Library

July 10th – 16th

The Valley Nerd Watch!

Spider-Man: Homecoming was a movie we really liked a lot, and we think we can recommend it pretty wholeheartedly. Dragged a bit in places, but overall our favorite take on Peter Parker as Spider-Man pretty much period in a long time.

We also had the absolutely positive addition of a young child who helpfully provided the sort of color commentary that enhances a viewing experience like “That’s bad guys?” when people were introduced robbing a bank and “Oh ha ha, ho ha ho!” when there was a plot twist!

This week we want to specifically call out Nerd Nite NoHo at the World War 2 Club Monday at 7pm because that’s the thing we do and you should go! Thank you for reading we appreciate you!

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, July 10th
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM
Metal Work With Heather Beck
Heather has been metalworking for a few years now, specializing in jewelry and other accessories. Learn how to pound out metal and properly stamp words and designs into the metal! Teens will have a chance to develop their own unique metal bookmarks! Try out some blacksmithing! Sign up by calling 413-665-2642!
Tuesday, July 11th
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 12:30 PM to 3:30 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, July 12th
Mead Art Museum [41 Quadrangle Dr, Amherst, MA 01002] at 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Family Workshops at the Mead
Need a nice family fun time activity? Need some air conditioning? Visit the Mead for some art-making! There’s also story-telling, short film screenings, and a bunch of activities inspired by the art at the Mead! Fun for all!
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Forbes Library Zine Club
Zines! Zines are keen! Zines are little booklets you can print out about cool things you like, which is fun! Go make some fun zines!
Thursday, July 13th
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
I Went Into the Woods: The Life and World of Henry David Thoreau
This program will look at the life and times of Thoreau, a mid-nineteenth century poet that we feel comfortable saying was “pretty good” and also changed American literature forever.
Friday, July 14th
Smith College Museum of Art [20 Elm St, Northampton, MA 01063] at 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Free Second Friday
Visit a world-class museum for free! Although if you want to put $5 in the donation tin they wouldn’t mind it. There will also be a few complimentary light refreshments and a guided conversation about a piece of art on display at 6pm as well as hands-on art making from 4pm – 7pm!
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Make a Cat Happy Today!
Make some cat toys that will be donated to the Dakin Animal Shelter! Materials will be provided, so get to helping kitties feel nice!
Sunday, July 16th
Mead Art Museum [41 Quadrangle Dr, Amherst, MA 01002] at 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Sunday Sketch at the Mead
Sketch! Draw whatever you like in the beautiful confines and grounds of the Mead! We suggest you draw a really excellent robot.

Board Games:

Monday, July 10th
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Game On!
Play some games! Indoor and outdoor! Everything from Frisbee to Apples to Apples!
Wednesday, July 12th
The Brass Cat [65 Cottage St #101, Easthampton, MA 01027] at 7:00 PM to 10:30 PM
Wednesday Games at the Brass Cat!
Play board games at the Brass Cat! This week the theme is Escape Room games! Which is funny because the whole point of escape room stuff is that you’re physically interacting with a space but because there are rules and concepts that can be communicated via a boardgame of COURSE there are a bunch of boardgames about them now! There’s probably a boardgame about running a small local newsletter.
Friday, July 14th
Burger King Community Room [344 King St., Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:30 PM to 10:30 PM
Tabletop Game Night
Take a moment to hang out with a great group of people playing board games! We recommend Clank! because we had fun with it recently and we are fickle.

Books:

Tuesday, July 11th
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Roger Ekrich, American Sancturary: Mutiny, Martyrdom, and National Identity in the Age of Revolution
Roger Ekrich’s book begins with the bloodiest mutiny ever suffered by the Royal Navy, the British frigate HMS Hermione in 1797 and continues to cover rebellion in the US, France, and Ireland. He lays out the revolutionary fervor of the turn of the century in 1800 and how it affected the election campaign between Jefferson and Adams and how THAT led to the spectacular decision on the part of the US to grant politcal asylum to refugees.
Wednesday, July 12th
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Madeleine Blais, To The New Owners: A Martha’s Vineyard Memoir
Madeleine Blais’s in-laws bought a vacation house on little-known but very pretty island Martha’s Vineyard for just $80k in the 70’s. It wasn’t much, but it was lovely. It was finally sold in 2014, after a wonderful several decades of beaches and meals and nights under the stars. She’ll share her memoir of a house that made some lives more lovely, in the form of a missive to the new owners!
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM
Bikes and Books Club
Read and discuss a book, then get a free bike maintenance lesson, go for a ride, and play some games!

Card Games:

Sunday, July 16th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Star Wars Destiny
The first ever constructed Star Wars Destiny tournament! Bring constructed Star Wars Destiny decks, $10 entry, booster packs and promo cards will be offered as prizes! There are going to be three rounds in a Swiss format. Go find your Destiny! See what we did there? That’s the game’s name!

Computers:

Monday, July 10th
MYSTERY LOCATION at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Datomic with Cognitech! – Monthly Full Stack Meetup
Tim Ewald, the VP of Engineering at Cognitect, will talk about a distributed Clojure database that separates reads, writes, and storage called Datomic! Sounds like a great opportunity to learn about a useful new tool for database design. Hm, maybe we could use that instead of a giant google sheet.
Tuesday, July 11th
The Foundry [24 Main St., Northampton, MA] at 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Northampton Webdive – After Work
Speak to a bunch of friendly people about web development, it is generally a freewheeling discussion about whatever else is on the minds of attendees as well!
Thursday, July 13th
Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center [100 Bigelow St., Holyoke] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Hack for Western Mass
After some quick updates about ongoing projects there will be a discussion about upcoming projects and then it’s time to get hacking! Help make a difference in your community using the skills you’ve got!

Entertainment:

