History

April 23rd – April 29th

The Valley Nerd Watch!

Sorry about the delay! All we can say, legally, is that no one should touch grasshoppers for a few months.

Have an excellent week! Take a look at the new Meetup group for Nerd Nite NoHo if you’d like to! It’s an alternative to Facebook for folks who don’t like Facebook!

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, April 24th
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.
Wednesday, April 25th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Painting in the Margins: Displacement and the Refugee Experience Presented by Human Rights Activist Thaer Abdallah
Thaer Abdallah will speak about his experiences as a Palestinian minority in Iraq and as a refugee in Syria, his torture and return to Iraq, and his flight to the United States. He will share his paintings of the Palestinian community in Baghdad, Iraq and as refugees across the world. His paintings of subjects in the U.S. reflect awareness of those on the margins of society. Free and open to the public!
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM
Forbes Library Zine Club
Zines! Come hang out and make some zines! There are zines for all tastes, and all are welcome! Whether you’re 6 or 66, a zine is a fun way to spend an evening!
Thursday, April 26th
Emily Dickinson Museum [280 Main St, Amherst, MA 01002] at 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM
Common Threads Poetry Discussion for National Poetry Month
April is National Poetry Month! All months are like twelve things,so that’s not a really big deal but hey it’s an excuse to hang out with Adam Grabowski and talk poetry! Adam has published a bunch of places and has contributed a lot to the WW2 Club Open Mic! This place is $5 per person and you need to reserve a space by calling 413-542-2034!
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM
Community Hike on Mount Sugarloaf
In celebration of National Poem in Your Pocket Day and also National Sequence of Words Constrained by Cloth Day and also National Non-Euclidean Spaces That Constrain Concepts Day and also National Administrative Assistant Assistant Day you should bring your favorite poem for a community hike up Mount Sugarloaf! They take about 30 minutes and folks will meet at the top to read aloud some favorite poems and share refreshments. Bring your own water, though!
Emily Dickinson Museum [280 Main St, Amherst, MA 01002] at 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Poem in Your Pocket Day 2018
If you memorize a poem from Emily Dickinson and recite it, you get free admission!
Smith College Museum of Art [20 Elm St, Northampton, MA 01063] at 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Public Talk, “Untitled, 2018” by Artist Andrea Fraser
From the site: “Andrea Fraser is an artist best known for forms of performance art, institutional critique, and feminist practice that turn art world conventions on their head. Fraser lives in Los Angeles, where she chairs the UCLA Department of Art. This program is part of Excavating the Image, an annual collaboration between the Kahn Liberal Arts Institute and the Smith College Museum of Art.”
Saturday, April 28th
Mead Art Museum [41 Quadrangle Dr, Amherst, MA 01002] at 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Weekly Tour at the Mead!
Natasha Kim, ’18 will lead this tour! Tasha is an environmental studies major, and the tour will focus on the relationships between gender, houses, and the home in HOUSE! The tour is free and open to all!
Sunday, April 29th
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM
jubilat/Jones Poetry Reading
Listen to good poems and thereby become a more interesting person!

Board Games:

Saturday, April 28th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Board Game Night
Play boardgames with friends and soon-to-be-friends as well as some of the friendly staff at Modern Myths! It’s a great night to try out something you may have been meaning to check out! This Saturday it’s going to feature some tree-related games! Photosynthesis is really fun!

Books:

Wednesday, April 25th
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Elizabeth Bear, Stone Mad: A Karen Memory Adventure
Readers met Karen Memory in the 2015 novel “Memory”, and fell in love with the fact that that’s a good book you should all read. Now, Karen’s back with Stone Mad, a new story about spiritualists, magicians, con-men, and an angry lost tommy-knocker, who’s been kidnapped to Rapid City. Lots of stuff! Sounds exciting.
Thursday, April 26th
Packards [14 Masonic St., Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
We’ Book Discussion & Dinner
For April, the group will be reading We by Yevgeny Zamyatin! It’s a short book so even if you’re finding out about it now you can read it for Thursday! It’s kind of pre-1984 1984, in that it deals with a society in the grip of excessive collectivism and automation fever, that has decided that individual needs and wants are no longer important enough to consider. It’s an interesting example of early social science fiction and we recommend giving it a look! You can find it for free somewhere, we’re pretty sure!
Barnes & Noble [7 Holyoke St., Holyoke MA 01040] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Harry Potter and the Sacred Text
“We will discuss Chapter 4 “The Keeper of the Keys” (Book 1, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone), through the theme of “Liberation.” Please read the chapter beforehand; it’s also handy if you bring your book along. Please RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/events/1735770856446086/”
Friday, April 27th
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Nafissa Thompson – Spires, Heads of the Colored People: Stories
From the site: “Calling to mind the best works of Paul Beatty and Junot D az, this collection of moving, timely, and darkly funny stories examines the concept of black identity in this so-called post-racial era. A stunning new talent in literary fiction, Nafissa Thompson-Spires grapples with black identity and the contemporary middle class in these compelling, boundary-pushing vignettes.”
Sunday, April 29th
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Celebrate Independent Bookstore Day at the Odyssey!
From the site: “Independent Bookstore Day is a one-day national party that takes place at indie bookstores across the country on the last Saturday in April. Every store is unique and independent, and every party is different. But in addition to authors, live music, cupcakes, scavenger hunts, kids events, art tables, readings, barbecues, contests, and other fun stuff, there are exclusive books and literary items that you can only get on that day. Not before. Not after. Not online.” Support local bookstores!

Card Games:

Friday, April 27th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 10:30 PM
Friday Night Magic (Casual/101)
Learn to play Magic in a casual setting with the friendly staff of Modern Myths! Test out a cool new deck, play with constructed decks if other folks are into it, get special door prizes! It’s the perfect night for new Magic players or people who just want to take it easy! It’s $5 to attend, which is immediately converted to store credit.

Community:

Wednesday, April 25th
Springfiled Public Forum [34 Court St. Springfield, MA] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Educate a Girl, Change the World
From the site: “Shabana Basij-Rasikh was born and raised in Kabul, Afghanistan. Under the Taliban regime, she dressed as a boy in order to go to school since girls were banned from attending – with dire consequences if she was caught. Shabana was one of the lucky few who received an education which enabled her to attend Middlebury College. While in college, Shabana co-founded SOLA – the School of Leadership, Afghanistan. Today, SOLA is the first and only all-girls boarding school in Afghanistan and SOLA students represent all major ethnic groups and religious sects. Its goal is to have their students attend university worldwide and return to substantive careers in Afghanistan. In addition to leading SOLA, Shabana is a global ambassador for Girl Rising, a call to action seeking investment in girls’ education worldwide.”

Computers:

Monday, April 23rd
Click Workspace [9.5 Market St., Northampton MA] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Dockerize Your Project with Mob Programming!
From the site: “At this meetup, Geri Jennings (CyberArk) will run through an example of adding Docker to a project with increasing complexity, and then will open up the floor to other attendees to share their project and their screen so we can Dockerize it mob-programming style! Bring your projects! Bring your computers! Bring your enthusiasm! And be prepared to be amazed! Tip: if you haven’t done mob programming before, check out New Relic’s Taming the Mob series for info on how it works: https://blog.newrelic.com/2017/10/24/mob-programming-start-mobbing/“

Entertainment:

Thursday, April 26th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Anime Club
Anime is an art form that we have scattered experience with but a lot of people wicked like. We just started watching the Netflix one “Children of the Whales” and it seems pretty neat and neatly pretty so far, though quite sad!
Saturday, April 28th
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Poetry Scavenger Hunt for Teens
Celebrate Poetry Month with a poetry themed scavenger hunt! Participants will look for clues inside and outside the library to find prizes!
Sunday, April 29th
Yiddish Book Center [1021 West St., Amherst MA 01002] at 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Yiddish Book Center Open House
Featuring the Melinda Rosenblatt Lecture presented by David Fishman! This will feature a discussion of David Fishman’s book “The Book Smugglers”, which won the 2017 National Jewish Book Award’s Holocaust category. It’s the story of ghetto inmates who rescued thosands of rare books and manuscripts from the Nazis and the Soviets. You can also go on a tour of the world’s first Yiddish museum!

History:

Thursday, April 26th
Historic Northampton [46 Bridge Street, Northampton, MA 01060-2406] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Film Screening: A Place for Madness
Film screening of the 1994 Frontline episode focusing on Northampton and the stories of people dealing with the effects of the closure of Northampton State Hospital. Intro remarks and a follow-up conversation with Christopher Sparks
Friday, April 27th
Historic Northampton [46 Bridge Street, Northampton, MA 01060-2406] at 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM
Living History Series: A Conversation with Yvonne Freccero, Advocate for the Homeless
Advocate for the Homeless Yvonne Freccero will share her story of emigrating from England to the US, why she moved to the Valley, and why she dedicated herself to helping the homeless. Reception & Conversation is $25, just the conversation is $10!
Saturday, April 28th
Historic Northampton [46 Bridge Street, Northampton, MA 01060-2406] at 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM
Conflict, Resistance, and Legacies: Revisiting King Philip’s War
Three different historians – Lisa Brooks of Amherst College, Christine DeLucia of Mount Holyoke, and Neal Salisbury of Smith College – will offer some groundbreaking interpretations of the conflict generally referred to as “King Philip’s War”, including new evidence about the origins, nature, and ongoing impact of the conflict. There will be some individual presenting followed by a moderated panel and some Q&A. Learn more about a horrifying part of history our teachers never really focused on! Free and open to the public!

Kids:

Tuesday, April 24th
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Teen and Tween Art Club
Teens! Tweens! And everyone in between! Go do some art at your wonderful local library!
Wednesday, April 25th
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM
Lego Club (ages 5-10)
Build LEGO, kids!
Friday, April 27th
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Laser Tag
Light each other up with some lasers! Ages 11-17 welcome, pre-register to attend, and use the Garden entrance!

Movies:

Wednesday, April 25th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM
Film: The Poor People’s Campaign: Then and Now, 1968 – 2018
A film covering Martin Luther King’s 1968 Poor People’s campaign followed by footage of the revival of the campaign in 2018. Post-film discussion will involve people involved with the new campaign including Michaelann Beweesem, director of Arise for Social Justice, Springfield and Tavar Jones will discuss his experience representing Arise in national organizing.

RPGs:

Wednesday, April 25th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Youngbloods Adventure Guild
A monthly D&D club for players 8-12! You can become a member of this club by prepaying $50. That gets you help with creating a character, a mini, a custom D&D session, and a set of dice! It’s the perfect way to play a fun game with friends! We recommend you play a bard. Actually everyone should play as a bard and you should be adventurers by day and a traveling band by night!
Thursday, April 26th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
RPG Club
Play a game where you pretend to be another person! That covers a pretty wide range, so we don’t know exactly what’ll be up here but for some reason most of these games involves swords and dragons at some point. Even if someone tells you you’re going to be playing an RPG about minding a small convenience store, take a few levels in Longswords just in case.
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Youngbloods Adventure Guild
A monthly D&D club for players 8-12!
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Dungeons and Dragons
Play one of the classic RPGs at Modern Myths! New players are always welcome, and there’s a friendly crowd there every week! We recommend playing fast and loose, since it’s a drop-in drop-out game, so worst case you can come back in a few months with your bard’s ‘long-lost uncle who’s also secretly a god’.

