neat, but you know what’s a lot neater? Continuing to have all of the body parts you had on July 3rd this July 5th.

Despite the holiday, there’s a bunch going on! Get out there and have a wonderful time! Also if you’ve gotta work on the 3rd at least do the right thing by sighing a ton and building up a real froth of resentment. A Tuesday 4th, ridiculous.

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:

Thursday, July 6th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
DIY Hanging Macrame Planter Workshop
Make your own planter! Recycle old t-shirts into a neat hanging planter, bring the ones that you like the least! It’s important to not accidentally macrame your favorite t-shirts. Open to ages 10 and up! Pre-register by calling 413-283-3330 ext. 102!
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM
Teen Writing Workshop
Teens! Bring a piece of writing and work on it while Abby Forcier provides some support!
Emily Dickinson Museum [280 Main St, Amherst, MA 01002] at 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Amherst Arts Night Plus
Featuring poet Dina Stander, band Old Flame and the Tiny Canvas Project, where you can complete your own tiny masterpiece on a little piece of canvas! Leave it with the museum and on August 3rd join a big Canvas Hunt downtown!
Saturday, July 8th
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Maker Space
Make things in the maker space! Create things using various tools that are neat!

Books:

Thursday, July 6th
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Alexandra Fuller, Quiet Until the Thaw
A complex tale spanning generations and miles, this is the story of the two cousins Rick Overlooking Horse and You Choose Watson and how they deal with the injustices inflicted upon the Lakota people.

Card Games:

Saturday, July 8th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Hour of Devastation Pre-Release
The second of the Amonkhet block! Check out Nico Bolas’s evil scheme and the gods he controls! Experience the new mechanic that reanimates your graveyard as zombies! Play with the latest Magic set a week before it goes on sale! This is a limited Sealed Deck tournament, $30 in advance, $35 at the door! Win prizes!

Community:

Wednesday, July 5th
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM
Moms of Color Western Mass
“A weekly support group for moms of color. Pregnant women and children welcome. This group is an intentional space for Women of Color. Free and open to the public.”

Entertainment:

Tuesday, July 4th
The Hanger [10 University Drive, Amherst, MA] at 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Fourth of July Meet and Greet and Fireworks
Get together in a different setting than normal and meet some new folks! The Hanger is where the Amherst Brewing Company used to be, and it serves food and beverages that are tasty! Talk, order some food, then walk over to the fireworks!
Wednesday, July 5th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Ukulele With David Hyde Costello
Uke! The instrument of kings. Like a guitar, but cuter and better. Listen to David Hyde Costello play this spectacular instrument!
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
First Wednesday Speaker Series
A mystery speaker will attend this speaking event to describe something interesting to you!
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM
Family Night
Bring your family and hang out at the library! Games, puzzles, all sorts of projects for families to do together!
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 8:15 PM
Lawn Concert by Li’l BeeDee & The Doo-Rites
Bring a picnic, a blanket, and your friends and family to listen to some good old rock and roll! If there’s bad weather they’ll just move inside!
Thursday, July 6th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Anime Club
Watch anime! We just finished Persona 5 and we’ve never wanted to watch anime more intensely.

History:

Thursday, July 6th
Deerfield Community Center [16 Memorial Street, Deerfield, MA 01342] at 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Summer Living in Early America: Len Travers presents “Hurrah for the Fourth! Independence Day in New England, 1777-1850”
Learn about how the Fourth of July was celebrated in early America! Mostly with much more dangerous improvised fireworks we’re guessing.

Kids:

Wednesday, July 5th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Comics Club
Ralph in the Children’s department will help you discuss, share, and create comics and graphic novels! We just got the first volume of Usagi Yojimbo and hey folks, that extremely old and well-known and respected comic that everyone likes? It’s good!
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 11:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Music and Books with Mr. Liam
Music, books, and activities for toddlers, preschoolers, and caregivers! He’s wearing a red nose in the photo so you can tell he’s fun as heck.
Thursday, July 6th
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 1:00 PM to 1:45 PM
Sciencetellers: Pirate Lost at Sea!
All we can see of this event is what looks like a child laughing as an adult screams at a cloud of smoke so we’re assuming this is a story hour where children steal your most prized possessions and light them on fire.
Saturday, July 8th
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM
Ed Popielarczyk’s Magic Moments
Magician, balloon twister, and therefore an entertainer! Ed will make you laugh even as he makes a big duck riding a motorcycle out of balloons! Somehow he’ll pull humor out of an extremely serious situation like motor-ducks, the terror that stalks the roadways.
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Dazzle Dogs!
Watch unique and talented dogs who are also adorable do a bunch of tricks! They’ll even dance! No one knows why they do this, no one knows how! It is not our place to question the dazzle dogs, we must simply accept their gifts with equinamity!
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art [125 West Bay Rd., Amherst, MA 01002] at 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Special Storytime: Rowboat Watkins
Hear the story of Pete With No Pants! Pete With No Pants is a little elephant trying to figure out the most important question of all: why do I need to wear pants? Draw elephants, pants, or things not wearing pants also!

Movies:

Saturday, July 8th
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Hot Summer Saturday Movie Matinee: Suffragette
Watch Suffragette, the movie about Suffragettes! Did you know that Edith Margaret Garrud was one of the first female martial arts instructors and taught Suffragettes Jiu-Jitsu self-defense techniques so they could flip cops when they needed to?

RPGs:

Thursday, July 6th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
RPG Club
Play RPGs with a friendly crowd of folks! Dungeon World is a fun Powered by the Apocalypse game, try that!
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March 27th – April 2nd

The Valley Nerd Watch!

So despite the fact that we repeatedly forget to mention it because we’re not on Facebook all THAT often we’re huge fans of Brass Cat Game Night! The Brass Cat is a nice as heck bar, particularly when it’s got that patio area open in the summer, and more importantly Justin Dowd puts on a very friendly game night.

Justin knows the rules, he’s an extra player if you need one, and he’s really good at figuring out a good selection of games so people all get a chance to have a good time. Plus all the folks who attend are quite friendly. It’s really delightful! Have you been? Fill out this survey! Have you never been? Still fill out the survey, to provide useful data about how to make it the best event it can be!

Also! If you notice that a local business or event either has a website that’s no longer functional or notice that they’re not popping up on Google or only post on FB whatnot, let us know! We’re trying to get a list together of people we miss because like they’ve only got a Facebook page or the site has changed. But more eyes on the problem is always a big help!

Oh also since there’s a bunch of prison policy related stuff in this issue, why not take the opportunity to donate to the Prison Policy Initiative?