Tuesday, July 11th
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Tanabata Evening
Tanabata, or Star Festival, is a celebration of the meeting of two lovers who are gods represented by the stars Vega and Altair. The Jones Library will celebrate Tanabata this year with East Asian-themed stories, crafts and snacks followed by a storytelling presentation by Motoko. A native of Osaka, Japan, Motoko first came to the U.S. as an exchange student at UMass Amherst. She has since performed at hundreds of schools, libraries, museums and festivals. The event is free and open to the public; children of all ages are welcome.
Wednesday, July 12th
Mead Art Museum [41 Quadrangle Dr, Amherst, MA 01002] at 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Dog Days of Summer
Walk your dog to the Mead and then enjoy hot dogs, but be certain to explain to your cool dog that you would never eat a cool dog, only a hot dog! To clarify this is a cookout! There’s also going to be music and animal-themed exhibit tours!
Mount Sugarloaf at 8:30 AM to 11:00 AM
Community Hike Up Mount Sugarloaf
People of all ages! Join a big old hike up a hill to a nice pretty lookout. It’s also Henry David Thoreau’s 200th birthday, so why not use that as an excuse to commune with nature? There will be light refreshments at the top! Though we do feel like we need to make it clear that you can in fact get light refreshments in far simpler manners.
Thursday, July 13th
Yiddish Book Center [1021 West St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 2:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Yidstock Day 1
Legitimately too much going on to discuss! Music! Workshops! Talks! See Eleanor Reissa & Frank London’s Klezmer Brass Allstars at night, learn about music during the day! Members $8, $10 general admission for the talks and workshops! The concert pass is $198 for members, $236 for general admission if you want to go to every show!
Friday, July 14th
Yiddish Book Center [1021 West St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Yidstock Day 2
Too much again to discuss! Workshops about Yiddish dance and a dramatic reading and discussion of The Last Survivor, followed by the Hankus Netsky and Eden MacAdam-Somer duo as well as the Nigunim Trio! Members $30, non-members $36! The concert pass is $198 for members, $236 for general admission if you want to go to every show!
Saturday, July 15th
Yiddish Book Center [1021 West St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 10:00 AM to 9:30 PM
Yidstock Day 3
So much! Folk Oratorio at night, “A Night in the Marketplace”, members $45, general admission $50, and talks during the day! Please purchase tickets in advance to the workshops and talks, space is not guaranteed! The concert pass is $198 for members, $236 for general admission if you want to go to every show!
Sunday, July 16th
Yiddish Book Center [1021 West St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 10:30 AM to 9:00 PM
Yidstock Day 4
The final day of the event! Learn about Yiddish songs, how a million Yiddish books are about to change the Jewish world, and see Klezmer, the Alicia Svigals and Lauren Brody Duo, and the Andy Statman Trio at night! What a time! The concert pass is $198 for members, $236 for general admission if you want to go to every show!

History:

Tuesday, July 11th
Connecticut River Greenway Park, Damon Road, Northampton at 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM
From Northampton to the Boundary Waters (or at least the boundary with Hatfield)
Take a 16-person boat down the beautiful Connecticut River! Learn about the natural and cultural history from rowing coach and generally informed person Betsy Powell as well as co-director of Historic Northampton and naturalist Laurie Sanders! No prior experience necessary, but unfortunately it’s full up! Email islanders@historicnorthampton.org to be placed on the waiting list!
Thursday, July 13th
Deerfield Community Center [16 Memorial Street, Deerfield, MA 01342] at 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM
2017 Summer Lecture Series: Neal Hurst “For the heat is beyond your conception: Dressing for the Heat in the Eighteenth Century”
Join Neal Hurst, the associate curator for costumes and textiles at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, to discuss how folks dealt with the summer in the eighteenth century! We’re not certain exactly what they wore, but we imagine it’s something that would cause us to actually de-cohere into a sweat puddle.
Saturday, July 15th
Historic Northampton [46 Bridge Street, Northampton, MA 01060-2406] at 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
The Other Battle of the Somme: The Smith College Relief Unit in World War 1
Smith College was always pretty awesome, and not just because they had amazing hats according to this historical photo. Learn about the group of young women from Smith, of the Smith College Relief Unit who went to Grecourt, a small village in the Somme Valley, to work with a traumatized local population. They went there to help rebuild a community that had just faced a war of apocalyptic proportion, using their skills to act as mechanics, farmers, well-diggers, and caregivers! Lecturer Jennifer Hall-Witt of Smith College will enlighten you as to the history of these brave women!

Kids:

Tuesday, July 11th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Makerspace Workshop
Cool technology, innovative ideas about building things, and a bunch of materials! Come to Palmer to invent, learn, play, and create a new thing using some really neat resources! See if you can invent a library with a makerspace and fractalize this whole thing.
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Makerspace Workshop Session 2
Learn to create robots! Carve 3D objects! Print 3D objects! Make anything you can imagine! Every participant will get to 3D print and take home one of their designs! Open to all kids 10 and up, pre-register by calling 413-283-3330 ext. 102!
Wednesday, July 12th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 10:30 AM to 11:15 AM
Pumpernickel Puppets
Pumpernickel Puppt shows are presented with a cast of colorful puppet characters, audience participation, and entertaining imaginative fast paced scripts! There’s also a demo period about how things work behind the scenes after the show! And we can’t stress this enough, the puppets cannot bit hard enough to break skin.
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM
Fun With Cartoons!
Kids ages 7-14 are invited to come find out how to make interesting cartoons! Learn some tricks and tips of the cartoon world, and design and draw your own cartoon characters! Paper and pencils are made available! Space is limited so call 413-665-2642 to register!
Thursday, July 13th
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
The Curious Giraffe Show
We know nothing about this, but it sounds excellent. Kind of hoping that this is literally just a nice, curious Giraffe.
Saturday, July 15th
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art [125 West Bay Rd., Amherst, MA 01002] at 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Nutshell Playhouse Presents: Mambo and Nemonee’s Worldwide Adventure
Mambo and Nemonee are working to save the endangered, spectacular, Floratius Serendipitus! Follow them on their adventures as they’re brought to life with puppetry, masks, and live music! Tickets can be purchased by calling 413-559-6336!
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM
Esh’s World Folktales
Esh Bumpus captivates audiences with world, African-American, and African folktales full of humor, music, mystery, and just plain good storytelling. He’s a master at physical characterization, a renowned storyteller, and an accomplished jazz vocalist. Learn about the world via folktales!

RPGs:

Wednesday, July 12th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Indie Game Night
Playtest a new RPG by a local creator! Alex Tully’s new flexible story game “Cards on the Table” uses the mechanics of Texas Hold’em to help you tell stories! You can also try out a game run by store manager Melissa, “Tales From the Loop”, which is a sort of kid-sci-fi RPG based on work by Simon Stalenhag about an alternate 80’s where Weird Things are happening and only kids are noticing! It sounds nifty.

Science:

Monday, July 10th
World War 2 Club [50 Conz St., Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Nerd Nite NoHo
Nerd Nite! The best Nite in the world, as you are aware! It’s lovely. This week we’ll talk Marijuana Policy in MA and Water Quality! It’ll be an informative and fun night for all! It’s $5 at the door, and half the proceeds will go to charity!

Video Games:

Saturday, July 15th
MYSTERY LOCATION at 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Nintendo Night
Play some of the best games ever put out by Nintendo! You will need to join up at the meetup page, though, since it’s hosted somewhere secret! Check out https://www.meetup.com/thepvg/ to join!
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March 13th – March 19th

The Valley Nerd Watch!

Most important thing this week? NERDSummit 2017! It’s great, you’re great, you should head there and be great at a great event. You can find out more at NERDSummit.org, and we feel like we really need to emphasize that there’s free food there so basically it’s the best.

In other news: wow, did you get a chance to check out the new Zelda? Dang. Dang heck. That’s a hell of a game. We’ve had the opportunity to play a tiny bit, and it’s just so danged neat as heck. We picked a very good time to be friends with a person who owns a WiiU!