Science:

Monday, April 23rd
Union Station [125 Pleasant St, Northampton] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
SciTech Cafe: Dawkins Walks Into a Madrassa: How Evolution is Used in Promoting a ‘Clash of Civilizations’ Narrative
How does biological evolution sometimes feed into the clash of civilizations narrative? Do Muslims accept biological evolution? Is evolution even taught in Muslim-majority countries? How can scientists make positive contributions to discussions over biological evolution? Salman Hameed, also known as “Mister Universe” on WRSI, will answer all these questions and more! He’s great, you’ll love it.
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April 16th – April 22nd

The Valley Nerd Watch!

We got to attend the Pioneer Valley Zine Fest this past weekend and let us tell you that was danged inspiring. Just a ton of people putting stuff out there that tells people whatever they want to say. There were amazingly detailed pieces of artwork, there were left-handed drawings of cats, there were full-on comics and there were tiny collections of drawings from cool teens!

We’re bowled over by the variety and intensity of creativity present not just in the Valley, but in specifically Easthampton! There are so many nice people supporting each other in an effort to make the best artwork possible. We’ll try to get our creators page up to date this week to add some of the folks we met.

We’re excited to do more to help local zinesters make their zine scene evergreen!

Also there were a few dogs there and they were GREAT dogs.

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, April 17th
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
An Evening with Haiku Poets: A Long Wait for Spring
From the site: “The Haiku Poets’ Society of Western Massachusetts invites you to attend A Long Wait for Spring, an integrated reading and talk in celebration of National Haiku Poetry Day. The program will be followed by a Meet and Greet with an opportunity to ask questions and peruse the book table.”
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.
Wednesday, April 18th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Flash Fiction and Memoir
From the site: “Contributors to WriteAngles Journal, an online publication of WriteAngles, Inc., will read their short stories and personal essays. “Flash” refers not only to the brevity of the pieces (500 words and under) but also to the “flash” of insight into the human condition each piece provides. Refreshments will be served.”
Thursday, April 19th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Cookies with a Curator
From the site: “April is Preservation month and we will discuss how to identify and care for your family photographs. We will show examples from Forbes Library’s collections and staff personal collections. Bring an item from your own collection to share and receive advice from staff on its care. “
Friday, April 20th
Emily Dickinson Museum [280 Main St, Amherst, MA 01002] at 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Emily Dickinson Poetry Discussion Group
From the site: “In honor of National Poetry Month, the April discussion will focus on some of Emily Dickinson’s poems about poets and poetry. For comparison’s sake, we will also look at other poets’ poems on the same topic, including poetry by Marianne Moore, Archibald Macleish, and Pablo Neruda. Some of the Dickinson selections are familiar; others less so.”
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Metalsmithing for Teens
From the site: “Heather Beck presents a metalsmithing workshop for teens. Participants will learn about the structure of metal and make a copper bookmark with stamped shapes and letters to create textures and words. Space is limited to eight people. Sign up in advance at the Children’s Desk, or by calling 587-1010.”
Saturday, April 21st
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Vintage-Style Photo Transfers to Canvas
Space is limited, register by calling 413-665-2642! Learn how to transfer a print onto a canvas to create a beautiful and unique piece of artwork! All supplies are provided and it’s free to attend! Email a copy of the image you’d like to use to director@sunderlandpubliclibrary.org before the program!
Mead Art Museum [41 Quadrangle Dr, Amherst, MA 01002] at 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Weekly Tour at the Mead!
From the site: “Join us for a tour with Stephen Johnson ’19. Stephen is an art history major, and his tour will focus on ideas of material and digital manipulation across the exhibitions on view. This tour is free and open to all!”

Board Games:

Saturday, April 21st
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Board Game Night
Play boardgames with friends and soon-to-be-friends as well as some of the friendly staff at Modern Myths! It’s a great night to try out something you may have been meaning to check out! This Saturday it’s going to feature some tree-related games! Photosynthesis is really fun!
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Palmer Scholastic Chess Tournament
4 Sections: K-3, 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12   Round one starts at 10:00 AM 4-Round Swiss System   Trophies to 1st,2nd,3rd in each section Entry is FREE!!!   *Please bring chess set and chess clock (if you have them) and a bagged lunch .

Books:

Monday, April 16th
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 7:00 PM to 8:30pm
Madeline Miller, Circe
From the site: “Madeline Miller was born in Boston and grew up in New York City and Philadelphia. She attended Brown University, where she earned her BA and MA in Classics. ” She wrote a book about Circe, the character from the Greek Myths who turned people into animals/monsters!
Wednesday, April 18th
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
A Poetry Reading with Martin Espada and Lauren Marie Schmidt
From the site: “Lauren Marie Schmidt is the author of four books. Her new collection of poems from Curbstone/Northwestern University Press is called Filthy Labors. Martín Espada was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1957. His latest collection of poems from Norton is called Vivas to Those Who Have Failed (2016).” They’ll read poems!
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. Learn to write better and also meet some colleagues!
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Author visit with Corinne Demas and Artemis Roehrig
From the site: “Do bed bugs wear pajamas? Do stink bugs take baths? Join authors Corinne Demas and Artemis Roehrig for a reading of their newest picture book, Do Doodlebugs Doodle? Amazing Insect Facts, to find out!”
Saturday, April 21st
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Quabbin Writers Salon Reading
From the site: “The Quabbin Writers Salon, local poets and prose writers in the Pioneer Valley, recently released an Anthology called Microbursts, from a poem about the event in Easthampton.” We assume they’re not speaking of… The Event. The Event is not something of which one speaks should one wish to avoid the consequences attendant with… The Event.
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Holly Thompson, Twilight Chant
From the site: “A reading and signing followed by twilight-themed activities including trivia, coloring, and cookie decorating! As day slips softly into night, sharp eyes catch glimpses of the special creatures who are active at dusk. Lyrical text and lush art capture the richness and life of this magical time in a sumptuous picture book that will inspire budding naturalists and anyone who has ever chased a lightning bug at twilight.”

Card Games:

Friday, April 20th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 10:30 PM
Friday Night Magic (Casual/101)
Learn to play Magic in a casual setting with the friendly staff of Modern Myths! Test out a cool new deck, play with constructed decks if other folks are into it, get special door prizes! It’s the perfect night for new Magic players or people who just want to take it easy! It’s $5 to attend, which is immediately converted to store credit.

Community:

Thursday, April 19th
Emily Dickinson Museum [280 Main St, Amherst, MA 01002] at 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Recasting Emily: A Panel Discussion for Educators
From the site: “Join educators from K-higher ed. classrooms for this arts integration discussion. Participation is free and no reservations required.”
Saturday, April 21st
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Adulting 101 – Healthy Eating in Today’s World
Teens and young adults ages 14-22, get some tips on how to eat health! learn some food facts and how to make good healthy food choices for a lifetime! Led by a local registered dietician. We’ve always recommended eating healthy by consuming only locally-grown leaves from trees near your dwelling. These “tree stars” have all the nutrition a growing herbivore needs!

Computers:

Tuesday, April 17th
Common Media [84 Russell St., Hadley, MA] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Hack for Western Mass
From the site: “Dinner and drinks are on us! We are developers, UX designers, design thinkers, graphic designers, data scientists, project managers, NGO leaders, hackers, and others who want to be active in our community. Hack for Western Mass (http://hackforwesternmass.org) is an ongoing initiative that works to deliver technical solutions to organizations we believe in. As an alternative to a traditional hackathon, we work with organizations on specific technical challenges and carry the projects from design to deployment.”
Thursday, April 19th
Last Call Media [136 West St., Suite 01, Northampton MA] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Wester Mass Drupal Users Group Meeting
If you love Drupal, be there! This is your only chance to save Drupal from the deadly eel-pit in which the sinister Seneschal has trapped Drupal!
Northampton Community TV [380 Elm St., Northampton, MA] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Western Mass WordPress
From the site: “This meetup is open to anyone interested in WordPress: newbies, developers, designers and administrators. All are welcome. The agenda varies from month to month and the topics to be discussed at the next meetup are set at the end of each meetup. Typically we discuss current projects that we are working on, have a problems and solutions section where you can raise issues you are having and offer advice to others about their problems. We try to have a focused topic of general interest at each meeting.”

Entertainment:

Wednesday, April 18th
Westfield Atheneum [6 Elm St, Westfield, MA 01085] at 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Speaker Series – Mario Bonavita The Autism Spectrum
From the site: “Mario is a 27 year old Agawam resident on the autism spectrum. His focus is to bring awareness to and educate people on what autism is. Mario has even spoken on a panel with Temple Grandin! … Mario will present how autism has affected him, what autism is and statistics on the spectrum. Mario will be available for questions after the program.
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
First Wednesday Speaker Series: Gut-Mind Connection
Georgia Ede, MD will return with a repeat of her talk “Beyond Medication: How to Improve Mood, Attention, and Memory Through Diet”. Based on a quick look at the website “www.diagnosisdiet.com”, it looks like the basic pitch is: Vegetables are actively harmful to mental and physical health, eat exclusively meat if at all possible. So ketogenic diets, basically. Which frankly we lack the capacity to evaluate properly, but we’re gonna go one step further and say that only eating a specific animal is healthy, but you’ll have to come to our talk to find out which one.
Thursday, April 19th
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Wellesley Club: Presentation on W.E.B. Du Bois by Selwyn Cudjoe
From the site: “Selwyn R. Cudjoe, Professor of Africana Studies and Comparative Literature at Wellesley College, will examine the development of W. E. B. Du Bois as one of the best-known scholars of the twentieth century. This is the 150th anniversary of Du Bois’s birth. Free and open to the public.”
Sunday, April 22nd
MYSTERY LOCATION at 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Firefly & Potluck: Episode 4
From the site: “Please note the earlier start time compared to Star Trek Meetups we were having on Sundays. Starting at 5pm gives us the chance to watch more episodes and/or do fire pit. This is also a potluck so please bring something to eat or drink.”

History:

Wednesday, April 18th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
The Life of United States General and President Ulysses S. Grant – A Talk By Donald Blais, Jr.
Donald Blais will discuss President Grant’s life, focusing on his role as general in the Civil War and his presidency. Interesting note: Ulysses S. Grant was our first president who tricked a Cyclops.