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:

Monday, March 27th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Drop In Sit and Knit Group
Sit! Knit! Hang out with people who like to knit. Ask them for advice, chat with them, generally get along with other human beings in a pleasant environment and at the end of it have a little bit of progress in a creative project. Dang, we gotta knit more.
Tuesday, March 28th
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Short Story Series
Dramatic readings by professional actors bring short stories to life! Linda Tardif will be reading “Sorry Fugu” by T.C. Boyle, and Troy David Mercier will be reading “Taste” by Roald Dahl! It’s like an audiobook but free and you can thank it afterward.
Mead Art Museum [41 Quadrangle Dr, Amherst, MA 01002] at 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM
The Mead’s Feejee Mermaid: An Interdisciplinary Re-Appraisal
See the Mead’s strange example of some faux-mythical weirdness! Then, assistant museum educator Keely Sarr will reconstruct for you the cultural context of what the heck made people decide to stick together a fish and a monkey for some danged reason in a post-colonial lens. All are welcome!
Friday, March 31st
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Reception for Whitney C. Robbins “Akin II”
Beautiful artwork displaying the bond between humankind and other animals, reminding us that it’s a good idea to generally be decent to living things. Also, it’s real pretty! This is a reception so usually that means some cheese and tea or something, if you’re lucky!
Saturday, April 1st
Mead Art Museum [41 Quadrangle Dr, Amherst, MA 01002] at 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Community Day: Fool Mead Once
Animation! Cartooning! Make some artwork, attend some talks. All activites inspired by Kota Ezawa’s animated films and the lightboxes on display on in the museum! Stretch your cartooning muscles! Have fun!
Sunday, April 2nd
Historic Northampton [46 Bridge Street, Northampton, MA 01060-2406] at 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
The Final Flourish, the Rhetoric of the Hat – by Margaret Bruzelius
What do hats mean? Why are hats worn? How do they indicate what a person is societally and mentally and why? Beginning with 30’s screwball comedies, Margaret Bruzelius will discuss the patterns and the meanings of hats in film! It sounds like a top hat of a presentation alright that one fell apart the same moment we said it wait hats off to Margaret for a wonderful presentation!
Yiddish Book Center [1021 West St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Talk – “The Borscht Belt: Revisiting the Remains of America’s Jewish Vacationland” with Marisa Scheinfeld
The Catskills, famously popular for a long time with Jewish vacationers, used to be home to hundreds of hotels, bungalows, and clubs where top performers played for huge crods. Many of them have spent the years since their heyday slowly decaying. Marisa Scheinfeld documented the fate of these onetime vacation paradises, and will talk about the experience and sign her book after the talk!

At:

Friday, March 31st
Emily Dickinson Museum [280 Main St, Amherst, MA 01002] at 8:30 AM to 9:30 PM
Morgan Library Bus Trip
A big day for Dickinson fans! A big bus trip to visit the Morgan Library in NYC to see “I’m Nobody! Who are you? The Life and Poetry of Emily Dickinson” Ride in a nice coach with fellow Dickinson-heads, screen a biography of the poet, and eat some gingerbread from her own recipe! It’s a long day, but it sounds delightful. Seats are limited so head to the site and buy a ticket soon! https://www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org/morganbus

Books:

Tuesday, March 28th
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Harriet Scott Chessman, The Lost Sketchbook of Edgar Degas
A companion novel to Chessman’s other acclaimed work Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper, it’s a lyrical work about what art can reveal. It presents a nuanced picture of what familial, racial, and financial forces might have influenced Edgar Degas’s work presented through the lens of his cousin Tell finding a lost sketchbook of his work.
Thursday, March 30th
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Mindy Fried, Caring for Red: A Daughter’s Memoir
Fried provides a moving account of caring for her ninety-seven year-old father Manny. Manny was an actor, a writer, a labor organizer, and survived political persecution in the McCarthy Era. The memoir chronicles her and her sister dealing with issues that, if we’re lucky, we’ll all face caring for our elderly loved ones. It seems like it has some worthwhile lessons to impart and also just that Red’s neatand it’s probably fun to read about him.
Saturday, April 1st
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Q.M. Zhang, Accomplice to Memory
Local author Q.M. Zhang discovers secrets surrounding her father’s exodus from China during the decades of civil and world war leading up to the revolution of 1949. She weaves togther history, nonfiction, memoir, and novel to explore an immigrant parent and the difficulty the second generation has understanding the first.

Community:

Monday, March 27th
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Animal Friend Loss Support Group
If you’ve lost an animal you loved, this is a place to talk about it! We definitely remember our poor little hearts breaking when our childhood doggie died, and we think it’s probably a good idea to talk to people when you’re feeling that low down.
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Collateral Consequences
Panel conversation with four Massachusetts residents who’ve had personal experience with incarceration. They will give you a human perspective of the effects of being impacted by the carceral state.
Tuesday, March 28th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Diabetes: Our Journey to Improve Our Health
In this final discussion you’ll learn about the connections between diabetes and exercise! Get yourself ready to be as healthy as you can be!
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Diabetes: Our Journey to Improve Our Health
Learn more about diabetes, a disease that’s worth knowing about! This last meetup is about how important it is to exercise if you want to deal with diabetses effectively.
Wednesday, March 29th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Real Madness: Warehousing People with Mental Illness in Prisons – Presented by Robert Fleischner
Find out more about the horrificly torturous system of American prisons! We incarcerate more people that any other nation, and it’s not because we’re good at it! Robert Fleischner will discuss why so many people with mental illness wind up in prison instead of being helped, and what we can do about it.
Saturday, April 1st
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
League of Women Voters – Health Care Committee
Find out how to combat the latest terrifying thing to happen to healthcare! Band together with fellow citizens to ensure that Massachusetts remains a pretty decent place to be sick in.

Entertainment:

Wednesday, March 29th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
The Kerry Boys: Irish Music Performance
Connecticut’s finest Irish Balladeers! Vocal harmony, instrumental vibrancy, danged good fun in the classic Celtic spirit.
Thursday, March 30th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Anime Club
Watch anime! It doesn’t have to be good, even! Sometimes it’s fun just to watch a cartoon that’s exciting and a bit silly. It’s also possible to watch good anime but we’re just saying, don’t feel like that’s a requirement. Probably talk to other folks at this event about what everyone’s feeling into this particular night!
Saturday, April 1st
Chapin Auditorium, Mount Holyoke at 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Staceyann Chin: Keynote Speaker, The 2017 Women of Color Trailblazers Leadership Conference
The keynote is open to the public, free for all MHC students, faculty, and staff, and $5 for Five-College and non-conference attendees! Staceyann Chin is a fulltime artist, resident of NYC, and a Jamaican National. She’s been an “out poet and political activist” since 1998. For more information about the conference check out https://www.mtholyoke.edu/diversity/women-color-trailblazers-leadership-conference
Kittredge Center at Holyoke Community College at 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
PodCamp 2017
PodCamp! It’s an event for well… for basically people like us? Hang out with the sort of people who want to talk about things and know that others are hearing them or write about things and know that others are reading them! It’s like $40 is the thing, but it does seem cool. Podcasts in particular will have a lot to learn, but they welcome all those of us who do things online and try to get people to pay attention! Find out more here: http://www.podcampwm.org/about/

Kids:

Monday, March 27th
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM
Mucho Gusto Spanish Free Sample Classes
A free bilingual Spanish/English story hour with Laurie Davidson of Mucho Gusto Spanish! It’s for children ages 0-5 and their caregivers!
Thursday, March 30th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM
LEGO Club
LEGO Club! Build things and play with them around other kids! Ages 5 and up!