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 13th
Historic Northampton [46 Bridge Street, Northampton, MA 01060-2406] at 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
States of Incarceration Opening Reception
A travelling exhibit from the Humanities Action Lab examining prison in the US. At 7pm, the group Voices From Inside will perform Voices Carry, a collection of poetry readings from formerly incarcerated women.
Thursday, March 16th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Cookies with a Curator
Not sure who’s up this month, but have some cookies and talk about art! What’s not to like?

Books:

Tuesday, March 14th
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Roger Ekirch, American Sanctuary
In 1797 with the bloodiest mutiny suffered by the British Royal Navy, the HMS Hermione, left one of the mutineers on American shores. John Adams sanctioned his extradition to Britai, igniting a political firestorm. Ekirch lays out the stories of the Robbins affair and the constituional crisis it created soon after in he US!
Wednesday, March 15th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Book Talk with Ed Orzechowski: You’ll Like It Here
Ed Orzechowski tells the story of Donald Vitkus, who was committed to Belchertown State School in 1949 when he was six years old. He was clinically labeled a “moron”, and spent a lifetime convincing others and himself after the dehumanizing experience of schooling that he wasn’t something less. To register for the talk, call 413-283-3330 ext 0!
Saturday, March 18th
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Super Hero Party With Lisa Yee
Calling all capes! Super Saturday with Lisa Yee is going to be great! Celebrate the release of Batgirl at Super Hero High, costumes encouraged! Check out this excellent new entry in the series and have a great time doing it!

Community:

Tuesday, March 14th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Diabetes: Our Journey to Improve Our Health
Learn more about the effects of diabetes on your heart at this presentation!
Wednesday, March 15th
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
The Ides of March Political Postcard Party
Join your fellow Valley citizens and write some postcards to make your voice heard! Put your beliefs into action by letting the White House and your representatives about what you find important! Postcards, pens, and addresses for local and national politicians will be provided along with some light refreshments!
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 6:00 PM to 7:45 PM
MA Forest Rescue Campaign
Rescue forests in our great state! Forests are a general good that could use more protecting. Lend a hand and be a helper for the woods that need it! Work in the spirit of the Lorax, a Mass native!

Computers:

Saturday, March 18th
UMass Integrated Sciences Building [661 N. Pleasant St., UMass Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003] at 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
NERD Summit 2017
The main event! The big deal! The summit that’s going to be a very excellent time for everyone who attends it! NERDSummit 2017 is going to have over 40 sessions across two days! Get job-seeking advice! Learn how to build a more responsive website! Learn anything and everything you could imagine about development!
UMass Integrated Sciences Building [661 N. Pleasant St., UMass Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003] at 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM
Agile Methods Meetup
At the NERDSummit you’ll have a chance to learn about Agile, the methodology of the moment! What works for you? What doesn’t? How much can you apply and in what manner can you apply it?
Sunday, March 19th
UMass Integrated Sciences Building [661 N. Pleasant St., UMass Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003] at 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
NERD Summit 2017
The NERDSummit! Delightful computer related talks and talking! Luminaries of the field mingling in our fair Valley! It’ll be a great weekend!
UMass Integrated Sciences Building [661 N. Pleasant St., UMass Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003] at 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
March 2017 Western Mass Drupal Users Group Meeting
Drupal! There’s a whole day of Drupal at the NERDSummit! It’s a cavalcade! Drupal 101, Drupal Views, Drupal 8 tips and tricks, real world config management, and finally check out SaaS or Creating a Flexible Website!

Entertainment:

Wednesday, March 15th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Punishment in Paradise: the History of Incarceration in Northampton, 1654 – Present
Retired lawyer and judge as well as native of Northampton Mike Ryan will discuss crime and punishment in Northampton and the development of the series of Northampton jails and other houses of correction. How philosophies about incarceration have changed in our fair Valley over the last 350 ears.
Thursday, March 16th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Anime Club
Watch anime! Watch it with pals! Watch it with whomever you’d like! There’s some good anime, we’ve been told.

History:

Saturday, March 18th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Meadow City Historians
At the quarterly meeting of the Meadow City Historians archivist Julie Barlett Nelson and local history librarian Elise Bernier-Feeley will discuss special collections relating to local history! To join up with MCH, email info [at] historicnorthampton.org and tell them about your research interests!

Kids:

Wednesday, March 15th
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Wednesday Wizards
Learning and fun combine to make fulearnun at the library! Learn a scientific concept and experiment with it to cement what you learn, a new guest presenter each time!
Thursday, March 16th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM
LEGO Club
Enjoy a fun afternoon playing with LEGO! Great fun for all ages!
Saturday, March 18th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Scientific Kids Club
Explore weather and meteorology with Steven and Ralph! Call 413-587-1010 to register!

Movies:

Wednesday, March 15th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Film Screening: Harold and Maude
A classic starring Bud Cort and Ruth Gordon. The friendship between a septugenarian and a young man dealing with absentee parents leads to comedy and drama!

RPGs:

Thursday, March 16th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
RPG Club
Have a good time pretending to be someone else at the library! But like as part of an RPG, not just to freak out a librarian.

Science:

Monday, March 13th
The World War 2 Club [50 Conz St., Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Nerd Nite NoHo
Learn, laugh, and make new friends! We’ll be talking Game of Thrones and music theory at this Nerd Nite, neatly creating yet another Nerd Nite with absolutely no unifying theme! It’ll be fun!

March 6th – March 12th

The Valley Nerd Watch!

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

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

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

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

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

Have a lovely week, folks!

Go check out the Valley Creators page! As always, be sure to check out our Patreon and the Weekly Events page! There are a lot of fun things happening this and every week! And don’t forget to check out the updated Book Clubs List!

THIS WEEK

Art:

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

Board Games:

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

Books:

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

Comic Books:

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

Community:

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

Computers:

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

Entertainment:

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

Kids:

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

Movies:

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

Science:

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

August 31st – September 6th

XMen131CoverThe Valley Nerd Watch!

OH GOSH OH GOLLY IT’S ALMOST TIME

TOPATOCON! THE BIG EVENT! SEPTEMBER 26th – 27th

For real though we’re incredibly jazzed about TopatoCon, what fun it will be! Lots of nice artists and writers and designers and other creative types will be there hanging out with their wares. You can contribute directly to art you find enjoyable!

You can have that pleasant but kind of awkward conversation you have with a person you feel you know via their artistic output but who does not feel the same way about you! You might not be able to become fast friends with your idols, but it is still thrilling to have an opportunity to speak with them!

Also, guess what? Nerd Nite is the middle of the month this month! September 14th, put it in your calendar! It will be about cool artwork and implicit biases, you’ll like it. It will also have a shocking announcement! Your minds will collectively blow! If you only go to one Nerd Nite… please don’t do that, go to all the Nerd Nites they’re all fun.