Kids:

Tuesday, April 17th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM
LEGO Club
Play with LEGO! Have fun! Ages 5 and up!
Wednesday, April 18th
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Food Adventures: Cooking Class for Preteens and Teens
Cook at the library! You’ll get hands-on cooking experience, learn how to make nutritious meals, find out about new foods, and eat what you have prepared!
Thursday, April 19th
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
All About Bees! (Ages 5-12)
BEES! Watch out children! They’re right here! Bees! Bees all over! Monstrous beeeeeees! Learn about them! Learn about bees so you may avoid our fate, our bee sadness!
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM
Teen Movie: Spirited Away
Watch a terrifying but beautiful movie about a cursed spa that a child and her parents get trapped inside! It’s wild, and the moral is: “Don’t go near obviously cursed places, and definitely don’t eat the food if you do decide to do that!”
Friday, April 20th
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Ukulele Music Time with Julie
Learn! Play! Listen! Uke! Every up and coming youngster knows that a solid handle of ukulele technique is absolutely key to performing in the modern economy.
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM
UNO Tournament
Play UNO and eat pizza with friends!

Movies:

Tuesday, April 17th
Westfield Atheneum [6 Elm St, Westfield, MA 01085] at 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Family Movie – Ferdinand
From the site: “Drop in to the Lang Auditorium for a free movie! We provide snacks and drinks. This movie is based on the book Ferdinand, a bull with a big heart, who is mistaken for a dangerous beast. He is captured and torn from his home. Determined to return to his family, he rallies a misfit team on the ultimate adventure. Rated: PG (1 hour 48 minutes)”
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Books with Barry – The Movie Edition
From the site: “To follow up with the book discussion of Fahrenheit 451, the movie will be shown. Which is best the book or the movie? Come and decide!”
Wednesday, April 18th
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Film | Coco
Coco! A delightful/terrifying Pixar movie about an afterlife in which you remain eternally but only if you are remembered. Which is kind of weird. Famous people get like a bonus heaven? That seems unfair. But we haven’t seen it, maybe they explain that!
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Sing-Along Moana
From the site: “Dreaming you were going somewhere tropical for school vacation? Your wish has come true. Join us for a family fun afternoon of singing and movie viewing at Greenfield Public Library! This event is free and open to all ages. Music by Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda. Themed snacks to be served. Costumes encouraged. Bring your singing voices!”
Thursday, April 19th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
My Little Pony the Movie
Watch the My Little Pony movie to find out why friends are nice to have!
Friday, April 20th
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Movie Matinee: Despicable Me 3
See that movie everyone calls “not the best one of this series, which itself is not really an amazing series of films”! Your kids will love it to spite you.

RPGs:

Wednesday, April 18th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Youngbloods Adventure Guild
A monthly D&D club for players 8-12! You can become a member of this club by prepaying $50. That gets you help with creating a character, a mini, a custom D&D session, and a set of dice! It’s the perfect way to play a fun game with friends! We recommend you play a bard. Actually everyone should play as a bard and you should be adventurers by day and a traveling band by night!
Thursday, April 19th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Youngbloods Adventure Guild
A monthly D&D club for players 8-12!
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Dungeons and Dragons
Play one of the classic RPGs at Modern Myths! New players are always welcome, and there’s a friendly crowd there every week! We recommend playing fast and loose, since it’s a drop-in drop-out game, so worst case you can come back in a few months with your bard’s ‘long-lost uncle who’s also secretly a god’.
Saturday, April 21st
Comics N’ More [31 Union St, Easthampton, Massachusetts 01027] at 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
The Lollipops! (Superhero RPG)
Take on the role of characters who are baiscally like the Teen Titans or New Mutants or whoever else you like best who’s a teen hero! Use FATE rules, all materials are provided and you’re welcome to join in at any time! LGBTQ-friendly!

 

April 9th – April 15th

 

The Valley Nerd Watch!

The big news this week: Nerd Nite! The greatest Nite of the month! This time it’ll feature Jordana Starr of Beerology and Christian Reader of Comics N’ More! It’s going to be fun and you’ll have a chance to buy fresh-baked cookies that are specially designed to be the best ones possible by us! All cookie cash goes straight to the spectacular Northampton Survival Center!

And spend as much time as you can at Modern Myths, because they’re great and it’s going to be really sad when they shut down at the end of May.

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, April 9th
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Warrior Writers Workshop
Warrior Writers Workshop, facilitated by Eric Wasileski, meets monthly on the second Tuesdays. Learn how to write better in the company of friends!
Wednesday, April 11th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Forbes Library Zine Club
Zines! Zines! Zines! Zines! Zines! Zines! Zines! Zines! Zines! ZZZZZIIIIIIIIIINNNNNES!
Friday, April 13th
Historic Northampton [46 Bridge Street, Northampton, MA 01060-2406] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Arts Night Out: An Evening with Claire Dacey
Claire Dacey is an award-winning folk singer/songwriter and instrumentalist who’ll perform two sets, one at 6pm and one at 7pm. Donations will benefit local organizations that aid those in need! Help folks and hear nice music, who could ask for more?
Smith College Museum of Art [20 Elm St, Northampton, MA 01063] at 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Free Second Friday
Hands on art making from 4pm-7pm! Make beautiful block prints drawn from real flowers and leaves from the Smith College Botanic Garden and inspired by FLOWERING STARS: Prints by Dwight Pogue! You can also get a guided tour starting at 6pm and some free refreshments! Go hang out in your great local museum!
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Dusk at MacLeish
On four Northampton Arts Nights Out this spring, photographer Pamela Petro and poet Naila Moreira will present an art exhibit, Dusk at Macleish, of seven ecological graphic poems. Their work, in word and image digital presentation, will be projected on a triptych of screens. It’ll be neat and you’ll like it so check it out!

Board Games:

Friday, April 13th
Burger King Community Room [344 King St., Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM
Tabletop Game Night
Meet up and play some board games with friendly people! They tend to like the Euro stuff but feel free to bring whatever you think will be fun. We highly recommend checking Azul, we’ve played it a few times and it’s a lot of fun. Kind of like competitive solitaire, but with nice colored tiles.
Saturday, April 14th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Board Game Night
Play boardgames with friends and soon-to-be-friends as well as some of the friendly staff at Modern Myths! It’s a great night to try out something you may have been meaning to check out! This Saturday it’s going to feature some tree-related games! Photosynthesis is really fun!

Books:

Tuesday, April 10th
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Brock Clarke, The Price of a Haircut
A new collection of stories from Brock Clarke, author of seven fiction books and winner of a bunch of prizes including the Mary McCarthy Prize for Fiction. His stories cover child actors, PTSD, marital discord, and contemporary racial attitudes. Hear him in conversation with Jeff Parker, who’s also probably pretty nice!
Wednesday, April 11th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 8:45 PM
Where the Real and the Surreal Meet
A long-running author reading series presents Science Fiction and Fantasy authors Jane Yolen, ‘The Pit Dragon Chronicles’, Elizabeth Bear, ‘The Stone in the Skull’, and Robert V.S. Redick, ‘Master Assassins’.
Thursday, April 12th
Barnes & Noble [7 Holyoke St., Holyoke MA 01040] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Harry Potter and the Sacred Text
“We will discuss Chapter 1 (Book 1, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone).Please read the chapter beforehand; it’s also handy if you bring your book along. Please RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/events/1735770856446086/”
Saturday, April 14th
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art [125 West Bay Rd., Amherst, MA 01002] at 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM
The Talking Tollbooth: A Conversation with Jules Feiffer and Norton Juster
Join author Norton Juster and illustrator Jules Feiffer as they discuss the fantastic book The Phantom Tollbooth! Learn about how it came to be and what came after, moderated by children’s book author Kate Feiffer. Signed books are available following the program, in case you like the books that the people you’re seeing write and illustrate which is a pretty decent possibility!

Card Games:

Friday, April 13th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 10:30 PM
Friday Night Magic (Casual/101)
Learn to play Magic in a casual setting with the friendly staff of Modern Myths! Test out a cool new deck, play with constructed decks if other folks are into it, get special door prizes! It’s the perfect night for new Magic players or people who just want to take it easy! It’s $5 to attend, which is immediately converted to store credit.

Comics:

Wednesday, April 11th
Comics N’ More [31 Union St, Easthampton, Massachusetts 01027] at 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
King of Pop Release Party!
Locals making comics! good comics about oddball assassins born from a love of D-List movies, snacks, and homemade comics! We’ve got it on good authority that this is “gunna be sweet”. Get ready to get excited by a neat new comic from Valley Creators!

Community:

Monday, April 9th
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Racial Justice Rising
Learn about racial justice, and help out your community!
Tuesday, April 10th
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
League of Women Voters
The monthly meeting of the League!
Wednesday, April 11th
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Reading with Rooster
Children! Teens! Read to a frigging dog! Rooster is such a cute doggy and you can read Rooster a book and that’s an opportunity no one should pass up!
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Teach-in on the Social Justice Economy (After Hours GH)
A teach-in about Social Justice!

Entertainment:

Monday, April 9th
World War 2 Club [50 Conz St, Northampton] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Nerd Nite NoHo: Beer and Comics
In what might be the most for-specifically-us Nerd Nite yet we’re going to have Christian Reader from the excellent Easthampton comic shop Comics N’ More here to speak about why comics are for everybody and Jordana Starr of Beerology in Northampton is going to talk to us about brewing! And you’ll be able to buy drinks and hey why not read a comic during intermission? The perfect night! Also as always we’ll have Home-made Freshly-baked Delicious Cookies on hand to raise money for the Northampton Survival Center!
Tuesday, April 10th
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
National Library Week Program Wingmasters: Birds of Prey
Wingmasters: Birds of Prey- Julie Collier of Wingmasters, along with some of her feathered friends will explain five basic categories of raptors that include eagles, hawks, owls and falcons and discuss many aspects of each. Five live birds will accompany her. Bring six live birds if you want to have a chance at defeating her Raptor Force!
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Clutter Control: Downsizing Your Stuff
Do you have trouble with clutter? Figure out how to make it less troublesome with this class!
Thursday, April 12th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Anime Club
Anime is an art form that we have scattered experience with but a lot of people wicked like. We just started watching the Netflix one “Children of the Whales” and it seems pretty neat and neatly pretty so far, though quite sad!
Saturday, April 14th
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Baroque Music Event (All Ages)
Baroque music for the whole family! A bunch of classical hits and covers played by excellent musicians.
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Doctor Who Club
The doctor is in! Which doctor? Who knows! Anyway watch Doctor Who with some nice folks and then chat about it!

History:

Wednesday, April 11th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Creation of the Quabbin Reservoir w/ J.R. Greene
Have you been to Enfield, Prescott, Dana, or Greenwich recently? Probably not! They’re underwater now! They were cleared out so that there could be a massive reservoir for the City of Boston! That’s so wild! They got rid of whole towns and then made one of the largest bodies of water in Massachusetts! Learn more about this wild historical event from local history-knower J.R. Greene!