Movies:

Monday, March 27th
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Pathway to Change: The Jail Labyrinth Project
Watch a documentary filmed at the Hampshire County Jail, about the Labyrinth program started by Cathy Rigali and Sister Lorry Villemaire. The film shows the development of their curriculum, as well as the construction and dedication of the labyrinth!
Wednesday, March 29th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Far Out Film Discussion
This week: El Topo! Watch the film at home, then come to this meetup to discus it! It’s written by, directed by, and stars Alejandro Jodorowsky so you know it’s very odd and compelling. Give it a watch, then discuss with smart people!
Friday, March 31st
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM
Tuck Everlasting
Watch the film of the book you probably read around 8th grade maybe by Natalie Babbitt! It’s probably not the world’s best film but the underlying premise and themes are useful to think about plus it’s free so hey who’s complaining.

RPGs:

Thursday, March 30th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
RPG Club
Play an RPG! Play Noirlandia, it lets you be a detective in a weird wonderland with rules you create yourself, plus you get to make an Evidence Board!

Science:

Monday, March 27th
Nacul Center [592 Main St., Amherst, MA] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
SciTech Cafe: A Quantum Mechanic’s Approach to Next-Generation Electronics
What’s magnetism? How do we make useful quantum devices? How can you harness the power of the QUANTUM with a pencil and scotch tape? How are computers created? All these questions and more will be answered by Joseph Checkelsky, an assistant professor of physics at MIT!

March 20th – March 26th

The Valley Nerd Watch!

NERDSummit was yesterday and today! Delightful time, good learning, nice people. Still time to check out a couple presentations if you’re in town! Nerdsummit.org to see what’s still on order!

This week we really want you to check out this extremely cool-looking kickstarter by notable local creator Rob Daviau! It’s for a remake of a classic old game called “Stop Thief!” that people liked a lot and that looks neat and we’re interested in playing so we’re going to try to get you folks to make sure it’s funded so we can get a copy!

From the site:

In Stop Thief!, you and the other players are private investigators. A thief commits a crime somewhere in the city. However, you never see the thief on the board. Each turn, the thief makes a new sound, telling you what kind of space they moved to. By piecing the different sounds together and finding the right pattern on the board, you can figure out where the invisible interloper is and try to catch them. If you succeed, you collect the reward. If you collect enough money, you win the game.

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, March 21st
Mead Art Museum [41 Quadrangle Dr, Amherst, MA 01002] at 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
Painting Landscapes in the Gallery
Professor Dave Gloman will discuss The Fawn’s Leap by John Kensett, 1859. This talk will also feature a painting demonstration! Learn how to paint, and learn how to appreciate that paint once it’s one a thing.
Friday, March 24th
Emily Dickinson Museum [280 Main St, Amherst, MA 01002] at 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Poetry Discussion Group: Emily Dickinson and Animals
Learn and discuss! Poetry and conversation about Emily Dickinson’s relationship to animals! Find out which bears in Amherst were chill and which were really annoying to hang out with after a while!

Board Games:

Saturday, March 25th
Off The Wall Game Shop [41 Russell St., Hadley, MA 01035] at 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Kings of War Tournament
For only a $10 entry fee, you can definitely become one of the kings of War! War is a lovely place, despite the name, kind of like Denmark, lots of civic infrastructure. In order to become king you will need to win this miniatures tournament featuring the game Kings of War. You get 1500 points!

Books:

Wednesday, March 22nd
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Elinor Lipman, On Turpentine Lane
Elinor Lipman’s new novel has just come out! It’s about a woman returning to her claustrophobic suburban hometown, writing thank-yous to donors for her old alma mater, dealing with a distant fiance and a close mom, who finds some interesting artifacts in her new home’s attic that might change her life!

Comic Books:

Monday, March 20th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Queers in Comics and Games
Talk to excellent people about comics and board games and video games, it’s a lovely time!

Community:

Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Women, Crime, and Justice: Mass Incarceration and Mothering
Nicole Hendricks will present about the rising number of women incarcerated in correctional facilities and how that has affected motherhood. Our country now incarcerates more women than any other in the world. As this crisis builds, we need to think about who’s incarcertated and why, and what impact it has on our communities.
Tuesday, March 21st
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Dick Evans: Marijuana, Beyond Legalization
Explore the space beyond legalization of marijuana, oddly directly adjacent to the space beyond beds and baths.
Saturday, March 25th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Mariposa & the Saint: A Play Through Letters
A play written by Sara (Mariposa) Fonseca and Julia Steele Allen through a prison wall. Now Mariposa speaks directly to the audience from the isolation of solitary confinement. Learn how you can help stop people from being tortured via solitary in the US! Light refreshments will be served, donations welcome!

Computers:

Tuesday, March 21st
MYSTERY LOCATION at 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM
User Experience, Accessibility, and Inclusive Design
This is as yet not set to a location and also there’s not so much any details for it, but we figure it’s something lots of people could use some education about! Make sure people who use the things you make have an easy time doing it!
MYSTERY LOCATION at 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM
Elixir/Erlang for Scalability and Reliability – Monthly Ful Stack Meetup
Learn about Elixir/Erlang, and how it can address the problems of scale and reliability in your software. Get history and background on Erlang and Elixir, see a demonstration of a simple distributed program and a basic web app!

Entertainment:

Saturday, March 25th
Smith Vocational High School, Northampton MA at 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
The River’s Family Music Meltdown and Bash
Meltdown! Spring family music and fun for all in the Valley! There’s no better way to celebrate the slooooow approach of Spring!

History:

Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Punishment in Paradise: the History of Incarceration in Northampton, 1654 – Present
MIke Ryan will discuss crime and punishment in Northampton and how Northampton developed jails and prisons. He’ll talk about how the philosophies of incarceration have changed here over the last 350 years. The brief switch to a Phantom Zone based correctional facility in the 70s was a bit of a historical oddity.
Weinstein Auditorium at Smith College at 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
27th Annual Phyllis Williams Lehmann Lecture with John R. Clarke
John R. Clarke will discuss new research strategies and recent discoveries at Oplontis. Oplontis is a villa near the famously incinerated city of Pompeii, and since 2006 Dr. Clarke’s research team has been tasked by the Italian Ministry of Culture to study and excavate the villas that were first uncovered at Torre Annunziata. Learn about history and how to learn about history, it sounds neat as heck. Lunch served afterward!
Graham Auditorium, Hillyer Hall at Smith College at 1:45 PM to 2:45 PM
Leisure and Luxury: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Structuring the Exhibition
A panel discussion about how people put together the exhibition at Smith College. Barbara Kellum, Professor of Art, will moderate and Elaine Gazda, Regina Gee, and Tim Liddell will be part of the panel!
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 11:00 AM to 1:15 PM
Using Irish Records for your Family History
Even if you know your ancestors were from Ireland, there’s a lot more to discover about them! Using Irish public records and resources, Lisa Dougherty, the Genealogist in Residence at the Irish- American Heritage Museum in Albany, NY will present an overview of what you can learn and how!
Sunday, March 26th
Deerfield Community Center [80 Old Main St, Deerfield, MA 01342] at 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Winter Lecture Series: Earthen Ware, Made in Boston”
Learn about earthenware and the partnership of Benjamin Leigh and John Allman to produce it during the revolution! PResented by Angelika Kuettner, Associate Curator of Ceramics, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation!