Finally, if you are currently playing Rocket League – the excellent game about cars in hats with rocket engines playing soccer with a giant bomb – let us know! We’d love to play on a team with our wonderful readers.

As always, be sure to check out 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

Board Games:

Sunday, September 6th
Comics n’ More [31 Union Street, Easthampton MA 01027] at 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Sunday Heroclix!
Heroes that click! Heroes that fight! Also villains! Also just like, background characters at this point. BUT the point is here’s a miniatures game where you can make Wolvering team up with Venom to fight Shatterstar and Spiral, it’s awesome and you should give it a shot… bub! Hosted by Jaimie!

Books:

Friday, September 4th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 3:30pm – 4:30pm
Crafternoon: Book Bags!
Hey, you. Yeah, that’s right. Come over here. We here you like…. <__>… booooks. Yeaaaah. Yeah, you’re into books, we could tell. Well if you love books so danged much you sometimes have trouble carrying them home, head to forbes to get a library bag and then decorate it!

Card Games:

Tuesday, September 1st
Greenwood Park Senior Center [231 Maple Rd, Longmeadow, MA 01060] at 6:45pm
Longmeadow Cribbage Club
Some people at a senior center are looking for cribbage players! Cribbage is sort of like Magic the Gathering or Netrunner except it is considered classier because the pictures on the cards are more boring. And you don’t tap anything. Co-ed, 21+, call (413)848-2147!
Sunday, September 6th
Worlds Apart Games [48 North Pleasant Street B2, Amherst, MA 01002] at 12:00pm – 5:00pm
GPT Pittsburg – Modern
Alright we’re going to play Event Detective here. The only thing in this event description is a little gerblin with a lamp made of thorn vines. We assume this is Pittsburg, the Modern Gerblin. Your task is to play enough Magic the Gathering to make him happy again! Try to help out good old Pittsburg this Sunday!

Computers:

Tuesday, September 1st
The Foundry [24 Main St., Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:00pm
Northampton Webdive – After Work
Do you web-code? Do you gleam the cube? Hack the matrix? Are you Zero Cool? Well come meet up with other super cool um… phone phreakers? We’ve been putting up a false front everyone we got no clue about computers. If you do, meet up with fellow coders for a drink!

Entertainment:

Thursday, September 3rd
Jones Library [43 Amity St, Amherst, MA 01002] at 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Jones Library TRIVIA!
Mark “Harpo” Power has offered to host trivia on Thursdays now! Lovely! Do the Art Walk and then join everyone for a Trivia Night. Bring your friends and family if and ONLY if they will contribute to your team. If they aren’t trivia buffs, force them to wait in the car. Five people per team, $5-$10 suggested donation!
Palmer Public Library [1455 North Main Street, Palmer, MA 01069] at 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Anime Club
Teens! Young adults! Anime fans! But we repeat ourselves. All cool teens and youngsters are anime fanatics. Meet to discuss and watch and read and enjoy anime and manga! It will be delightful.

Movies:

Wednesday, September 2nd
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:45 – 9:45
Beetlejuice on the Lawn
Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice is playing on the lawn! And beforehand, a band that plays unplugged movie soundtrack songs, the Super 8 Players, will be playing a short set. Bring snacks and a blanket and friends! We either accidentally put this in last week’s Nerd Watch or it got moved, we forget!

RPGs:

Thursday, September 3rd
Palmer Public Library [1455 North Main Street, Palmer, MA 01069] at 4:00pm – 6:00pm
RPG Club
Come hang out at the Palmer Library and play some sort of a Role-Playing Game with people who are nice! Create your own character or even characters! Describe their adventures until someone says “wait wait no roll a die first… okay yes continue”!
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 1:00pm – 5:00pm
Indie RPG Night: Night Witches
Indie RPG Night is a great way to play interesting games with wonderful people. And what an interesting game this time! Players take on the role of a member of the brave Night Witches, Russian female aviators in WW2 who flew 1920’s-era prop planes in some of the most daring missions of the war!
Friday, September 4th
Chesterfield Scout Reservation [22 Sugar Hill Road, Chesterfield, MA 01096]
The Market of the Moons
Two days of fun for the whole family inspired by fairies! Don’t worry, bring your kids to this fun LARP! It isn’t like fairies are know for child-theivery! They assure us they’re just going to have a fun camp, vend interesting materials, and lead people on a fun dungeon advenutre! Ten dollars gets you access for the entire weekend. Bring your own tent or sleep in a group cabin! Come dressed in costume! Definitely don’t worry about fae folk robbing you of your little lones!
Saturday, September 5th
Comics n’ More [31 Union Street, Easthampton MA 01027] at 1:00pm – 5:00pm
Pathfinder Society
The brave and mysterious Pathfinder Society has come to Comics N’ More! They all work toward a single goal… for now! Who knows what plots the people pulling their strings have cooked up? Join up now to find out over the course of a long and eventful official adventuring season!
Comics n’ More [31 Union Street, Easthampton MA 01027] at 5:00pm – 8:00pm
Public RPG: D&D 5th Ed
Join the dark and mysterious Master of the Dungeon LEX MANDRAKE as he weaves his spell of mystery and adventure around and about the crenelations of your brains! This is a single-session spectacular hand crafted by the Comics N’ More staff! New players are welcome and pre-made characters are provided!
Sunday, September 6th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00pm – 10:30pm
Saga of the Icelanders RPG
Based on the popular, extensible, fun, and LOCAL Apocalypse World system by Vincent Baker, this game is all about managing to settle the harsh environs of Iceland in 874! Play a Norse settler dealing with honor, blood feuds, and harsh winters! Build a new society from scratch and write your own Saga this Sunday!

July 20th – July 26th

XMen100CoverThe Valley Nerd Watch!

A Late Nerd Watch but for a super great reason: we had stuff to do that was mysterious! Okay mostly it was the mystery of procrastination, same as every week.

But THEN we had to take some time to see Ant-Man! Important nerd stuff. The Official Nerd Watch Review of this Official Nerdy But Very Much Within The Framework of Current Popular Culture film was that it was quite nice. It’s smaller than most of the Marvel offerings, Paul Rudd is a charmer as always, the character was played as legitimately interesting which was nice, and there were some pretty funny jokes interspersed with engaging action.

It was a nice come-down from Age of Ultron, which felt kind of over-stuffed at a lot of points.

We’re going to have some pretty interesting things to talk about probably this week or next, so stay tuned, people who we’re going to presume already do pretty much read these once a week! We take our reader loyalty on faith. We totally wouldn’t mind frenzied exhortations of our usefulness though. Feel free to light up our Twitter with how great we are if you’re so inclined! Also please share this newsletter!

We know everyone asks you to share everything and it’s always a bit mercenary and weird but look here is some straight talk: we really just want to make sure we’re useful. We know not everyone finds something in the newsletter they want to go to every week. But we’re pretty sure at least something appeals to the people reading this or friends of theirs reasonably often.