Kids:

Monday, April 9th
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
STEAM Activities
Science! Technology! Engineering! Art! Mathematics! By their powers combined, they are activities that kids can do to learn things!
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Crafts
Crafts for kids! It’s a good time.
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Teen Room Activities
Teens! Make buttons, hang out, read, make other stuff, play games, basically do a bunch of things at the library because the library is a genuinely fun place for teens! This time, do it on the most wild night at the library: Thursday!
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Teens Only: Button-Making
Teens and only teens: you must come design and press some buttons! It’s a good way to make a button for yourself or another!
Tuesday, April 10th
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Stories with Nathan
Nathan’s back! Back to undulate your children to Story Town! Back to defy all known natural sciences with his enormity and literacy! Experience Nathan, the most gigantic worm that can speak!
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM
LEGO Club
Play with LEGO! Have fun! Ages 5 and up!
Wednesday, April 11th
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Story & Craft Time @ North Amherst Library
Stories, crafts, and crafty stories for kids!
Thursday, April 12th
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM
Stories with Nathan
Jason is either a cat or a lion, which is just a much bigger cat. Do not bring your children unless they’re not allergic to cats or they are able to fight off a lion. Everyone should be able to fight off a lion by the age of around 4.
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Teen Room Activities
Teens! Make buttons, hang out, read, make other stuff, play games, basically do a bunch of things at the library because the library is a genuinely fun place for teens! This time, do it on the most wild night at the library: Thursday!
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 4:30 PM to 5:15 PM
Story and Craft Time @ Munson Memorial Library
Crafts, stories, and storied crafts for kids!
Friday, April 13th
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Teen Lounge
Teens! Lounge about with other teens at the old library down the road!
Saturday, April 14th
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM
Saturday Stories, Songs, and Crafts
This one’s actually just a bunch of monolithic structures strewn across a ruined plain stretching toward infinity and pulsing with horrible strength, but for kids. Nah it’s a craft/story time again!

Movies:

Monday, April 9th
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
National Library Week Movie
A movie of some sort. We’re going to say… that one from the 1910s where a horse runs!
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Film: Facing the Surge
Facing the Surge documents the tangible costs of sea level rise for the people of Norfolk, VA (and Marshfield, MA). Norfolk is home to the largest naval base in the country and to thousands of hard-working Americans struggling to adapt to the rising tides and an uncertain future. But Facing the Surge is not a film about loss and inaction. It tells the stories of citizens from across the United States as they step forward to raise awareness and push their government to solve climate change. Sponsored by Citizens’ Climate Lobby- Pioneer Valley
Wednesday, April 11th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Film: Ferlinghetti: A Rebirth of Wonder
This film profiles a writer, publisher and bookseller as a major force in resistance to government clampdowns on free speech. The poet and artist Lawrence Ferlinghetti—since 1950– has been a radical resister to censorship of ideas both by writing his own poetry, publishing poetry of other radical resisters like Allen Ginsburg (Howl!), and selling their work.
Saturday, April 14th
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
National Library Week Movie
A movie! We’re going to say… it’s actually the next 19 Avatar films.
Sunday, April 15th
Yiddish Book Center [1021 West St., Amherst MA 01002] at 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
FILM | Holy Land Hardball
Boston bagel maker Larry Baras wanted to create a pro baseball league in Israel. He was met with incredulity and even hostility, but he tried it anyway! He got a bunch of delightful folks including a 41 year-old father of three, and a 27 year-old Brooklyn artist and DJ who was still finding himself after the disappointment of not being drafted out of college, and a bunch of other nice people! Students $4, Members $6, General Admission $8!

RPGs:

Wednesday, April 11th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Youngbloods Adventure Guild
A monthly D&D club for players 8-12! You can become a member of this club by prepaying $50. That gets you help with creating a character, a mini, a custom D&D session, and a set of dice! It’s the perfect way to play a fun game with friends! We recommend you play a bard. Actually everyone should play as a bard and you should be adventurers by day and a traveling band by night!
Thursday, April 12th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
RPG Club
Play a game where you pretend to be another person! That covers a pretty wide range, so we don’t know exactly what’ll be up here but for some reason most of these games involves swords and dragons at some point. Even if someone tells you you’re going to be playing an RPG about minding a small convenience store, take a few levels in Longswords just in case.
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Youngbloods Adventure Guild
A monthly D&D club for players 8-12!
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Dungeons and Dragons
Play one of the classic RPGs at Modern Myths! New players are always welcome, and there’s a friendly crowd there every week! We recommend playing fast and loose, since it’s a drop-in drop-out game, so worst case you can come back in a few months with your bard’s ‘long-lost uncle who’s also secretly a god’.
Friday, April 13th
Chesterfield Scout Reservation [22 Sugar Hill Road, Chesterfield, MA] at 7:00 PM to 12:00 AM
Magestry LARP 1st Spring Event Day 1
A new year, new staff, new stories, possibly vampires? Vampires in the title image for this thing so probably vampires. Lots more info at Magestry.com, but the basics are: come hang out for a weekend playing an RPG! You can come as an NPC to get free stuff, even!
Saturday, April 14th
Chesterfield Scout Reservation [22 Sugar Hill Road, Chesterfield, MA] at 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM
Magestry LARP 1st Spring Event Day 2
The second day of the Magestry Spring Event!
Sunday, April 15th
Chesterfield Scout Reservation [22 Sugar Hill Road, Chesterfield, MA] at 12:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Magestry LARP 1st Spring Event Day 3
The third and final day of the Magestry Spring Event!

Science:

Thursday, April 12th
The Nacul Center [592 Main St., Amherst] at 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
OEB Science Cafe: Communication Controversial Science
Why’s it so hard to talk about Climate Change with folks from across the proverbial aisle? It can feel futile, but there are some psychological and social factors influencing how we discuss and make decisions about politicized topics that it can help to understand! It’s worthwhile to figure out how to communicate something this important!
Friday, April 13th
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Let’s Talk About Energy: An Evening with Jim Barry
Jim Barry is the Western Mass Regional Coordinator for the Department of Energy Resources, Green Communities Division. That means he’s basically your one-stop source for information related to conservation and renewable energy! He’ll talk about Municipal Electricity Aggregation, What’s Coming After SRECs, Renewable Heating Systems, Electric Vehicles, the Solarize Program, and more! Bring your questions and find out that with Jim’s Help it IS easy being green! That’s his joke and he deserves the credit because it’s excellent.
Saturday, April 14th
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM
Songbirds of the Northeast with Naturalist John Root
Free admission to a talk about the best type of birds, the ones that sing pretty songs! And also the worst type of birds, the ones that sing pretty songs early in the morning. You’ll also be able to buy perennials for edible landscaping and to attract birds, butterflies, and other good animals! Make your garden useful and beautiful!

 

Fantastic Four Comic book cover. Klaw: The Murderous Master of Sound!

March 19th – March 25th

The Valley Nerd Watch!

NERD Summit 2018 was a bunch of fun and also useful! Also, free food. All of our favorite things in one place. We got to learn some interesting things about our favorite coding languages and speak to a lot of kind folks who code.

In particular we were big fans of Michael Lynch’s talk about Code Review! He spoke about the need for a reasonable human-centered way to do code reviews, which can get a bit tense at the best of times. You can take a second to read his blog post on the same topic here: https://mtlynch.io/human-code-reviews-1/!

We’d also like to congratulate the good folks at Make Big Things! Their wonderful game “Good Dog, Bad Zombie” has been funded on Kickstarter! It looks charming as hell. Congratulations, Make Big Things!

Now on to their stretch goals, the first of which is two new good doggos to add to the base 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:

Saturday, March 24th
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art [125 West Bay Rd., Amherst, MA 01002] at 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Gallery Tour: Treasures from the Collection
A special tour of the treasures from 15 years of collecting! Take a closer look at some masterworks, and see rarely seen objects that reveal the artistic process! We hear they have the pulsating gem-heart that powers a lot of the local YA authors.

Board Games:

Saturday, March 24th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Board Game Night
Play boardgames with friends and soon-to-be-friends as well as some of the friendly staff at Modern Myths! It’s a great night to try out something you may have been meaning to check out! We really recommend Clank! or Not Alone if they’ve got those!

Books:

Tuesday, March 20th
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 the library at 413-772-1544!
Wednesday, March 21st
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Gordon Whitman, Stand Up! How to Get Involved, Speak Out and Win in a World on Fire
From the site: “Stand Up! describes five types of conversations that enable people to build organizations that can solve local problems and confront the greatest challenges facing our country — from gun violence to climate change. The book is a road-map for standing up to the bullies who’ve hijacked our democracy and divided us against each other.”
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. Learn to write better and also meet some colleagues!
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 8:45 PM
Native Americans and the Land (The Modern Real and Surreal)
A panel featuring Cheryl Savageau, poet and author of Mother/Land, author Lisa Brooks of Our Beloved Kin and novelist Jillian Hensley, who wrote In This Strange Soil!
Thursday, March 22nd
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Book Talk and Signing by Jenny Krainski: “My Neighbor”
Western Mass author Jenny Krainski will talk about her latest mystery novel, “My Neighbor”. When Janey’s cousin dies under mysterious circumstances, is it connected to the mysterious packages her neighbor has been receiving? Yeah, probably! It’d be weird if it wasn’t.
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Lisa Yee Author Visit
Local author Lisa Yee has written about lots of Super Heroes for her Super Hero High series, including Wonder Woman and Batgirl! She’ll be visiting the Jones to discuss what it’s like to create amazing characters at Super Hero High! It’s open to kids of all ages and their families!
Friday, March 23rd
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM
Living in a Captialist Paradise: A Discussion with Authour Charles Mark
The author will talk about his book, which details a dangerous escape across the border of a totalitarian state, ultimately leading to New Zealand and after that to America! Charles will discuss the nature of life in refugee camps, New Zealand, and what it’s like in the US! A lively and critical discussion will be enjoyed by you and the rest of the audience!
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Experience the Book Party: All Things Harry Potter
Experience all things Harry Potter in this exciting event where they lock you in a closet under some stairs!
Saturday, March 24th
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Experience the Book Party: All Things Harry Potter
Experience all things Harry Potter in this exciting event where a magician loudly declares you their enemy for life!
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM
Friends Book Sale
A book sale! Buy some books from the library cheaply!

Card Games:

Friday, March 23rd
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 10:30 PM
Friday Night Magic: Booster Draft
Draft cards, play magic, win prizes! A $16 entry fee includes tax, and gets you 3 booster packs to draft with, and adds a pack to the prize pool! Everyone gets at least 1 prize pack, and extra packs and foil cards will be awarded for exceptional play!

Community:

Monday, March 19th
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Don’t Retire… Rewire!
Wondering how to fill your hours after retirement? We personally recommend that you fill them with sand but another option is to pursue part-time jobs, volunteering, or taking college classes. Learn more at this workshop! Advance registration is required at 413-665-2642!
Tuesday, March 20th
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Spring Equinox Festival
Learn about the equinox and spring traditions around the world through simple crafts and activities! Find out how to channel the magic that keeps the world from falling into eternal darkness!
Saturday, March 24th
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Adulting 101 – Good Health to You!
Teens and young adults ages 14-22, get some tips on how to make doctor’s appointment and how to find reliable health information online! Take care of yourselves, folks! We recommend finding your health information by shouting your symptoms out your window until a voice on the wind carries back your diagnosis but we’re willing to give other methods a try.