Kids:

Saturday, March 25th
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
A Day with Superman and Superwoman Vision
Introduce kids to light! Like scientifically, not light the thing in the world. If you’re just now introducing your kid to light that’s very bad, kids should see light a minimum of a couple days after they’re born, we’re pretty sure. You need to pre-register, and it’s limited to 12 adult/kid pairs, ages 6-10. Bring sunscreen! Call 413-665-2642 to register!
Sunday, March 26th
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art [125 West Bay Rd., Amherst, MA 01002] at 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Meet Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen
The award-winning duo have conspired to create yet another funny tale about some sneaky shapes! Triangle is the first tale in a new trilogy about shapes! Shapes that are apparently not trustworthy! Instill a healthy paranoia about ideal forms in your children!

Movies:

Thursday, March 23rd
Historic Northampton [46 Bridge Street, Northampton, MA 01060-2406] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Film Screening of Ava DuVernay’s film 13th
A film screening of the Oscar-nominated documnetary that explores the intersection of racism and criminal justice. Learn about today’s horrific prison labor system and what needs to change. Presented by Historic Northampton and the American Studies department at Smith!
Saturday, March 25th
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Teen Movie: Luck of the Irish
See this extremely odd Disney Family Movie about a teen who turns into a leprechaun in the grand tradition of Disney’s “turing into something related to your family history sort of” series of films. Pizza and snacks will also be served!
Sunday, March 26th
Yiddish Book Center [1021 West St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict
Peggy Guggenheim was a central figure for modern art, collecting both artwork and the artists she loved via patronage. Guggenheim built one of the most important collections of modern art, forever enshrined in her palazzo in Venice. Learn more about this fascinating woman at the Book Center!

March 6th – March 12th

The Valley Nerd Watch!

So hey here’s a thing we just found out about recently despite ostensibly being a news source: due to a variety of circumstances both unforeseen and ultraforeseen the lovably local game shop co-op Worlds Apart Games is going to cease to exist soon. Like, by the end of March. So that’s a really unfortunate thing, right? It’s very important to our continued steadiness of mind that there exist Game Places in all Valley towns so that we have ample reason to go putter around somewhere should we find ourselves out and about.

The nice thing is that it seems like some very dedicated people of various stripes and interest categories are of the same opinion and working to figure out how to fill the void that will be left and with what to do the filling. Community game space? Event-hosting space? Something that lets a bunch of people play Magic the Gathering there really often seems like it could garner a decent amount of support.

Which is what they need! Support from you! Interested in playing a boardgame in Amherst that doesn’t involve being at someone’s house? Then go to their Facebook page and check out what’s up and head to their meetup at 5pm this Wednesday the 8th at The Works in Amherst to talk through things.

At a very minimum you’ll get to meet nice people and talk to them so that’s decent you know? Also maybe you’re independently wealthy and have a weird interest in sustaining a game shop in Amherst we don’t know our audience that well.

And finally check out NERDSummit.org! Again, if you’ve already seen it! The schedule’s up and it is going to be great and you should attend because it’ll be great and also full disclosure because they paid us money to tell you to attend so the more of you who attend the more obvious it becomes that giving us cash is met with great success and happiness. If you could carry signs or wear shirts saying “We came here because of the wonderful marketing of the folks at Valley Nerd Watch” we would appreciate it.

Have a lovely week, folks!

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:

Monday, March 6th
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Makerspace Monday
A weekly group gathering to play with stuff, make art, and just generally create new things for the joy of it!
Wednesday, March 8th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM
Knitting Clinic
Neet help knitting? Get help knitting! Know how to knit real real nice? Knit real real nice and help out people who need help knitting! Somehwere in between nice nice and need help? Then enter the Cave of Shadows and brave the trials three for access to the knitting secrets or ask for some tips from fellow knitters!
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Forbes Library Zine Club
ZINES! Zines across the nation! Zines in our veins! Zines for teens! Zines for monotremes! Zines for any and all who have access to cheap copiers! Learn how to create a zine and distribute it!
Friday, March 10th
Historic Northampton [46 Bridge Street, Northampton, MA 01060-2406] at 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Unidentified Woman an Exhibition by Jodi Colella
In this exhibit the artist takes headwear and photos so old they’re actually daguerreotypes from the collection of Historic Northampton and explores the role of headwear in indicating the class, status, and occupation of the wearer. Collela stitches together the past and future by colorfully exploring women whose names have been forgotten by history.
Smith College Museum of Art [20 Elm St, Northampton, MA 01063] at 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Free Second Friday
Do you want to go to a great local art museum but also you don’t have $5? Go ahead and check out the Free Second Friday! It’s a ton of fun and is totally without cost. Though if you can drop a couple bucks in the donation bin that would be very nice.
Saturday, March 11th
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Make Harry Potter Potion Bottles
Do you wish your life involved more slightly-sinister storage, Snape-style? Suffer no longer! You can create some neat distressed bottles and make them look just like Snape’s! And hey if you don’t care about pretending to be a magical folk you can just make neat antique bottles!

Board Games:

Friday, March 10th
Burger King Community Room [344 King St., Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:30 PM to 10:30 PM
Tabletop Game Night
Board game meetup by the folks at the Pioneer Valley Geeks & Games at the Burger King! Bring a game if you want to share one or just play what other folks have brought! Beginners welcome, and there’s no better audience if you’ve got a game you’d really like to try!
Saturday, March 11th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Palmer Scholastic Chess Tournament
There are four sections, K-3, 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12. It’s going to be a 4-round Swiss System and there are trophies for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place! Entry is free but you should definitely bring a chess set and clock if you can and a bagged lunch if you want to eat!

Books:

Monday, March 6th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Poetry Discussion Group
A weekly poetry discussion group open to regulars and drop-ins! This week they’re going to discuss poems about Climate Change!
Wednesday, March 8th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Garry Brown Talk and Book Signing
Garry Brown will talk about the best stories he’s written over the past fifty-danged-nine years writing at Springfield newspapers which what the heck he has written an infinite amount we’re pretty sure. If we’re still writing these newsletters in fifty-nine years we’d just yell at people to give us a medal at any sort of signing.
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Warm up with Kestrel Land Trust’s Love the Land Book Share
Grab a favorite read related to nature, land, or the nature of land and share it in an informal gathering! Heck you don’t even need to grab the book, just have a title and an author and a short bit about why you liked it and share it with the group! RSVP required but it is free! Email katy [at] kestreltrust [dot] org!
Thursday, March 9th
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Ani Tuzman, The Temble of Love: A Novel of the Baal Shem Tov
In partnership with the Yiddish Book Center for an evening, the Odyssey will host a novel inspired by Rabbi Yisroel ben Eliezar, known as the Ball Shem Tov or the Good Master of the Name. Set in the 1700s Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth this reimagining of one of the most revered of history’s mystics allows readers to experience the timelessness and grace of unrestrained love! Which is pretty impressive for a novel, most of the ones we read just allow us to experience how cool lasers are.
Sunday, March 12th
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Mohsin Hamid, Exit West
A love story, a magical realist story, a sci-fi story, a story about being a refugee… this book is a lot of things! Nadia and Saeed are young lovers thrust into an uncertain existence during a civil war and given the option to escape through a mysterious doorway. Emerging somewhere alien, they try to hold on to each other. It sounds like it’s worth a read! Buy it at Odyssey and get it signed!