We also know that there are people out there sitting at home feeling left out of a community that would welcome them if they only knew about it, and we want to reach them. We’re not in this to figure out a way to turn your views into money and spam you with nonsense. We’re in this to inform, and to see how long we can keep making new jokes based around roleplaying formats. We appreciate any help you’re willing to give!

Also we are going to be going to D&D Encounters this week with a friend! They’ve never played an RPG and were wondering what they’re even like! It’ll be neat and we’re going to have a great time and probably we’ll do a small feature about it on the page afterward where we discuss introducing D&D and roleplaying games in general to a totally new player.

As always, be sure to check out the Weekly Events page! There are a lot of fun things happening this and every week! And the Book Club List!

THIS WEEK

Art:

Friday, July 24th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 2:30pm – 3:30pm
Hero Wristband Craft
Children! Create a unique and customizable hero wristband! We can only assume that children are aware that wearing the wristband in public might lead to super-villain fights, so be prepared to step up when the time comes! Warn your friends!

Board Games:

Sunday, July 26th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 1:00pm – 4:00pm
PEN: Puzzle Enthusiasts of Northampton
Puzzles! We’d count our level of puzzle enthusiasm at the Nerd Watch somewhere between Professor Layton and Dr. Watson. No, not Holmes. Holmes was compelled to solve mysteries, but he didn’t really seem to find them enjoyable. Watson had fun though, he was the cool one. YES HE WAS. Anyway! Word games and puzzles in a pleasant setting, $5 Day Pass for admission, which is also immediate store credit! It’s like a drink minimum, but for taking up tables at Modern Myths.
Comics n’ More [31 Union Street, Easthampton MA 01027] at 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Sunday Heroclix!
Heroclix! A fun miniatures battle game, basically bashing action figures together for those of us who always felt the experience needed more rules and math before it could really take off. Settle the age-old argument of who would win in a fight: Ant-Man or Aunt-Man!
Greenfield Games [228 Main St Greenfield, MA 01301] at 1:00pm – 4:30pm
Star Trek Attack Wing Op: Q Continuum Month 2, “Deja Q”
Man, remember Q? Q’s fun. Annoying, just the worst, and absolutely should not work on a show like Star Trek, but generally a good time we think. A testament to good acting and surprisingly decent trickster-god writing! Anyway! Play an awesome Attack Wing operation with special rules based on “Deja Q”! Entry is $5, and the special rules are here!

Books:

Wednesday, July 22nd
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 11:00am – 12:00pm
Hero Story Time
Oliver and Ellen will talk to elementary school children about magical objects, and then they’re going to read some super stories, and then they’re going to think about what makes someone a hero! It sounds like a packed event that is also excellent for budding heroic youngsters!
Thursday, July 23rd
  Packards [14 Masonic St., Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:30pm
The Warrior’s Apprentice Book Discussion and Dinner
Join the friendly nerds of the Western Mass Sci-Fi Meetup Group to discuss a fun space opera! You can tell it’s cool because there are spaceships on the cover firing lasers. That’s never not fun. It’s about a manic space con-man, too! That’s great! Lots of fun. Even if you don’t have time to read it, go talk space books with space nerds! It’ll be fun.

Comics:

Thursday, July 23rd – Sunday, July 26th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060]  at All Day
Sidewalk Sale
Modern Myths is participating in the Northampton 2015 Sidewalk Sale! Come grab great old comics for a dollar! We at the Nerd Watch feel it’s important to tell you: just read the danged things. Read them and give them to other people to read and just don’t worry about preserving them. The boom is over, they’re printed on paper, and you got them for $1.

Movies:

Wednesday, July 22nd
Amherst Cinema [28 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 7:00pm
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Yeah yeah yeah you’ve either seen it and quoted it WAY too often, or you’re tired of hearing it quoted so danged often. But it’s funny and it’ll fun on the screen. Swear to GOODNESS GRACIOUS though if the Nerd Watch catches wind of you yelling quotes for weeks afterward we’ll be very upset.

RPGs:

Tuesday, July 24th
Comics n’ More [31 Union Street, Easthampton MA 01027] at 6:00pm – 9:00pm
Public RPG: D&D Planescape
Planescape, of Torment fame! It’s this neat setting that basically is “what if we just mashed everything into one, but also had complicated metaphysical rules that made everything super weird and fun?” and it’s a great idea. Try playing in this cool setting with friendly GM Christian Haining and some pre-made 5th-level characters!
Thursday, July 23rd
Comics n’ More [31 Union Street, Easthampton MA 01027] at 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Public RPG: Mutants and Masterminds
Crispy/Nola, who we believe is some form of cereal golem(????) is hosting this great superhero/villain RPG! Play around with powers beyond the ken of mortals, invent your own colorful origin story… or more likely just sort of tweak one from a superhero you love it’s okay we all do it. Maybe be Wolverine but if he was a cool dog from space?
Saturday, July 25th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 3:00pm – 6:00pm
Star Wars RPG
Star Wars! That movie you saw once and appreciated but just never really felt like re-watching. Star Wars! People like it. Star Wars! It’s all well and good to bad-mouth the Prequel Trilogy, because it’s bad, but deep inside you know that when you see children love it makes you question everything about your fandom. Anyway! Play around in that universe we all like, creating fun stories. The GM will gladly help you get in on the action if you show up midway through a storyline!
Comics n’ More [31 Union Street, Easthampton MA 01027] at 1:00pm – 5:00pm
Public RPG: Pathfinder Pirates
Pathfinder! The also-ran, the runner-up, the actually-we-don’t-have-sales-figures-so-who-knows-maybe-it’s-the-one-in-the-lead anyway it’s like D&D but not exactly for reasons that either matter to you not at all or a LOT. Come grab a seat at the table to play as a dastardly probably magic pirate! We recommend that you play as a vampirate! Sailing eternally to avoid the harsh light of day.

July 13th – July 19th

IMG_20150622_215113655

The Valley Nerd Watch!

It’s not strictly in the purview of the Nerd Watch, but we’d like to express a deep, deep envy of the people who were at Green River Festival this weekend. We were unable to attend and danged if that is not a fun time for all and sundry. Also wait it might be in our purview, we remember seeing the extremely nerdy Cosmic Wimpout there last time we were in attendance!

While we’re stuck at a mysterious location far from the Green River festival, we figured we might as well tell you about yet another awesome local hero creative type! Have you perhaps heard of Joshua AC Newman?

He’s done a heck of a lot! The first we heard of him was the runaway success that was the extremely neat Kickstarted tabletop miniatures wargame Mobile Frame Zero: Rapid Attack. He worked on the project with yet another local gaming luminary: Vincent Baker of Lumpley Games. Together they managed to raise over $80,000 from eager backers to make the game a real thing!