History:

Tuesday, March 20th
Historic Northampton [46 Bridge Street, Northampton, MA 01060-2406] at 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Explore Northampton Series: Burt’s Pit & Greenway
Explore one of the most significant properties in the City’s conservation holdings! Laurie Sanders, naturalist and co-director of Historic Northampton, will take you through a network of trails, a complex history of ownership, and the city’s only bog! “Our only bog” maybe isn’t the tourism draw folks at Historic Northampton think it is but trust us it’ll be excellent.
Saturday, March 24th
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut Street, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Caribbean Indigenous Peoples: An Introduction to Taino Culture and History
Roberto “Múkaro” Borrero is a Taíno community leader, an accomplished musician, and artist, as well as an internationally respected advocate for the rights of Indigenous Peoples. Mr. Borrero will present a lecture on Taíno history and culture, which will span from before the arrival of Columbus to contemporary affirmations of Taíno heritage. The Taíno were the first Indigenous Peoples of the Western Hemisphere to be called “Indians.” A question and answer period will follow this special presentation.
Sunday, March 25th
Deerfield Community Center [16 Memorial St, Deerfield, MA 01342] at 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Winter Lecture Series: Risky Business: Getting Ahead in the Early Republic
This lecture by Steven Bullock, Professor of History at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, will focus on Parson Weems and how he made George Washington into the towering historical figure he is today! We’re gonna guess that it was the power of just straight up lying a bunch in a biography and assuming no one would check. Still works!

Kids:

Monday, March 19th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Minecraft Club
Children! Play some Minecraft with friends! Sign up at the Children’s Desk or by calling 587-1010!
Tuesday, March 20th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM
LEGO Club
Kids! Play with LEGO! Ages 5 and up are welcome.
Wednesday, March 21st
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Story & Craft Time @ North Amherst Library
Stories and crafts for kids at the library!

Movies:

Tuesday, March 20th
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Jane Austen Film Festival: Emma
In anticipation of the Jane Austen Book Discussion starting April 26th, the GPL is showing some Austen films! This night: Emma! It’s a good movie about a good person who experiences a comedy of errors!
Wednesday, March 21st
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:30 PM to 8:15 PM
Forbes Film Club: Harvey
The Forbes Film Club presents a free screening of the classic 1950 film Harvey, starring James “James” Stewart. It’s about a person with an invisible friend!
Thursday, March 22nd
Historic Northampton [46 Bridge Street, Northampton, MA 01060-2406] at 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Film Screening: A Place for Madness
Film screening of the 1994 Frontline episode focusing on Northampton and the stories of people dealing with the effects of the closure of Northampton State Hospital. Intro remarks and a follow-up conversation with Christopher Sparks
Saturday, March 24th
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 2:30 PM to 4:45 PM
Film Screening: Wonder Woman
On the Same Page Amherst presents the hit film starring Gal Gadot and Chris Pine about an Amazonian princesses who leaves her island home and enters the wider world while it is embroiled in a horrible war!
Sunday, March 25th
Yiddish Book Center [1021 West St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Film: Menashe
Within Brooklyn’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, a widower battles for custody of his son. Performed entirely in Yiddish, this film intimately explores the nature of faith and the price of parenthood. Find out more and purchase tickets here: http://www.yiddishbookcenter.org/visit-shop/calendar-events/film-menashe-sunday-march-25-2-pm

RPGs:

Wednesday, March 21st
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Youngbloods Adventure Guild
A monthly D&D club for players 8-12! You can become a member of this club by prepaying $50. That gets you help with creating a character, a mini, a custom D&D session, and a set of dice! It’s the perfect way to play a fun game with friends! We recommend you play a bard. Actually everyone should play as a bard and you should be adventurers by day and a traveling band by night!
Thursday, March 22nd
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Youngbloods Adventure Guild
A monthly D&D club for players 8-12!
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Dungeons and Dragons
Play one of the classic RPGs at Modern Myths! New players are always welcome, and there’s a friendly crowd there every week! We recommend playing fast and loose, since it’s a drop-in drop-out game, so worst case you can come back in a few months with your warrior’s “jilted former roommate who always wanted to see the world”.

Science:

Saturday, March 24th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM
The Ins and Outs of Starting Seeds
Julie Abramson, Master of Gardening, will explain to you how to start vegetables and flowers from the seed! Where to get them, how to grow them, where to grow them, grow to get them, how to them where, all of the above! You’ll also get tips about useful tools for transplanting. Pre-register at https://forbeslibrary.org/friends/events/garden-tour/! It costs $15 to attend.

March 12th – March 18th

The Valley Nerd Watch!

This week we want to call attention to two big nerd related events!

Nerd Nite NoHo tomorrow at 7pm at the World War 2 Club in Northampton! It’ll be about lions and the mental state of our president. Two topics that are guaranteed to be interesting. Also we have cookies! Delicious cookies! Available for anyone who donates to the Northampton Survival Center!

Then, this Saturday and Sunday there’s NERD Summit 2018! There are a metric ton of useful and interesting panels to attend! There are friendly people to meet! It’s all the Integrated Sciences Building at UMass Amherst! Take a look at it here to find detailed information: https://nerdsummit.org/

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 12th
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Warrior Writers Workshop
Local writer and veteran Eric Wasileski will lead a writing workshop! Military veterans and their families are very welcome, though the event is also open to the public. Warrior Writers works to build a community that allows for artistic expression and helps people witness the full range of military experiences.
Wednesday, March 14th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Painting in the Margins: Displacement and the Refugee Experience Presented by Human Rights Activist Thaer Abdallah
Thaer Abdallah will speak about his experiences as a Palestinian minority in Iraq and as a refugee in Syria, his torture and return to Iraq, and his flight to the United States. He will share his paintings of the Palestinian community in Baghdad, Iraq and as refugees across the world. His paintings of subjects in the U.S. reflect awareness of those on the margins of society. Free and open to the public!
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Forbes Library Zine Club
The zine scene’s a real mean bean! Join it at this fun club!
Thursday, March 15th
Historic Northampton [46 Bridge Street, Northampton, MA 01060-2406] at 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Artists’ Talk with Cassandra Holden and Paul Shoul: Single Room Occupancy: Portraits & Stories from Northampton Lodging, 1976 – 2016
Guest curator Cassandra Holden and photographer Paul Shoul will discuss the process of getting to know the former residents of Northampton Lodging and how they approached the project intellectually, emotionally, and artistically.
Friday, March 16th
Emily Dickinson Museum [280 Main St, Amherst, MA 01002] at 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Emily Dickinson Poetry Discussion Group
Session topic: “A Revolution in Locality”. This session is led by David Razor, who’s a PhD candidate in 19th Century American Literature at Brandeis University! This discussion will focus on a grouping of poems from Fascicles 36-40, which focuses on the idea of “locality”.
Saturday, March 17th
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Base Camp Photo Adventures in the Pioneer Valley and Beyond
Photoshop for Lightroom Users Workshop! Learn about how to use Photoshop and Lightroom better we assume? Not sure what Base Camp are, but we assume they like taking and editing photos?

Board Games:

Tuesday, March 13th
Building Autistic Community, Inc [8 Washington St., Westfield, MA] at 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Gaming for Anxiety and Depression
From the site: “Come down for a fun night of board and card games with people on and off the spectrum! Gaming for Anxiety and Depression is a co-meetup with people who love games and look for an open and understanding environment; you’ll meet some great people and learn to play a wide variety of games!”
Wednesday, March 14th
Brass Cat [65 Cottage St #101, Easthampton, MA 01027] at 7:00 PM to 11:30 PM
Wednesday Games at the Brass Cat
This week the featured game also features artwork from a local creator, you’ll get to play Robot Rise! Aaron Wood provided the art for the game, which is about being a mad scientist vying for membership in the Ministry of Discord by building extremely neat robots and using your nefarious intellect to outwit your opponents. There’s also going to be lots of other games to play and Free Pizza!
Saturday, March 17th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Board Game Night
Play boardgames with friends and soon-to-be-friends as well as some of the friendly staff at Modern Myths! It’s a great night to try out something you may have been meaning to check out! We really recommend Clank! or Not Alone if they’ve got those!
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 a 4-round Swiss System and there are trophies for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. Entry is free!

Books:

Wednesday, March 14th
Southampton Public Library [30 East St., Southamtpon, MA 01073] at 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Book Launch: Meet at the Well with Jane Yolen and Barbara Diamond Goldin
From the site: “Jane Yolen and Barbara Diamond Goldin’s masterful retellings pair eloquent profiles with stunning art, answering one question: What makes these women heroes? From first woman, Eve, to Deborah the judge, to Queen Esther, savior of her people, females in the Hebrew Bible are resourceful and courageous.”
Thursday, March 15th
Panera Bread [935 Riverdale St., West Springfield MA] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Harry Potter and the Sacred Text – First Meeting!
The kick-off for a fun new book club! Spend a little time getting to know other folks at the club, then discuss the first chapter of this extremely popular book series! Read the chapter first, of course! Feel free to bring along a book for reference!

Card Games:

Friday, March 16th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 10:30 PM
Friday Night Magic: Booster Draft
Draft cards, play magic, win prizes! A $16 entry fee includes tax, and gets you 3 booster packs to draft with, and adds a pack to the prize pool! Everyone gets at least 1 prize pack, and extra packs and foil cards will be awarded for exceptional play!
AAA Games Cards and More [2460 Boston Rd. Unit #4 – Wilbraham, MA] at 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
New Players Welcome – FREE Magic the Gathering Cards!
New players welcome! Ever thought of playing a fun card game with pals? Then join other new players at a welcome event for new players! You’ll get official MtG cards to play with, you’ll be taught the game, and as a bonus you get to keep the cards! It’s a great chance to join your local card game community! Any questions? Call 413-896-1500, and join the meetup event if you want! https://www.meetup.com/Western-Ma-Magic-the-Gathering-Dungeons-and-Dragons-Meetups/events/248617609/
AAA Games Cards and More [2460 Boston Rd. Unit #4 – Wilbraham, MA] at 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM
Magic the Gathering Booster Draft
Booster draft! For $15 you get 3 booster packs and prize support. Keep the cards you draft, play 2-3 games for best of three, and win prizes! The venue is casual, and if you’ve got any questions call 413-896-1500!
Saturday, March 17th
AAA Games Cards and More [2460 Boston Rd. Unit #4 – Wilbraham, MA] at 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Meet & Greet – Casual Community Magic Gathering
A free meet-and-greet! Pizza and drinks provided! Open game tables for Magic the Gathering or other card games, some D&D, and bring your own! Free for all memebers of the Springfield Area MA Magic The Gathering & D&D Meetups, bring a friend! Free Magic cards for all new players! Join at https://www.meetup.com/Western-Ma-Magic-the-Gathering-Dungeons-and-Dragons-Meetups/events/hvzctlyxfbwb/

Community:

Wednesday, March 14th
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Reading with Rooster
Children! Teens! Read to a frigging dog! Rooster is such a cute doggy and you can read Rooster a book and that’s an opportunity no one should pass up!
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Teen Job Force Development
GPL Teens and the Franklin Hampshire Employment Board join to explore youth employment!
Friday, March 16th
Historic Northampton [46 Bridge Street, Northampton, MA 01060-2406] at 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
Exploring Downtown Northampton
Co-director and naturalist Laurie Sanders will lead a one-hour amble along a stretch of the former rail-line, now bike path and describe the natural and cultural history along the route. Learn about the town you live within! It’s $8 to members and donors, $12 to non-members, registration required! Register at lsanders@historicnorthampton.org!
Saturday, March 17th
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
League of Women Voters
An open meeting of members of the League of Women Voters!