Comic Books:

Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Comic Creator’s Jam
Are you a comicser? A comicilizer? Someone who makes artwork or writes stories and then slaps them together into a single thing? Hang out with a bunch of really nice creators who travel from near and like slightly less near but still pretty near to discuss the craft and business of comics! All it takes to get in is a $5 day pass that immediately becomes store credit!

Community:

Wednesday, March 8th
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
National Women’s Strike
From the description: “In support of International Women’s Day, join the conversation after the demonstration on the Greenfield Town Common!”

Computers:

Monday, March 6th
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM
One-on-one Tech Tutoring
Tech tutoring in English and Spanish! Register for an hour one-on-one session at least 24 hours in advance every weekday from 11:30am – 1:30pm or 4:30pm – 6:30pm! Sign up by calling 413-420-8118 or write to grivera [at] holyokelibrary [dot] org!
Tuesday, March 7th
The Foundry [24 Main St., Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Northampton Webdive – After Work
Designers regular a coder nendezvous makers of web! It’s a good time to hang out and talk to folks who work on web-dev stuff and just generally have an alright time at a nice bar.
Thursday, March 9th
Cultivate and Nest [2 Bay Rd., Suite 100, Hadley, MA] at 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Hack for Western Mass Meetup
After a couple quick updates about ongoing projects, there will be a discussion about potential future options and then people are going to join teams and get hacking to make the community a bit better! It’s a really great group and they’re doing interesting stuff, you should join! Also dinner and drinks are on them so like there’s literally no reason to not go to this thing and say hi!
Friday, March 10th
North Amherst Library [8 Montague Rd, Amherst, MA 01002] at 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Drop-in Tech Support with PC Doctor Hank
PC Doctor Hank will put a stethoscope on your PC and diagnose what woes it! Hank knows what’s up with PC innards and is happy to help you understand it all!

Entertainment:

Thursday, March 9th
Franklin Patterson Main Lecture Hall at Hampshire College at 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
No More Talk About Us, Without Us!
The real women of the hit TV show and book “Orange is the New Black” discuss the reality of prison life and the way it feels to have people take a look at your own harrowing actual experiences though the lens of entertainment in a panel discussion that seems informative and necessary.
Saturday, March 11th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Doctor Who Club
Doctor Which is at it again with his scarfs! Free and open to all, snacks “strongly encouraged”! Watch some classic episodes of the show that’s endured for so long our parents were fans when they were our age!
Sunday, March 12th
Yiddish Book Center [1021 West St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM
“The Real Deal Purim-Shpil” with the Wandering Jew Players of the Congress for Jewish Culture
A musical mash-up featuring Purim plays, drinking songs, and general holiday cheer by great Yiddish writers including Sholem Aleichem, Itzik Manger, Moyshe Nadir, and more! It’s $8 for students, $10 for members, and $12 for general admission!

Kids:

Saturday, March 11th
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Saturday Morning Kids Arts and Crafts
St. Patrick’s Day themed readings and arts and crafts! Make a Shamrock, or a pot of gold, or any of the innumerable items appropriate for children during this, the easiest holiday to make child-friendly!

Movies:

Tuesday, March 7th
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM
GPL Teen Pizza and Movie Night
Join librarians Francesca and Steve for the delicious combination of pizza and a film, open to ages 12 and up!
Wednesday, March 8th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Which Way Home
This film tackles immigration issues by focusing on the youngest victims of the struggle to just exist in the world. The film follows some of the thousands of unaccompanied children from all over Latin America who fled from their homes as they attempt to make the trecharous journey across the US border.
Sunday, March 12th
Yiddish Book Center [1021 West St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Film Screening, “There Are Jews Here”
More than a million American Jews live in small towns around the country, and this movie explores people working ot keep the Jewish spirit alive in places like Laredo Texas and Dothan Alabama. It’s $4 for students, $6 for members, and $8 for everyone else!

Science:

Tuesday, March 7th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Diabetes: Our Journey to Improve Our Health
This week, you’ll learn about diabetes and the effects carbohydrates have on it! Anne Bernardin will educate you and share her success story, as well as recap the other lessons in case you’re just coming in this week!
Thursday, March 9th
Nacul Center [592 Main St., Amherst, MA] at 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
OEB Science Cafe: Is it hot in here? Thinking about the evolution of menopause.
With Dr Lynnette Sievert this cafe will explore the evolution of mopause and post-reproductive aging as a human trait! She’ll talk about how humans as individuals and different cultures deal with menopause and the fact that we’re as species that oulives our reproductive years!

February 27th – March 5th

The Valley Nerd Watch!

Hello folks! Short top-matter today because we were at my mom’s and hanging out with her all weekend.

Just want to let everyone know that Nerd Nite is next Monday, March 6th! It’ll be a fun time because it is generally a fun time and we can extrapolate from experience.

Also, NERDSummit is coming up the 18th and 19th of March! It’ll be a delightful time where you can learn interesting things about web development and related technology.

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:

Monday, February 27th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Drop In Sit and Knit Group
Drop what you’re doing, come in, sit down, and knit some things!
Wednesday, March 1st
Stirn Auditorium at Amherst College at 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Conversations with Alison Saar
Alison Saar will mark the installation of Sleeping Beauty by talking to you and with you about mostly art things like rtistic practice and identity, followed by a reception.
Thursday, March 2nd
Emily Dickinson Museum [280 Main St, Amherst, MA 01002] at 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Amherst Arts Night Plus: Poetry Night and Art Exhibition
The Emily Dickinson Museum will be doing a poetry reading, open mic, and a one-night art exhibit! Featured poets include Allison O’Shea, Robbie Dunning, and Lauren Singer. The Featured Artist is Rhys Davies! Free and open to the public!
Friday, March 3rd
Smith College Museum of Art [20 Elm St, Northampton, MA 01063] at 12:15 PM to 1:15 PM
Spotlight Gallery Talk in the exhibition “Leisure and Luxury in the Age of Nero: The Villas of Oplontis near Pompeii”
Bettina Bergmann, professor of Art History at Mount Holyoke College, will give a spotlight tour so you can get a close look at the wall paintings of Villa A at Oplontis, and understand them better! Free with museum admission! Meet in the lobby.