The neatest part of Mobile Frame Zero is that it has the world’s cheapest cool-looking miniatures! Instead of purchasing little plastic and metal bits to paint, players are provided with instructions for assembling really cool little mini-robots out of leftover LEGO parts! Obviously you COULD use expensive models, but the LEGO ones just look real neat. Also the rules are extremely streamlined and approachable while being deep enough to encourage thoughtful play. A real awesome sort of a thing!

We’re pretty sure his current standing magnum opus is the sci-fi RPG Shock: Social Science Fiction, though. It’s a big, cool looking book full of interesting concepts like having players create a world together, and play both protagonists and antagonists! It’s also, not for nothing, basically the reason local creator Hannah Shaffer started making really interesting RPGs! The slightly pared-down Shock: Human Contact, is more directly focused on the idea of making contact with new worlds, and you play as Black Ops Anthropologists working for a future Federation-style utopia.

Joshua is also currently drawing weird aliens and talking about their various interesting cultural facets on the website Xenoglyph! If you’d like to help him keep coming up with fantastical concepts and making them a reality, support his Patreon!

Or buy his stuff at those previous links. Click those links, we can tell when you don’t and we get disappointed in you. Not angry! We just expected better is all.

As always, be sure to check out the Weekly Events page! There are a lot of fun things happening this and every week!  And check out our new Book Clubs section! useful for those of you who read books and want to talk about them!

THIS WEEK

Art:

Friday, July 17th
The Platinum Pony [30 Cottage St, Easthampton, MA 01027] at 6:00pm
Dr. Sketchy’s: Teddy Roosevelt, Zombie Slayer. Feat. HP Loveshaft.
Are you an artist? Why not practice your figure drawing in the most awesome possible manner? You’ll be able to pick up supplies from Dr. Sketchy’s, although you should also bring your own! Model HP Loveshaft will be dressed as famed Zombie Slayer, Teddy Roosevelt. This might be digging slightly too deep into the nerd zeitgeist, everyone. Don’t stare too long into the abyss! You can also win prizes from Topatoco, Oh My!, and FOE Gallery. It costs $7 if you’re 21+, $10 if you’re 18+, and you can’t come if you’re not at least 18.
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 2:30pm – 3:30pm
Decorate Your Own Library Bag
Do you get so many books from the library that you have difficulty carrying them? You sound great, we should hang out and talk about books. BUT ALSO you should head down to Forbes and decorate a little library bag! You get one just for showing up, and when you inscribe your own eldritch runes upon it, there will be no power on Earth with the will to stand against you!

Board Games:

Friday, July 17th
Off the Wall Games [41 Russell Street, Hadley, MA 01035]  at 6:00pm
Pioneer Valley Geeks and Gamers Meetup Tabletop Game Night
Join the PVG&G as they play board games! Mostly they do Euro-style strategy games, which mostly are distinguished by having tiny abstract pieces of wood representing absolutely everything. Bring your own game if you’d like, beginners and veterans welcome!
Off the Wall Games [41 Russell Street, Hadley, MA 01035]  at 6:00pm
Heroclix Academy
At this 400 point constructed event, you’ll be restricted to fielding only Rookie heroes! The Heroclix Academy teaches some harsh lessons, folks. Laser blasts DO have recoil, super strength doesn’t mean you can pick up a plane so much as it does that you can punch through it, glasses are not a sufficient secret identity, and so forth. Put you rookies through the wringer for an entry fee of $5!
Sunday, July 19th
X9 Games [Hampshire Mall, 367 Russell St, Hadley, MA 01035] at 1:00pm
Dice Masters Rainbow Drafts
Dice Masters! It is a game we’d never previously encountered, but seems pretty neat. Basically it’s a deck-building game where your deck is composed of collectible dice! So you try to build up a powerful team of people with unique dice, and then combat your opponent via dice rolls. The tournament will have a $12 entry fee, and you’ll get 12 packs to draft with!
Greenfield Games [228 Main St Greenfield, MA 01301] at 1:00pm
D&D Attack Wing: Tyranny of Dragons Month Five Tournament
Two armies meet on a windswept field. Humans, elves, dragons, vulcans, normans, the personal assistants to the tyrranid horde, sea cucumbers orcs. Everyone’s there to fight a big old pitched battle and you can win prizes if you lead your team to victory! It’s $20 to enter.

Books:

Tuesday, July 14th
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 6:30pm – 8:00pm
To Kill a Mockingbird: The Long Silence of Harper Lee
So hey you know how Harper Lee pretty much wrote one enormously important novel and then dropped the mic? That’s been a mystery for a while! Why’d she do that, and why is the new novel Go Set a Watchman being published after such a long silence? We’re kind of concerned it’s a weird publisher cash-grab. Come see Barry Deitz explain this book mystery if you too are intrigued!

Card Games:

Saturday, July 18th
Lost Harbor Games and Hobbies [61 Southwick Road Westfield, MA 01085] at 1:00pm
Magic: The Gathering Origins Release Draft
Magic The Gathering, the game of wolves. Head over to Lost Harbor for an opportunity to draft with the newest cards! A draft tournament in the standard Swiss format, so everyone plays 3 rounds. Three wins means you get 6 booster packs, two wins and a tie means you get 4, two wins and a loss means you get 2! It costs $12 to enter.
Off the Wall Games [41 Russell Street, Hadley, MA 01035] at All Day
Magic: The Gathering Origins Release Weekend
Ahhh, Magic: The Gathering. The game of jet-setting retirees. This event costs $25 to enter! We’re not certain the format or literally any other details. We assume it means you’ll get some brand new cards and a chance to play against other great people!
Sunday, July 19th
Lost Harbor Games and Hobbies [61 Southwick Road Westfield, MA 01085] at 1:00pm
Magic: The Gathering Origins Release Standard
We’ve always said Magic: The Gathering is the game of sommeliers. You can head to Lost Harbor this weekend to play with the newest cards! It costs $5 to enter, and all participants get a free release day promo card! First place gets 9 Origins booster packs! Standard deck format, which means only the newest cards!
Off the Wall Games [41 Russell Street, Hadley, MA 01035] at All Day
Magic: The Gathering Origins Release Weekend
No one knows better than us that Magic: The Gathering is the game of presidents. Again, $25 to enter this mystery tournament. It’s entirely possible that Off the Wall Games holds their tournaments in Outworld, and that they decide the fate of our realm. So play your best!

Comics:

Thursday, July 16th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Queers in Comics and Games Discussion
Are you interested in comic books and/or games? Then this discussion group will probably make you pretty happy! It is full of extremely nice people, and moderated by the great as heck staff of Modern Myths. It’s a great place to go for media recommendations and just for hanging out with people who are awesome!
Palmer Public Library [1455 North Main Street, Palmer, MA 01069] at 2:00pm – 3:00pm
Make Your Own Superhero/Supervillain Mask
Pretty bold allowing child SuperVILLAINS into your library, Palmer! We suppose the presence of heroes might keep them from causing too much of a ruckus, but it still seems very unsafe. We suggest for your own safety that if you attend this event you ask each of the children there what powers they have, to get a lay of the land.
Sunday, July 18th
Jones Library [43 Amity St, Amherst, MA 01002] at 10:30am – 12:00pm
Drawing Super Heroes
Illustrator Lahri Bond leads a workshop about drawing superheroes! Get those frantic imaginings out of your brainscape and onto the page! Registration is required, so contact Sondra Radosh at radoshs@joneslibrary.org!