Computers:

Tuesday, March 13th
Common Media [84 Russell St., Hadley, MA] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Hack for Western Mass
After quick updates on ongoing projects, things will turn to the ongoing projects and get to work! Bring your laptop and your positive community energy!
Thursday, March 15th
Northampton Community TV [380 Elm St., Northampton, MA] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Western Mass WordPress Developers and Admins
Meet up and learn about WordPress! Share your projects, talk about projects and solutions, learn more about where WordPress is going! A great meetup for people new to WordPress or people who want to share their knowledge!
Saturday, March 17th
UMass Integrated Sciences Building (ISB) [661 North Pleasant St., Northampton, MA] at 9:00 AM to 7:30 PM
NERD Summit 2018!
NERD Summit! It’s got a ton of excellent sessions all day long! Learn, laugh, and love with your fellow developers! Paul Bissex will talk about Building the Web Application that Runs a Global Startup Accelerator, Meghan Fallon will give you an overview of the 2018 Technical Job Market! Abby Kingman will talk about Accessibilty for NERDs! So much to do, so little time to do it!
Sunday, March 18th
UMass Integrated Sciences Building (ISB) [661 North Pleasant St., Northampton, MA] at 9:00 AM to 3:45 PM
NERD Summit 2018!
NERD Summit! It’s got a ton of excellent sessions all day long! Learn, laugh, and love with your fellow developers! Jochen Rau will talk about React and ClojureScript, Andrea Kvasnica and Chris Smith will talk about their Agile experiences, and Aditya Relangi will talk about De-mystifying Serveless Platforms! A good second day!

Entertainment:

Thursday, March 15th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Anime Club
Anime! The sport of kings. Important update: Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood is a good television show.
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Cookies with a Curator
Guest curator Janet Gross will present “Northampton Lymans in Context” and discuss her research on this local family. We hope she asked them first, it’s always awkward to find out that your family is the subject of a contextual exhibit at a local library.
Sunday, March 18th
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art [125 West Bay Rd., Amherst, MA 01002] at 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Members’ Annual Pancake Breakfast Celebrating Very Hungry Caterpillar Day
Enjoy homemade pancakes in the Carle Cafe, a project created just for this unique event in the Art Studio! Storytime, a film, and a chance to meet the Very Hungry Caterpillar!
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art [125 West Bay Rd., Amherst, MA 01002] at 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Day
Celebrate the Caterpillar’s special day at The Carle! Throughout the day you can enjoy a bunch of art studio projects, Caterpillar food search scavenger hunts, tattoos, butterfly masks, films, story-times, and more! Plus 15% off everything in the shop!

Film:

Thursday, March 15th
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines: Screening and Discussion – On the Same Page Amherst!
From the site: “This documentary traces the fascinating evolution and legacy of Wonder Woman. From the birth of the comic book superheroine in the 1940s to the blockbusters of today, WONDER WOMEN! looks at how popular representations of powerful women often reflect society’s anxieties about women’s liberation. Following the screening, Dr. Erica Scharrer will lead a conversation about issues raised in the documentary.”

Kids:

Monday, March 12th
Westfield Athenaeum [6 Elm St, Westfield, MA 01085] at 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Live Clue: Stranger Things
Solve the mystery of who-done-it in Hawkins, Indiana? Was it Mike with the baseball bat full of nails in Mirkwood? Play along to discover which of these adorable 80’s children murdered someone, we guess? Weird branding, Clue. For ages 12-18, register by contacting oeberli@westath.org!
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
STEAM Activities
Science! Technology! Engineering! Art! Mathematics! By their powers combined, they are activities that kids can do to learn things!
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Crafts
Crafts for kids! It’s a good time.
Tuesday, March 13th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM
LEGO Club
LEGO Club for kids! Have fun building neat things out of these good tiny blocks.
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Stories with Nathan
Nathan’s back! Back to undulate your children to Story Town! Back to defy all known natural sciences with his enormity and literacy! Experience Nathan, the most gigantic worm that can speak!
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM
Stories with Jason
Jason is either a cat or a lion, which is just a much bigger cat. Do not bring your children unless they’re not allergic to cats or they are able to fight off a lion. Everyone should be able to fight off a lion by the age of around 4.
Thursday, March 15th
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Teen Room Activites
Teens! Make buttons, hang out, read, make other stuff, play games, basically do a bunch of things at the library because the library is a genuinely fun place for teens! This time, do it on the most wild night at the library: Thursday!
Saturday, March 17th
Westfield Athenaeum [6 Elm St, Westfield, MA 01085] at 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM
Read to Rover
Read to a nice dog, children! There’s literally no reason not to do this.

Movies:

Monday, March 12th
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Jane Austen Film Festival
In anticipation of the Jane Austen Book Discussion starting April 26th, the GPL is showing some Austen films! This night: Sense and Sensibility! The most sensible senses! The most sensuous sensibilities! They’re all here!
Wednesday, March 14th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Resistance Film Series: Making A Killing: Guns, Greed, and the NRA
A documentary that follows how guns and the profits that they produce for their manufacturers and sellers, affect the lives of everyday Americans. Learn more, then call your congresspeople!
Thursday, March 15th
Yiddish Book Center [1021 West St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
The Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival Opening Reception and Film Screening
The 13th annual Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival kicks off at the Yiddish Book Center with an opening reception and film screening! Fine out more and purchase tickets here: http://www.yiddishbookcenter.org/visit-shop/calendar-events/pioneer-valley-jewish-film-festival-opening-reception-and-film-screening

RPGs:

Wednesday, March 14th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Youngbloods Adventure Guild
A monthly D&D club for players 8-12! You can become a member of this club by prepaying $50. That gets you help with creating a character, a mini, a custom D&D session, and a set of dice! It’s the perfect way to play a fun game with friends! We recommend you play a bard. Actually everyone should play as a bard and you should be adventurers by day and a traveling band by night!
AAA Games Cards and More [2460 Boston Rd. Unit #4 – Wilbraham, MA] at 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
D&D 5E
D&D Wednesday! Gear up and play a fun casual short session. It’s a good intro to the main storyline events and uses published adventure material for a fun quick weeknight session. Every week is a new challenge! It costs $5 to attend and you’ll have a great time!
Thursday, March 15th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Youngbloods Adventure Guild
A monthly D&D club for players 8-12!
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Dungeons and Dragons
Play one of the classic RPGs at Modern Myths! New players are always welcome, and there’s a friendly crowd there every week! We recommend playing fast and loose, since it’s a drop-in drop-out game, so worst case you can come back in a few months with your warrior’s “jilted former roommate who always wanted to see the world”.
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
RPG Club
Step inside another life! RPGs are fun time games for folks who like to play pretend around a table!
Saturday, March 17th
Comics N’ More Easthampton [31 Union St., Easthampton, MA] at 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Great Goblin Bake-Off: A Song of Icing and Fryer
Play using the Fate system, and join an adventure at: the Great Goblin bake-off, and competition is fierce! At least it would be if the other bakers hadn’t been kidnapped. What is the Witchhunters plan? What is the secret goblin magic? How are you supposed to roll out croissant dough if you can’t let the butter soften? All this and more in the most thrilling adventure of any lifetime! First-timers are welcome! The Fate system is really easy to pick up and play and all materials will be provided.
Westfield Athenaeum [6 Elm St, Westfield, MA 01085] at 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Dungeons and Dragons
Dungeons! Dungeons! Dungeons! Dungeons! DUNGEONS! D! U! N! G! E! O! N! S! Less into the dragons though, they’re so mean. Contact Tristan Anderson at trisdragon2@gmail.com for more… info… aw shoot we’re sorry Tristan’s a dragon
AAA Games Cards and More [2460 Boston Rd. Unit #4 – Wilbraham, MA] at 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM
D&D 5E
D&D Saturday! A good intro to the main storyline events! It’s just $5 per player, snacks and drinks available. As always, play a bard because everyone should adventure with a full-sized Cello.
Sunday, March 18th
AAA Games Cards and More [2460 Boston Rd. Unit #4 – Wilbraham, MA] at 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
D&D 5E
D&D Sunday! Take a character all the way from their humble beginning to the heights of arcane might! Make a character onsite or bring one pre-made! The current group includes both new and experienced players, and they’re happy to welcome new people! $5 per player, snacks and drinks available.
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Pathfinder Society
Become a hero! Join the Pathfinder Society and seek out bold new adventure in this fantasy roleplaying game! It’s limited to seven people on a first-come first-serve basis, but it’s not a bad idea to stop by and say hi even if it fills up! There’s always more adventure on the way!

Science:

Monday, March 12th
World War 2 Club [50 Conz St., Northampton, MA] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Nerd Nite NoHo: Saving Lions and Diagnosing Presidents
Join us for another great Nite! We’ll find out about lions from Andrew Stein, a wildlife biologist and National Geographic Explorer focused on the conservation of large predators! Then we’ll hear about the terrifying possibility that the president is legitimately unfit to serve in like a “no object permanence” manner rather than just having horrific plans for his term from David Arbeitman, a PhD in psychology. It’ll be a night of once again no single shred of connection between the topics because shush, you. It’s $5 to attend, $50 going to each speaker. We’ll also have COOKIES! For anyone who drops money in the donation bin for the Northampton Survival Center!
Wednesday, March 14th
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM
Introduction to Genealogy with Hillary Schau
Part four of a five-part free series that will help you find your ancestors! Class size limited to to 12, so register by calling (413) 420-8107. This one is about digging deeper! Military records, family papers and stories, land records, all that jazz!

 

March 5th – March 11th

 

The Valley Nerd Watch!

We saw the movie ‘Annihilation’ this past week, because we had heard it was good despite the fact that the trailer made it look like it was entirely about people being hunted by a monster and shooting things.

It’s not! It’s a very, very weird alien story. A lot like the book, but so different in tone and content that it’s worth also reading the book if you like the film.

It is extremely violent in places, though. So be ready to see some gore. But it’s mostly a movie about a beautiful weird forest and what makes someone an individual. And a bear with a skull for a face. It’s a tapestry!

Also we played Star Trek Panic at Wednesday Games at the Brass Cat this past week and we had a great time with it! One thing we weren’t huge fans of was the fact that it does have that co-op game bane of one competent player quarterbacking for other folks. Because there’s no real thing that separates players, it quickly hits a stride of everyone debating every move every turn, which can make it hard for new players to get into.

Still, very fun to play once everyone was able to contribute to the decisions more effectively. Also go to Wednesday Games, it’s so nice. We got free pizza!