Books:

Tuesday, February 28th
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Local Author Jono Neiger Presents The Permaculture Promise
Conservation Biologist, permaculture educator, and designer Jono neiger will talk about how to create human ecosystems that don’t slowly kill all of us!
Gamble Auditorium, Mount Holyoke College at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Amara Lakhous
Writer Amara Lakhous was born in Algiers in 1970, and moved to Rome after spending time in Algerian radio putting up with constant death threats. His first novel Clash of Civilizations Over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio was awarded the Flaiano Prize in Italy.
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Conversation with Author Series: Derek Strahan’s new book “Lost Springfield, Massachusetts”
Derek Strahan will talk about the City of Firts as it is, was, and might be!
Thursday, March 2nd
Hope & Feathers Gallery, Amherst MA at 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
David Hyde Costello Artist Reception
Odyssey Bookshop will be at this Arts Night Plus reception for Miniature Menagerie, paintings by David Hyde Costello, selling his books! See cute as heck watercolors and then buy some books that have cute as heck watercolors in them!
Saturday, March 4th
Hope & Feathers Gallery, Amherst MA at 4:30 PM to 7:30 PM
David Hyde Costello Artist Reception
The same thing as the other one with this name! Only it’s not on Arts Night Plus so your power armor will only have half the charge it normally does and you’ll only be able to use your vison augs 3 times before triggering the alarm.
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Meet the Author: Jan Maher
Jan Maher will read from her book Earth As It Is, which you can fact-check live by keeping a watch on the window.

Community:

Tuesday, February 28th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Diabetes: Our Journey to Improve Our Health
Learn about diabetes and how to keep healthy as a person with diabetes. Anne Vernardin, a former high school nutrition teacher will educate you and share her success story! This week, learn about glucose!

Computers:

MYSTERY LOCATION at 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM
The Quiet Revolution in the Client – Monthly Full Stack Meetup
There’s a revolution happening in the client! The client has gone from being a backwater to a focus of development in a very little bit of time, and new approaches are needed to deal with it! Tagore Smith will talk about new approaches to web and application development in this turbulent time.
Sunday, March 5th
The Quarters [8 Railroad St., Hadley, MA] at 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
MAKE TALK PLAY – Petricore Games w/Ryan Canuel
This month Ryan Canuel will talk about how to think about what you’re doing AFTER you’ve made a fun game or in some rare cases of forethinking even beforehand. Do you start a studio? How does that even work? Do you sell the game? How? All kind of scary questions!

Entertainment:

Thursday, March 2nd
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Anime Club
Watch anime! Anime is according to some people quite good, and there’s sure as heck a whole bunch of it. Find some you like and share it with friendly people!

Kids:

Saturday, March 4th
Springfield Museums [21 Edwards St., Springfield, MA 01103] at 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Dr. Seuss’s Birthday Pajama Party
Wear your pajamas! Get comfy and celebrate one of our local creative heroes! See a bunch of neat sculptures and other creations, and meet a lot of local illustrators! Buy some books, get them autographed, generally have a good cozy time celebrating great books!

Movies:

Wednesday, March 1st
Holyoke Community College’s Fine & Performing Arts Building at 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM
Viewing of 13th
A documentary about the 13th amendment that will make you angry and sad in some sort of combination!
Thursday, March 2nd
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM
Viewing of The Lorax
See the movie version of the children’s classic The Lorax! Drop in early if you want to make a Dr. Seuss themed craft!

RPGs:

Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
RPG Club
Play RPGs with friends! It is a good time and there are many wonderful options for creative pretending-to-be-other-people in interesting settings!

Science:

Monday, February 27th
Union Station [125 Pleasant St., Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
SciTech Cafe: You’re Never Too Old to Play in the Sandbox: The Physics of Soft Materials
Is toothpaste liquid or solid? What makes it so tough to run on sand? What’s “squishy”? What’s the point of knowing the answer to any of these questions? Kerstin Nordstrom is going to explain! She’s a professor at Mount Holyoke who studies fluid flow, and she’ll talk about all the fascinating ways that soft materials behave!
Tuesday, February 28th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Diabetes: Our Journey to Improve Our Health
This session will cover one of the ways that you can help to make your experience with diabetes easier! Understand the effect of diabetes on your body and the importance of exercise. Each session has a short review in case you can’t make it to every one!
Wednesday, March 1st
Franklin Patterson East Lecture Hall at Hampshire College at 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Showing of the documentary film Sonic Sea
A showing of the hour-long film Sonic Sea, a documentary about how much industrial noise pollution negatively affects the ocean biomes we rely on to continue to exist and not die, as well as a Q&A afterward with guest Leila Hatch, Marine Ecologist at the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.

February 20th – February 26th

The Valley Nerd Watch!

Oh jeez we forgot we had our two-year anniversary! Whoops!

Happy two years to the Nerd Watch! We hope that you got something out of it, we’ve been having fun <3. We've written about 150 posts, totaling something like 200,000 words! That's a lot of words, and the best part is that every last one of them is perfect.

On to other matters!

First off: we've been playing Valley Creator Rob Daviau's Seafall recently and dang if that's not a neat game. It's a bit of a bear to read the rulebook at first because there's a lot of if/then/else stuff to do that we had a bit of trouble keeping in our heads but darn it is a fun time once you get going. You sail around in little boats, you give people nicknames, you explore islands, you make friends and enemies, it's a great time and like all Legacy games you'll play it more often than literally any other game you own.

Also we just finished playing like a LOT of Subnautica after purchasing the Humble Freedom Bundle and it is extremely good! The ocean is dark, and the ocean is terrifying, and nothing good lives in the ocean BUT also it is compelling to explore and we love it.

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, February 21st
Herter Hall 231, UMass Amherst at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Dread Scott: On the Impossilibity of Freedom in a Country Founded on Slavery and Genocide
Artist Dread Scott will give a public lecture in the company of Associate Professor of History Barbara Krauthamer about his work. he’s an acclaimed American artist wose work has gotten a bunch of attention and addresses a lot of important topics like police brutality and the legacy of slavery and racism in the US. It sounds like an opportunity to educate yourself about some difficult topics.
Friday, February 24th
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM
BYO Fiber Arts & Crafts Group
For kids and their grownups, make some crafts! Knit, crochet, sew, malinger, spin, unravel, felt, and of course
Saturday, February 25th
Historic Northampton [46 Bridge Street, Northampton, MA 01060-2406] at 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Florence at the Turn of the Twentieth Century: The Goodwin Photographic Collection by Steve Strimer
Steve Strimer will present a selection from the Goodwin Photographic Collection of over 300 glass-plate negatives taken by J.W. Bird and Ferdinand Schadee. See the growth of Florence in the not-too-distant past!
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Young Adult Tween/Teen Craft – Block Printing (Ages 11 – 17)
Whether you rankle at being called a teen or seethe quietly at being called a tween, this is the event for you if you want to do some printing. Printing is a lot of fun and generally it’s not tough to make something that looks really cool so we recommend you take a look.