Computers:

Thursday, July 16th
Amherst Media [246 College St, Amherst, MA 01002] at 6:00pm
Western MA Drupal Meetup
Join fellow Drupal developers and talk about things related to Drupal! Mostly we assume many of those discussions revolve around the fact that Drupal is a very silly name. Also, if every interaction with everyone in the CS field we’ve ever met is any indication, probably a great deal of talking about how other methodologies are just the worst.
Friday, July 17th
Packard’s Bar – Library Room [14 Masonic St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 8:00pm
Northampton Webdive – After Dark
Do you code, create, develop? You’ll probably have a fun time drinking and talking with this group of lovely people who meet regularly! Plus we’re pretty sure the After Dark Webdive is the one where they show you how to righteously hack the Gibson.

Entertainment:

Tuesday, July 14th
Palmer Public Library [1455 North Main Street, Palmer, MA 01069] at 2:00pm – 3:00pm
Ed the Wizard’s Magic Workshop
Allow Ed the Wizard to introduce your children, grades 3-5, to the wonder of the Subtle Arts! Manipulate the fabric of reality to conform to your fickle whims, children! You must pre-register, but think of the power at your command once you do! Contact Rich Clark at rclark@palmer.lib.ma.us.

Movies:

Monday, July 13th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Northampton Committee to Stop War presents film “Harvest of Grief”
Forbes will present a film that is a labor love and compassion by Ms. Rasil Basu. The filmmaker herself will attend to speak to the audience! Harvest of Grief focuses on Indian agricultural politics and the wave of worker suicides sparked by the impossible burdens placed upon them by the globalized agricultural trade.
Wednesday, July 15th
Cinemark at Hampshire Mall [367 Russell St, Hadley, MA 01035] at 6:30pm
The Western Mass Sci-Fi Meetup Group Spaceballs Viewing
Join the fine folks of the WMSF meetup group as they view the comedic classic that combines dad jokes and Star Wars! You can RSVP on their page, and meet up before heading into the theater. Get tickets ahead of time! Discussion and drinks will occur after the film.

RPGs:

Monday, July 13th
Comics n’ More [31 Union Street, Easthampton MA 01027] at 3:00pm – 7:00pm
Public RPG: Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons, the Old Reliable, the Bog Standard, the Was Innovative, the Easily Made Fun Of But Still Very Comfortable. For real, the nice part about D&D is how comfy it is. Everyone kind of gets it, because it plays the way people expect RPGs to play. And that’s kind of great a lot of the time! Join this game with pre-rolled characters whenever you like! They’ll slot you in and out of the adventure on your schedule.
Thursday, July 16th
Comics n’ More [31 Union Street, Easthampton MA 01027] at 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Public RPG: Edge of the Empire
Are you a fan of Star Wars? Then we imagine you mourn the loss of the Extended Universe canon. Start rebuilding that vast world with your own stories! You can use pre-rolled characters to hop in and start having your adventures in Space Past!
Saturday, July 18th
Comics n’ More [31 Union Street, Easthampton MA 01027] at 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Questlandia Demo
Questlandia! A local game by local creator and all-around wonderful person Hannah Shaffer. Players construct together the story of a decaying fantasy empire in this innovative GM-less RPG! It’s a great time and EVEN BETTER this demo is going to be hosted by Questlandia expert Hannah Shaffer! So you know it’ll be a fun time!
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 4:00pm – 7:00pm
Night’s Black Agents RPG
Spies! Secrets! Guns! Intrigue! Vampires! Basically you play as awesome secret agents who find out they’ve accidentally been doing dirty work for dirty bloodsuckers. Then… comes the Action Revenge! Thrilling supernatural spycraft, with what sounds like a quite fun system underpinning the whole thing. Sneak into Modern Myths this weekend to see for yourself!
Sunday, July 19th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 1:00pm – 5:00pm
Pathfinder Society Organized Play
Pathfinder Society seems immensely, impossibly gigantic. So many hours! But then, if you get to have awesome adventures every week, it’s probably less a burden that a super cool time. Are you interested in playing a member of a treasure-hunting team? Join up with the crowd at Modern Myths!

Science:

Monday, July 13th
Union Station [125 Pleasant St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Nerd Nite
The first topic: Climate Change presented by Julie Brigham-Grette, professor of geosciences at UMass Amherst, chair of the US Polar Research Board. Probably sad and scary, but also accurate! Next topic: Unexpected heroes of your rivers. How Nixon’s clean water act helped clean up water. Presented by Andrew Fisk, Ph.D., Executive director of the Connecticut River Watershed Council. Learn about environmentalism! Become smarter than you were!
Wednesday, July 15th
Palmer Public Library [1455 North Main Street, Palmer, MA 01069] at 6:30pm
Backyard Wildlife with Jennifer Ohop
Join Jennifer Ohop from the Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary as she talks about tips on attracting and identifying species that use backyard habitats! Expose yourself to the natural wonders nearby, and marvel at the fact that there are actually more creatures out there than Deer, That One Bear, and Birds.

Trivia:

Tuesday, July 14th *NEW WEEKLY EVENT*
The Platinum Pony [30 Cottage St, Easthampton, MA 01027] at 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Trivia Tuesday
Trivia is back at the Platinum Pony! Teams of 1-5 can compete for cash prizes! There’s an open kitchen, too. So you can have snacks and such. Get together your most widely traveled friends and get some money by answering questions! If you’re under 18 you need to be accompanied by adult, and it’s $5 per person.

February 8th-15th

Welcome to the inaugural Valley Nerd Watch!

In a town with 5 colleges and 500 grad students per square foot, it can get difficult keeping up with all the events in town that cater to the vaguely defined sub-cultural group we’ve decided to call nerds.

We’re here to help! We’ll let you know what trivia, gaming, science, comic, and just plain interesting events are happening in our fair Valley!

We’ve split it up like this: any one-off events around the Valley that are only happening this week, only happen a couple times a month, or any interesting updates to existing events will be up top in “This Week”. Anything that happens every single week without fail or much in the way of alteration will be in the “Weekly Events” section at the bottom.

THIS WEEK

Art:

Sunday, February 15th
Westhampton Public Library [1 North Road Westhampton, MA 01027] at 2:00pm
Art in the Face of Mortality: A Sampling of Gravestone Art in the CT River Valley
What it says on the tin! See some of the interesting and we’re guessing skull-filled artwork decorating local gravestones.