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, March 8th
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Seasons, Sunrise and Farms: Photographs by Catherine Lee
See artwork highlighting the beauty of local farms and their historic houses and barns! Catherine Lee was born in Rome, but settled in Western Mass at age five. She’s a painter and a photographer of local landscapes, and you can see her stunning images while presumably eating cheese because it’s a reception.
Friday, March 9th
Smith College Museum of Art [20 Elm St, Northampton, MA 01063] at 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Free Second Friday
Free art! Can’t find a better price than that. From 4pm to 7pm, make Itty Bitty Art! Make a tiny drawing, collage, or painting inspired by the tiniest work of art available in the museum! Then, go on a tour to explore their wonderful art while getting some complimentary light refreshments! Delightful times for delightful people.
Saturday, March 10th
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art [125 West Bay Rd., Amherst, MA 01002] at 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Gallery Tour: Treasures from the Collection
A special tour of the treasures from 15 years of collecting! Take a closer look at some masterworks, and see rarely seen objects that reveal the artistic process! We hear they have the pulsating gem-heart that powers a lot of the local YA authors.

Board Games:

Saturday, March 10th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Board Game Night
Play boardgames with friends and soon-to-be-friends as well as some of the friendly staff at Modern Myths! It’s a great night to try out something you may have been meaning to check out! We really recommend Clank! or Not Alone if they’ve got those!
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Board Games
Board games! The library has a bunch of them on hand, so bring your friends and play! Maybe bring one of your own, maybe even donate a copy of a game you love so other people can play it!

Books:

Friday, March 9th
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Dupin Did It: A Reading from ‘An Exaggerated Murder’ & Discussion of ‘The Purloined Letter’
From the site: ” Josh Cook reads from his critically acclaimed detective novel, An Exaggerated Murder and discusses Edgar Allen Poe’s classic detective story, “The Purloined Letter.”” But what’s the book about? “If Sherlock Holmes and Ignatius J. Reilly had a baby, that child would be Trike Augustine, private investigator. Rude, slobby, irritatingly brilliant, quick-witted — that’s Trike. With the help of his saner, more reasonable employees, Trike has been tasked with finding a missing billionaire, but will the stupid clues stump the smart man, or will Trike manage to keep himself and his associates out of harm’s way and solve the case before it’s too late? An Exaggerated Murder is a fantastic, funny, smart debut, and I eagerly await more from Cook.”
Saturday, March 10th
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art [125 West Bay Rd., Amherst, MA 01002] at 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Meet Jane Yolen
Free with museum admission! Jane Yolen has written her 365th book! Wild! She’s published in poetry, picture books, middle grade, graphic novels, YA, nonfiction, basically every genre possible! She’ll share her inspirations, writing process, and answer a Q&A!

Card Games:

Friday, March 9th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 10:30 PM
Friday Night Magic: Booster Draft
Draft cards, play magic, win prizes! A $16 entry fee includes tax, and gets you 3 booster packs to draft with, and adds a pack to the prize pool! Everyone gets at least 1 prize pack, and extra packs and foil cards will be awarded for exceptional play!

Comic Books:

Thursday, March 8th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 3:30 PM to 4:15 PM
Comics Club
Join Callie in the YA department to talk comics! Share comics! Create Comics! There will be supplies to make your own books, and time to get some good recommendations! Intended for elementary, tween, and teen readers and artists.

Community:

Wednesday, March 7th
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM
League of Women Voters
The monthly meeting! Maybe you’d like to join?
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Reading with Rooster
Children! Teens! Read to a frigging dog! Rooster is such a cute doggy and you can read Rooster a book and that’s an opportunity no one should pass up!

Computers:

Tuesday, March 6th
The Foundry [24 Main St., Northampton, MA] at 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Northampton Webdive – After Work
A regular meetup with folks who make code! You don’t need to bring anything but your Conversation Skills and your Desire To Hang Out and Eat or Drink. Talk to folks about work, or not work! Network, but in a way that feels less grasping and desperate than more focused social engagements sometimes can. The Foundry’s a nice place to hang out, too!

Entertainment:

Tuesday, March 6th
Hampshire College, FPH Hall [893 West St, Amherst, MA 01002] at 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM
An Evening with Khary Lazarre-White
From the site: “Khary is a social entrepreneur, author, organizer and attorney. Khary will be reading excerpts from Passage, his new novel, published in September 2017 by Seven Stories Press and distributed by Penguin Random House.”
Hampshire College, Art Gallery [893 West St, Amherst, MA 01002] at 5:15 PM to 6:15 PM
Listening: A Lecture/Performance by Jamila Jackson
From the site: “Jamila Jackson will be presenting her research in storytelling, contemplative dance, and embodied leadership. Join her as she uses music, dance, and contemplative practice to explore her connections between listening, indigenous wisdom, embodiment, slime mold, and social change.” Wait… read that back to us?
Wednesday, March 7th
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
First Wednesday Speaker Series: Gut-Mind Connection
Georgia Ede, MD will return with a repeat of her talk “Beyond Medication: How to Improve Mood, Attention, and Memory Through Diet”. Based on a quick look at the website “www.diagnosisdiet.com“, it looks like the basic pitch is: Vegetables are actively harmful to mental and physical health, eat exclusively meat if at all possible. So ketogenic diets, basically. Which frankly we lack the capacity to evaluate properly, but we’re gonna go one step further and say that only eating a specific animal is healthy, but you’ll have to come to our talk to find out which one.
Saturday, March 10th
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM
From Emmeline Pankhurst to Ms. Magazine: William Moulton Marston, Wonder Woman, and Feminism – On the Same Page Amherst
From the site: “Julie de Chantal explores the history of feminism in the United States from the 1840s to the 1970s. She will especially focus on the influence of Massachusetts’ feminist movements upon William Moulton Marston and his Wonder Woman character.” Neat! Julie de Chantal is a Lecturer at the Department of History at UMass, so she knows her stuff.

Kids:

Monday, March 5th
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
STEAM Activities
Science! Technology! Engineering! Art! Mathematics! By their powers combined, they are activities that kids can do to learn things!
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Teen Room Activities
Teens! Make buttons, hang out, read, make other stuff, play games, basically do a bunch of things at the library because the library is a genuinely fun place for teens!
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Craft
CRAFT! Craft what? NO TIME. CRAFT! CRAFT FASTER! NOW BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE, CRAAAAFT!
Tuesday, March 6th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM
LEGO Club
Ages 5 and up can enjoy an afternoon playing with LEGOs!
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Stories with Nathan
The real story here is that at least as far as we can tell from the image, Nathan is a sentient giant worm person and that is pretty danged neat. Kids, meet a sentient non-human creature who will read stories to you! Expand your horizons a bit!
Wednesday, March 7th
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
CFCE Read and Learn
This appears to be reading with just the standard human people doing the reading. BOO! Bring back Nathan the giant worm who can read!
Thursday, March 8th
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Stories with Nathan
Nathan’s back! Back to undulate your children to Story Town! Back to defy all known natural sciences with his enormity and literacy!
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Teen Room Activities
Teens! Make buttons, hang out, read, make other stuff, play games, basically do a bunch of things at the library because the library is a genuinely fun place for teens! This time, do it on the most wild night at the library: Thursday!

Movies:

Monday, March 5th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Teen Movie: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Teens! See a Cool Teen do a bunch of crimes and because of those crimes experience one of his most cherished and memorable days. We’re not saying that doing a lot of crimes is a good idea but we are saying it sure seems to work out for this teen, and he’s very cool.
Thursday, March 8th
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Film & Discussion Series: How Coded Racial Appeals Have Re-Invented Racism and Wrecked the Middle Class
From the site: “In several incisive videos, Ian Haney López lays out how the racism of Dog Whistle Politics has poisoned our political life ever since the late 1960’s and has enabled the wealthy to get policies enacted that hurt white people and people of color alike. He has some surprising perspectives about the intersection of race and class and strong recommendations about how we can help stop the plutocrats by telling this story.” Then, talk to the group about action projects advancing anti-racism in our communities. Free and open to the public!

RPGs:

Wednesday, March 7th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Youngbloods Adventure Guild
A monthly D&D club for players 8-12! You can become a member of this club by prepaying $50. That gets you help with creating a character, a mini, a custom D&D session, and a set of dice! It’s the perfect way to play a fun game with friends! We recommend you play a bard. Actually everyone should play as a bard and you should be adventurers by day and a traveling band by night!
Thursday, March 8th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Youngbloods Adventure Guild
A monthly D&D club for players 8-12!
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Dungeons and Dragons
Play one of the classic RPGs at Modern Myths! New players are always welcome, and there’s a friendly crowd there every week! We recommend playing fast and loose, since it’s a drop-in drop-out game, so worst case you can come back in a few months with your warrior’s “jilted former roommate who always wanted to see the world”.
Saturday, March 10th
Comics N’ More Easthampton [31 Union St., Easthampton, MA] at 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Great Goblin Bake-Off: A Song of Icing and Fryer
Play using the Fate system, and join an adventure at: the Great Goblin bake-off, and competition is fierce! At least it would be if the other bakers hadn’t been kidnapped. What is the Witchhunters plan? What is the secret goblin magic? How are you supposed to roll out croissant dough if you can’t let the butter soften? All this and more in the most thrilling adventure of any lifetime! First-timers are welcome! The Fate system is really easy to pick up and play and all materials will be provided.

Science:

Wednesday, March 7th
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM
Introduction to Geneaology with Hillary Schau
Part three of a five-part free series that will help you find your ancestors! Class size limited to to 12, so register by calling (413) 420-8107. This one is about immigration and naturalization resources.
Thursday, March 8th
Nacul Center [592 Main St., Amherst] at 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
OEB Science Cafe: Backyard Extinctions: The Plight of the Puritan Tiger Beetle
Learn about how to save a species from the brink! Doctor Roger Gwiazdowski has been working to breed Puritan Tiger Beetles in captivity in order to save this tiny but critical part of our shoreline ecosystem! Learn what they are, why we need them, and how we can save them in this talk!

 

February 26th – March 4th

 

The Valley Nerd Watch!

We watched the very good Netflix show based on the comic by Massachusetts local cartoonist Charles Forsman: “The End of the Fucking World”. It’s more British than the comic, and also it moves and there’s sound. It was really, really good and also sad! We cried.

We recommend picking up a copy of the comic to support a great artist and your local comic shop! It’s available at both Comics N’ More in Easthampton and Modern Myths in Northampton!

Come to the next Nerd Nite! It’s March 12th and it will feature lions and also the possibility of distance-diagnosing our extremely terrible president! Last time we got $60 for the Northampton Survival Center, which means that we helped feed a bunch of people in our community! Let’s get even more this time!