Books:

Tuesday, February 21st
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Children’s Book Writers Group
Adults who write for children are invited to a critique group! Speak to other people about your work, and trade opportunities for development as well as writing and publishing tips. You can also read and discuss stories with other members! For more info call Jane at the library at 413-772-1544!
Wednesday, February 22nd
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Words in Transit Panel with John Voci
Contributors to the book Words in Transit, a collection of first-person narratives by immigrants to western New England, will present their stories during a panel discussion facilitated by John Voci, the NEPR director of programming and a producer for the Words in Transit project. Learn about your neighbors! They’re nice folks.
Thursday, February 23rd
MYSTERY LOCATION at 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Discussion and Dinner
Go to [place] and eat [food] while discussing a very funny book! Get more context https://www.meetup.com/4scifi/events/237092179/ here as it develops. Hitchhiker’s a nice book that we like a lot, one of the first chapter-books our parents read to us. How did we find any humor in jokes about aspects of adult life for which we had no context? Simple, we were small and not very smart yet so we pretty much just laughed whenever our dad laughed.

Comic Books:

Monday, February 20th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Queers in Comics and Games
A great place to discuss topics regarding representation of LGBTQIA+ folks in games and comics! It’s a good discussion with a lot of nice people and you’ll probably have fun. Admission is by day pass, $5 that immediately becomes store credit!

Community:

Tuesday, February 21st
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Animal Communication 101
Learn how to speak to dogs, we can only assume. Why is this not a bigger deal? We had no idea all it took was a two-hour course! But for real learn how to interpret and connect with your animal pals!

Computers:

Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Google Apps and Gmail Workshop: The Ins and Outs of Your Account
Have you just started using a bunch of Google Apps? Want to make sure you’re getting the most out of your various Google-branded things? Learn how to collaboate, make contact lists, organize yourself, share your calendar, and much more!

Entertainment:

Thursday, February 23rd
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
New Director Welcome Tea
Join the friends of the Forbes Library for an event that serves refereshments! Yay! Also, you’ll get to meet the newly appointed Library Director Lisa Downing!
Friday, February 24th
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Layaali Arabic Music Duo
Tickets are $10, $6 for students and seniors, to this night of delightful music and entertainment with Mohammed Mejaour and Michel Moushabeck! Arrive early to shop at a 20% discount!
Saturday, February 25th
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Teen Iron Chef
Ever wanted to try your hand at unseating the Iron Chefs? This is your moment to shine, aspirational teen chef! The main food is going to be chocolate. You’re going to get 8 ingredients, 4 of which will be odd. You need to use at least one of the weird ones and 3 overall to make the best tasting dish! The winner gets a little prize!
MYSTERY LOCATION at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Nintendo Video Game Night
Check out the meetup group https://www.meetup.com/thepvg/ to sign up and get further details if this sounds interesting! Play some classic Nintendo games as you salivate in anticipation of the Switch!

History:

Sunday, February 26th
Deerfield Community Center [80 Old Main St, Deerfield, MA 01342] at 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Winter Lecture Series: Renounce the Baneful Herb: Colonial Boycotts and the Invention of Liberty Tea
Learn about early American boycotts of British trade goods and how they created a common American identity in a country that was still super super British. Always a good plan to know your history, keeps you from being caught flat-footed if the Doctor ever needs your help.

Kids:

Monday, February 20th
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art [125 West Bay Rd., Amherst, MA 01002] at 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Special Storytime: Hazel Mitchell
Author/Illustrator Hazel Mitchell will read her new book Toby, a sotry about the bond between a child and an adorable dog!
Tuesday, February 21st
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Kids’ Craft Club
Read a story, make a craft! You know the drill, folks.
Thursday, February 23rd
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art [125 West Bay Rd., Amherst, MA 01002] at 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Special Storytime: Josh Funk and Anna Staniszewski
Storytime about dinosaurs! Josh Funk will read Pirasaurs, a tale of dinos gon rogue, and Anna Staniszewski will give a sneak peak of her new book Dogosaurus Rex!
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM
LEGO Club
Build LEGO! It’s the building toy that hurts more than you can possibly imagine when you step on it only you don’t need to imagine because you’ve definitely stepped on it we all have.
Friday, February 24th
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art [125 West Bay Rd., Amherst, MA 01002] at 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Special Storytime: Corinne Demas and Artemis Roehrig
This mother-daughter team will teach kids manners via pirates! We should teach more things via pirates, it’s a solid didactic methodology.
Saturday, February 25th
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Saturday Morning Kids, Learn Magic Tricks!
Learn some cool magic tricks to keep you feeling cool while the weather’s cool! … cool.
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art [125 West Bay Rd., Amherst, MA 01002] at 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Northampton CommunityMusic Center Family Concert Series: Jason Didner & Jungle Gym Jam
Jungle Gym Jam will delight and entertain your kid while secretly also teaching them to be a bit nicer to folks.

Movies:

Wednesday, February 22nd
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
We Need to Talk About Injustice
From the description “In an engaging and personal talk — with cameo appearances from his grandmother and Rosa Parks — human rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson shares some hard truths about America’s justice system”, educate yourself!
Friday, February 24th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
The Tale of Desperaux
Have some snacks as you watch the a delightful children’s film in the Community Room!

Science:

Thursday, February 23rd
MYSTERY LOCATION at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
OEB Science Cafe: A Day in the Life, Stories from Your Neighborhood Biologists
This one got hit by the SNOWPOCALYPSE and moved to a new date! Still has the same great biologist content though!

February 13th – February 19th

The Valley Nerd Watch!

First of all! Next month is NERDSummit! They asked us to tell you this, and they also gave us some money which is a very good way to get us to remember to do a thing! Check it out March 18th 9am – 6pm and 19th 10am – 5pm at the UMass Integrated Sciences Building! There are going to be a lot of great folks there to learn from and workshops for everyone from absolute beginners or non-coders to advanced coders!

So hey also we’ve been really digging Pandemic Legacy recently AND BUT ALSO we just got to play Seafall, which is the newest Rob Daviau creation and it’s a heck of a game. We just got to play the introductory bit, but it was a pretty decent combination of simple decisions and complicated effects.

The story being told also seems interesting. Sort of a fantasy colonialism but with a really obvious bent toward how incredibly short-sighted the provinces doing the colonizing are. Lots of “the locals say that there’s a VERY GOOD REASON to not do what we’re about to do, and they also demonstrated it directly with several very compelling examples but on the other hand aren’t we the smartest and best? Yes.”

“Anyway we did the thing and now half our crew have spontaneously combusted in what we can only assume is an entirely separate event.”

You should definitely check out Nerd Nite NoHo this week! It’ll be a really good time and we always appreciate seeing you there! As always half of the money plus whatever you want to put in the donation box goes to charity! It’s a very good system for doing good things for folks.