Books:

Thursday, February 12th
Forbes Library [20 West Street, Northampton, MA 01060]
Friends of Forbes Raffle
Enter all week for a chance to win a Kindle Fire and other gifts! $1 per entry, $5 for six entries! The raffle drawing is on Thursday at a time they’ve chosen to keep secret. Just camp out I guess?
Sunday, February 8th – Saturday, February 14th
Edwards Library [30 East Street, Southampton, MA 01073]
Have a Blind Date with a Book
Read a book without judging it by its cover, then complete a review form to either introduce another reader to a great book or save them from great pain!

Card Games:

Saturday, February 14th
Worlds Apart Games [48 North Pleasant Street B2, Amherst, MA 01002] at 1:00pm
Fate Reforged Game Day, Day 1
All participants receive an exclusive promo while supplies last. Top 9 players receive an exclusive full-art promo card. In addition, the first place will receive an exclusive limited-edition playmat. 
Registration begins at 1pm, play begins at 2pm!
Sunday, February 15th
Worlds Apart Games [48 North Pleasant Street B2, Amherst, MA 01002] at 1:00pm
Fate Reforged Game Day, Day 2
See above!
Registration begins at 1pm, play begins at 2pm!

Computers:

Saturday, February 14th
Owl and Raven Co-Working Space [2 Conz St Unit #42 Northampton, MA 01060] at 2:00pm
Code-In
A Valentines day Code-In! Owl and Raven is a co-working space where you can bring a laptop and an idea to work on and just hang out learning and working in the company of others. Even if you don’t know how to code yet, you can help other people out! Everyone needs documentation and design help.

Science:

Sunday, February 8th
Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary [127 Combs Road Easthampton, MA 01027] at 3:00pm – 6:00pm
Winter Crows
Slide program on crows followed by a trip to see one of their nighttime roosts! Play your cards right and you might get elected Crow King by the crafty corvids.
Monday, February 9th
Eastworks [2 Conz St Unit #42 Northampton, MA 01060]
Two interesting talks in a friendly setting! 
‘Welcome to Your Brain: Reality is a Biologically Constrained Illusion’ by Kristina Curro, a PhD candidate at Umass
‘Profound Games: Empathy, Community, and Teamwork at the Table’ by Joshua Yearsley, a freelance editor specializing in board games.
Thursday, February 12th
Springfield Museums [21 Edwards St Springfield, MA 01108]
Live Birds of Prey
Tom Ricardi, of the Mass. Birds of Prey Rehabilitation Facility, gives this Thursday’s a la carte lecture.
$4 to attend.

WEEKLY EVENTS

Board Games:

Thursday, February 12th
Worlds Apart Games [48 North Pleasant Street B2, Amherst, MA 01002] at 6:00pm – 9:00pm
Board Game Playing and Learning Night
Experts available to teach and play board games with you and your friends! They take requests, too! No experience needed.
Saturday, February 14th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:00pm – 11:00pm
Board Game Night
Come hang out and play board games from the stock at Modern Myths! Try something new or just get the players you need for an old favorite.

Card Games:

Monday, February 9th
Worlds Apart Games [48 North Pleasant Street B2, Amherst, MA 01002] at 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Magic Booster Draft
Play Magic, maybe win prizes! $10 cover.
Tuesday, February 10th
Worlds Apart Games [48 North Pleasant Street B2, Amherst, MA 01002] at 7:00pm – 8:00pm
Legacy with Unlimited Proxies
Play Magic, maybe win prizes! $5 cover goes to the prize pool. Anyone with a positive record gets a prize!
Wednesday, February 11th
Worlds Apart Games [48 North Pleasant Street B2, Amherst, MA 01002] at 6:30pm – 10:00pm
Commander/EDH night Magic
Buy-in is $5, everyone gets a participation pack and a chance for prizes. If you don’t want to buy in, you can play for free but you don’t get a shot at prizes!
Thursday, February 12th
Worlds Apart Games [48 North Pleasant Street B2, Amherst, MA 01002] at 7:00pm – 10:00pm
Thursday Night Modern
Play Magic again! Constructed Modern event similar to Friday Night Magic. Entry is $5, and there are booster pack prizes.
Friday, February 13th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00pm – 11:00pm
Friday Night Magic
Play magic, meet new people, maybe win foil prize cards. $16 entry fee, tax included. Draft format. Prize pool: 1.5 packs per player, everyone gets at least one prize pack and top players get one or two more.
Worlds Apart Games [48 North Pleasant Street B2, Amherst, MA 01002] at 7:00pm – 10:00pm
Friday Night Magic
Play magic, meet new people, maybe win prize cards. $5 entry fee. Constructed Type II (Standard). Prize pool: booster packs and store credit.

RPGs:

Monday, February 9th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:00pm – 10:00pm
Ongoing RPG Night
Join people at Modern Myths for their regular evening of ongoing campaigns! It’s a great time to join another group or find players for your own ongoing game. You can also join people for Dungeons and Dragons Expeditions using your Adventurer’s League character or contact Modern Myths to set up your own game! Admission is by Day Pass, $5 that you get back in store credit. DMs/GMs play Free!
Tuesday, February 10th
Worlds Apart Games [48 North Pleasant Street B2, Amherst, MA 01002] at 6:00pm – 10:00pm
D&D Encounters
A D&D adventure one short encounter at a time. Great for new players and old hands. New storyline every couple months.
Wednesday, February 11th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00pm
D&D Encounters
A D&D adventure one short encounter at a time. Great for new players and old hands. New storyline every couple months, $5 entry fee that you get back in store credit.
Sunday, February 15th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 1:00pm
Pathfinder Society Organized Play
Epic play in the world of Golarion over the course of multipe seasons, during which you and your fellow Pathfinders create an ongoing storyline. Each season consists of at least 28 4-hour adventures. $5 entry fee that you get back in store credit. NOTE: Modern Myths is looking for Pathfinder GMs! GMs get free passes and store credit for running full tables. Contact them for details.

Trivia:

Monday, February 9th
The Quarters [8 Railroad Street, Hadley, MA 01035]
Trivia Night
Teams can be 1-5 people, and it’s $5 per person to enter. There are cash prizes and gift certificates for the top 3 teams. Nerdy trivia in general, probably up your alley if The Quarters itself appeals to you.
Tuesday, February 10th
The Harp [163 Sunderland Road, Amherst, MA 01002] at 9:00pm
Trivia Night 
Teams can be as big as you feel like! Usually lots of undergrads, for good or ill!
Thursday, February 12th
The World War 2 Club [50 Conz Street, Northampton, MA 01060] at 8:00pm
Trivia Night
Teams can be 1-5 people, and it’s $5 per person to enter. There are cash prizes for the top 3-5 teams. The trivia is well-curated and idiosyncratic due to the fact that it has been put on by the same person for 5 years. It’s also hard as all living heck most nights, don’t get discouraged!