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 26th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Teen Trash Art
Make art out of trash teens! Wait no make art out of trash, teens! They provide the trash, you turn it into something that looks cool!
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 8:45 PM
Screenwriting, Scripts and Film (The Modern Real and Surreal)
Abraham Ravett, filmmaker, Holding Hands With Ilse; Wade Wofford, screenwriter/director, The Answer; Ellen Kaplan, screenwriter/director, Mixed Blessings; Jake Hulse, screenwriter/director, Heroes Don’t Come Home will all come to speak about their processes!
Tuesday, February 27th
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Teen and Tween Art Club
Teens! Tweens! Art! That is the whole deal.
Smith College Museum of Art [20 Elm St, Northampton, MA 01063] at 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Public Lecture: Bodies in Earth: Postwar Japanese Ceramics, Photography, and Installation Art
Professor of Art History and Visual Studies at the University of California, Irvine Bert Winther-Tamaki will discuss the top of artwork in Japan in the 1950s to 1970s! “Images and actions that foregrounded the touch of skin and flesh to soil or clay evoked thoughts ranging from death and abjection to pastoral nostalgia and agricultural fertility.”
Wednesday, February 28th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Forbes Library Zine Club
Zines! Teeny Zines, Clean Zines, Spleen Zines, Green Zines, Mean Zines, Tambourine Zines! All sorts of zines!
Thursday, March 1st
Emily Dickinson Museum [280 Main St, Amherst, MA 01002] at 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Amherst Arts Night Plus
Pop-up art exhibit in the Homestead from 5pm to 8pm, open mic signups from 5pm to 6pm with the open mic starting at 6pm and featured readings following the open mic! Get art into your brain! This night will feature people who’ve appeared in the student-run literary magazine The Circus!
Saturday, March 3rd
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Pottery Demonstration
The Pied Potter will demonstrate four techniques of forming clay and will throw on the wheel in a variety of forms including a dragon! He’ll discuss the language of the potter while teaching participants about pressure and motion. You’ll get to make some some pinch pots too! Also afterward he WILL steal all the children in town we think? We’re not really certain what other meanings Pied has.
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Artist of the Month: Artist Reception
Artist reception! Which artist? Could be any artist! Might even be one of the big ones, like Leonardo or Michelangelo or Raphael or Van Gogh!

Books:

Wednesday, February 28th
Mount Holyoke College Art Museum, 106B at 7:15 PM to 9:00 PM
Nancy MacLean, Democracy in Chains
Learn terrible truths about the functioning of our dear Republic! File them away with the hundreds of thousands of other terrifying facts you have learned this past definitely like a century right it cannot have been under a century. This book takes you through the decades of work that has been done to privatize public goods, destroy unions, and suppress voting in order to dis-empower the majority of Americans. It’s not like a fun read, it sounds like. But it’s probably useful to understand!

Community:

Wednesday, February 28th
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Department of Children and Families Foster Care Information Session
An informational session on how to become a foster parent! It’s a good way to learn about how to help out a kid or multiple kids in need!
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Reading with Rooster
Children! Teens! Read to a frigging dog! Rooster is such a cute doggy and you can read Rooster a book and that’s an opportunity no one should pass up!
Thursday, March 1st
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Holi Celebration
Learn about Holi, a festival of colors celebrated primarily by Hindu Indians! It’s a good time to create neat artwork.

Computers:

Tuesday, February 27th
Click Workspace [9 Market St., Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Intro to Cloud Foundry – Monthly Full Stack Meetup
Cloud Foundry is an open source cloud application platform-as-a-service which we think means you hire someone to put all of your work on their computer. During the talk you’ll get to explore some of the fundamentals of the whole thing and what you can do with it. John Tuttle from CyberArk will be your guide through this computational wonderland!
Thursday, March 1st
Northampton Community TV [380 Elm St., Northampton, MA] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Northampton Municipal Network Organizational Meeting
A meeting to work on getting Northampton to finally put in free high-speed internet access as a municipal utility! It’s the sort of thing that probably should have been done a decade and a half ago but we can get on it now.

Entertainment:

Monday, February 26th
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
First Wednesday Speaker Series RESCHEDULED: Pairing Tea with Chocolate
We think it pretty much just works like, because they’re both nice to taste! But if you’d like to figure out the absolute best way to eat two tasty things, this is it! Also you get samples!
Thursday, March 1st
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Anime Club
Anime is an art form that we have scattered experience with but a lot of people wicked like. The nice part about anime is that you pretty much only need to pick one show and you’ll have 11,000 hours to get through. We once started watching One Piece, saw it had 500 30-minute episodes, and slowly walked into the sea.
Mead Art Museum [41 Quadrangle Dr, Amherst, MA 01002] at 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM
Srinivas Reddy and Nitin Mitta Live at the Mead!
A closer look at New Publics: Art for a Modern India, 1960s-90s will feature a talk by exhibition curator Yael Rice. Then, Snrinivas Reddy and Nitin Mitta will join folks for a tabla and sitar performance!
Saturday, March 3rd
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Doctor Who Club
All are welcome to explore time and space with the Doctor! Hang out and enjoy a screening of a classic episode! Then hang out and talk with folks because hey you’ve got something in common right? Based on our understanding of the show though we have to say it’s a good idea not to hunt any aliens with the folks in this club!
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Rendering the Galaxy: Translator Tyran Grillo Discusses Yoshiki Tanaka’s “Legend of the Galactic Heroes”
“Tanaka’s grand space opera has long been known to fans outside of Japan due to the popularity of its anime adaptation, but the novels in translation are at last giving those same fans (and new readers alike) every satisfying detail with renewed clarity. Grillo will discuss the significance of this groundbreaking saga, read from his translations, and discuss the challenges of rendering such a complex work into English. An informal Q&A will follow” Translation is always really interesting! Plus this is supposed to be a good anime!
Sunday, March 4th
MYSTERY LOCATION at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Star Trek Deep Space Nine – 25th Anniversary Viewing and Potluck
Potluck, then watch a bunch of DS9! Bring something Star Trek themed! Preferably delicious food as well! Possibly both at once. Join up at https://www.meetup.com/4scifi/events/248117301/ for more info!

History:

Tuesday, February 27th
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 5:30 PM to 7:15 PM
Crystal Products of the Frost King: Ice Harvesting and the Natural Ice Industry in New England
Dennis Picard will demonstrate the Ice Harvesting trade! He’s been doing it for more than 20 years at museums using his antique tools of the trade. He’ll share the tale of this massive industry that is fading into the mists of time! Free and open to the public! Plus, you’ll get some of that sweet sweet ice!

Kids:

Tuesday, February 27th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM
LEGO Club
Kids aged 6-10 are welcome to come hang out and build things out of LEGO! The original, the acronymical, the spectacular fun building block set! Build a bracelet, a model, a toy, even a person! That’s right you heard it here first you can build a fully functional human being out of LEGO.
Wednesday, February 28th
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM
LEGO Club (Ages 6-10)
Build LEGO! It’s fun and if you do it here it costs your parents less than $900.
Sunday, March 4th
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 with Jeanette Bradley
Join Jeanette Bradley as she reads from her debut book “Love, Mama”, and shares an art project that children can complete! They’ll decorate a small box to mail their own special things in, which is both decorative and useful!

Movies:

Wednesday, February 28th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Film: Countdown to Zero
Countdown to Zero is an urgent contemporary call to work to dismantle the horrific nuclear Sword of Damocles that we’ve set up for ourselves. It traces the history of the atomic bomb from its origins to the current status which is that we’ve got enough nuclear weapons to basically reduce Earth to a cinder. Post-film, speakers Timmon Wallis and Vicki Elson of the national Treaty Compliance Campaign will talk about their efforts to get states, business, individuals, and really anyone who’ll listen to work to ban nuclear weapons!
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 8:50 PM
Film: Holding Hands With Ilse
A documentary by Abraham Ravett about the search for the teenage German girl who took care of him in 1948-1950 in Walbrzych, Poland. He had only her first name and an old photo. Using only that as a guide he explore Western Poland. Abraham Ravett will be there to introduce the film!
Sunday, March 4th
Yiddish Book Center [1021 West St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Film: The Jester (Der Purimspiler)
Lively circus! Vaudeville music! Impressive set pieces! The Jester provides a glimpse of 1937 Warsaw’s thriving Yiddish revues and cabarets, soon to be destroyed. Find out more and purchase tickets here: http://www.yiddishbookcenter.org/visit-shop/calendar-events/film-jester-der-purimspiler-sunday-march-4-2-pm

RPGs:

Thursday, March 1st
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
RPG Club
Play a game where you pretend to be another person! That covers a pretty wide range, so we don’t know exactly what’ll be up here but for some reason most of these games involves swords and dragons at some point. Even if someone tells you you’re going to be playing an RPG about minding a small convenience store, take a few levels in Longswords just in case.

Science:

Monday, February 26th
Union Station [125 Pleasant St, Northampton] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Shining Light on and in the Brain: Using Lasers and Viruses to Understand Brain Circuits in Songbirds
So like 40% chance this is the kick-off to a mad villain’s plan to use an army of songbirds to destroy the country but at least AS ADVERTISED it’s about how we can control brain cells with light, why anyone would shine a laser into a brain, and definitely the mad villain thing folks please keep your head on a swivel! Luke Remage-Healey is a professor of psychological and brain sciences at UMass. Research in the Healey lab is focused on the neural basis of natural behavior.
Tuesday, February 27th
Hampshire College, FPH Hall [893 West St, Amherst, MA 01002] at 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Dr. Kate Stone, Developer of Interactive and Electronic Paper
Founder of Lab Novalia, Dr. Stone works on adding capacitive touch to everything and then connecting them to the internet! This allows for neat things like scores that play music when you touch them! Meet Dr. Stone and learn about new technology while you eat some refreshments! Free and open to the public!
Wednesday, February 28th
Hampshire College, FPH Hall [893 West St, Amherst, MA 01002] at 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Social Complexity in Dolphins by Janet Mann, Georgetown University
Join Hampshire’s Marine Mammal class for this lecture by renowned researcher Dr. Janet Mann of Georgetown University! She’s the director of the Shark Bay Dolphin Research Project and the Potomac-Chesapeake Dolphin Project! Mann’s work focuses on social networks, female reproduction, tool use, and social learning! Dolphins are neat so learn more about dolphins, basically.
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM
Introduction to Geneaology with Hillary Schau
Part one of a five-part free series that will help you find your ancestors! Class size limited to to 12, so register by calling (413) 420-8107. This class will focus on sources – the census and vital records!
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Geneaology Drop-in Lab
A free drop-in lab for anyone interested in learning more about their family history! You need a Library Card, but nothing else! Hillary Schau will lead you through it!
Thursday, March 1st
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Our Place in the Stars: Family Astronomy Show
RESCHEDULED! Amateur Astronomer and Deerfield Academy student Abigail Lupi is bringing her telescopes to the library! After an informative talk, families will be invited to use the telescopes to do some stargazing! Spot Betelgeuse, but don’t do it more than two times! Hot chocolate will be served! Recommended for kids aged 8+.

Video Games:

Sunday, March 4th
Another Castle [30 Olive St. Suite 2, Greenfield MA] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
MAKE TALK PLAY | Jerry Berlongieri talks audio for games
Music! Sound! It’s all vital to making a game that feels like something that’s worth playing! This month’s MAKE TALK PLAY will feature an industry veteran giving some tips about game audio! He’s worked on Descent, Spider-Man, Call of Duty, James Bond, and Skylanders! We’ve got some experience in game audio too: one bleep should follow two bloops, but never three! You’re welcome. If you drive in, park in a space facing the train and bus station!