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:

Monday, February 13th
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Learn to Paint the 45 Million Dollar Flower
Possibly the fastest way we can imagine to save for retirement! Award-winning pastel artist and teacher Gregory Maichack will teach you to paint Georgia O’Keeffe’s elegant Jimson Flower and then sell it for the price that people are willing to pay for a painting of this nice flower: $45.4 million dollars. Why haven’t we already done this! It’s so simple!
Tuesday, February 14th
Mead Art Museum [41 Quadrangle Dr, Amherst, MA 01002] at 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Mead Reimagined: Take 2
The debut of Kota Ezawa’s “Gardner Museum Revisited”, which recreates 13 paintings stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990! The paintings were worth over $500 million and the mystery is still unsolved because no on has ever been smart enough to catch us wait nO HOW DO WE DELETE POSTS
Wednesday, February 15th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM
Knitting Clinic
Having trouble with your knitting projects? want to modify a pattern? Bring stalled projects of any type to the knitting clinic so they can help!
Thursday, February 16th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Cookies with a Curator
Informal conversation and show and tell with the Forbes Library collection. And cookies!
Friday, February 17th
Emily Dickinson Museum [280 Main St, Amherst, MA 01002] at 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Emily Dickinson Poetry Discussion Group
The session topic will be “Emily Dickinson and the Art of Hiding”. So if you really want to impress them, just don’t show up and say you were there but you’re incredible at hiding. That’s using your noodle.
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Submissions and Revisions
A free drop-in group of writers who gather to polish and send out submissions of work to magazines, agents, and editors! The submissions process can be terrifying and demoralizing, so do it with a group of friends who’ll applaud every time you shout “Sent!”

Board Games:

Saturday, February 18th
Comics n’ More [31 Union Street, Easthampton MA 01027] at 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Mutants and Masterminds!
Why read about superheroes when you be superheroes? Well, probably because of the inherent difficulty in getting together a lot of folks to play an RPG regularly. That’s what this is for though! New players are always welcome for a wonderful time battling evil!

Books:

Wednesday, February 15th
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Lisa Carey, The Stolen Child
Lisa Carey will discuss her book about magic and love and secrets and all that fascinating stuff. Set in Ireland in 1959, the novel follows a woman whose hands can mystically harm as she begins a tumultuous affair with a mysterious American woman who visits the secluded island on which she lives and the events of a winter full of terrifying and possibly mystical troubles!
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Book Talk & Signing: Katherine Anderson
Katherine will talk about her novel Hospital Hill, set in the Northampton State Hospital. In it, Valerie Martin – a former employee – returns after the closure of the hospital and discovers a dark secret! Why does no one ever return to an abandoned asylum and discover a delightful secret?
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) Writing Critique Group
Writers of picture books, middle grade, and YA books meet to read and get some feedback! The group is facilitated by following SCBWI guidelines but you don’t have to be a member to participate.
Thursday, February 16th
Gamble Auditorium, Mount Holyoke College at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Roxane Gay: Flashpoint!
The best-selling author of books such as An Untamed State and Bad Feminist will present a lecture exploring social critique and innovative reasoning on race, gender, and identity.
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Jilly Gagnon, #famous Book Prom!
Prizes for the best dressed at this book prom! Debut author Jilly Gagnon will talk about her novel about falling in love in front of the whole world and the terrifying thrill ride of social media and also liking another person!

Comic Books:

Saturday, February 18th
Comics n’ More [31 Union Street, Easthampton MA 01027] at 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
LGBTQ Comics Meet-up
A good conversation with friendly people in a comic shop. Meet new people and talk about comics!

Computers:

Thursday, February 16th
The Dirty Truth [29 Main St., Northampton] at 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM
User Experience, Accessibility, and Inclusive Design
For digital makers who are interested in creating products and services that provide a good experience for everyone! Things like considering whether or not your UI is readable to people who don’t see a difference between red and green!
Northampton Community TV [380 Elm St., Northampton, MA] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
WordPress Developers and Admins
Talk about current projects, problems and solutions for members, BuddyPress and bbPress, and installing SSL Certificates! It’s a great chance to get a rundown of some useful information about WordPress and to meet friendly people!

Entertainment:

Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Anime Club
Watch some anime! We’ve heard Jojo’s Bizzare Adventure is… weird? Good? We honestly can’t tell, but at least we can say we’ve heard that it exists, which means something!

History:

Monday, February 13th
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Conversation with Author Series: Derek Strahan’s new book “Lost Springfield, Massachusetts”
Derek Strahan takes readers on a tour of the historic landmarks and wonderful old buildings that are living monuments to the history of a city of firsts, ad well as a look at some of the most historically significant places that no longer exist!
Tuesday, February 14th
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM
A Polish Odyssey
Family historian Sara Campbell will tell the unique story of the Rzewski family and their travails as they attempt to reunite in their new Holyoke Home over the course of conscription into the Russian Army, children being scattered by WW1, and a pacific crossing! It’s a story of the deep familial love that keeps hope alive over the course of a long and difficult immigration process!

Kids:

Wednesday, February 15th
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Story & Craft Time @ North Amherst Library
Hear a story, make a craft, generally enjoy the fact that you’re a kid and you’re having a good day!
Thursday, February 16th
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Come Play Laser Tag in the Library!
Cauterize your friends! It seems like it makes very little sense to provide teens with lasers and set them loose in a library but hey we’re not in charge. Grades 5th – 8th, please sign up in advance!
Friday, February 17th
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Stuffed Animal Sleepover in the Library!
See what your favorite doll or stuffed animal or action figure gets up to when they spend the night at the library! Hear a special story and then leave your stuffed pal for a night of fun! You can drop them off any time between 10am and 7pm! Reunite with them on Saturday at 10:30am and enjoy breakfast and pictures of their sleepover! This is so frigging adorable we cannot handle it.

Movies:

Wednesday, February 15th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM
Film Screening: Richard Pryor, Live on the Sunset Strip
Richard Pryor! Classic of comedy, in one of his first performances after his very public battle with drugs. A venerable comic mind tackles a lot of topics and we’re like 90% certain holds up without that wrenching disconnect you get with some older comedy specials.
Saturday, February 18th
MYSTERY LOCATION at 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Potluck and Brazil (Director’s Cut)
Bring food and/or drink to share! After a nice dinner, the Western Mass Sci-Fi Group will watch a classic of weird SF, Brazil! It’s a Terry GIlliam film so you’re in for really distinctive visual design and a plot you can understand a bit in retrospect.  Sign up for the Meetup Group to find out where this is!

RPGs:

Thursday, February 16th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
RPG Club
Play an RPG! Be a person you’re not in a world you aren’t! Or… or you could role-play exactly who and where you are! Just sort of recurse through your current experiences like you’re in a hall of mirrors!

Science:

Monday, February 13th
The World War 2 Club [50 Conz St., Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Nerd Nite NoHo: Trees and Nerds
Join us for another fun Nerd Nite! Half of all proceeds go to charity! This time around Henry Lappen will be around to teach us about trees and their various mysteries, and Melissa Lewis-Gentry will speak about nerd communities and how to host nerd events in a really meta talk!
Saturday, February 18th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Scientific Kids Club
Explore geology and volcanoes with Steven and Ralph this month! We’re assuming Stephen and Ralph is what the library calls their pet volcanoes.