Programming

May 21st – May 27th

The Valley Nerd Watch!

Hello and thank you for reading!

We had a great time at the most recent Nerd Nite, and we highly recommend you come to the next one! We made very good freshly-baked cookies, and everyone agrees that hey that’s pretty much going above and beyond you’re welcome. We also raised $50 for the Northampton Survival Center! That’s enough to provide monthly groceries and supplemental produce to one person for TWO months!

The creators of Apocalypse World went on the 3W6 podcast to talk about RPG design and would you believe it they’re LOCAL folks! They’re near us! They’re also very nice and interesting!

English episode! We talk to the designers of Apocalypse World about their design philosophy, the origins of Apocalyse World and the entire PbtA phenomenon, as well as their new game, The King is Dead.

We’re really excited about The King is Dead! It’s neat to combine interesting RPG design with party games. We tend to play more party games, because they’re lowest impact and stress and such, so something new in that space is always good and new AND designed by the folks who came up with Apocalypse World? Dang, that’s great.

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:

Wednesday, May 23rd
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Forbes Library Zine Club
A club to create zines! It’s for all ages! It’s for all types! It’s for you, and for us! It’s for anyone who wants to make a little thing they can pass around to folks and say hey this is my zine it’s full on neat art/writing/whatever, you’ll like it!
Saturday, May 26th
Smith College Museum of Art [20 Elm St, Northampton, MA 01063] at 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Reunion Gallery Talk with Dwight Pogue
Join renowned artist and Smith Professor Dwight Pogue for a tour of FLOWERING STARS: Prints by Dwight Pogue. Heeeey, wait a second. That’s probably the same Dwight Pogue! The exhibition celebrates Pogue’s work as a print-maker and retirement from teaching it at Smith since 1979. Or maybe it’s a separate Dwight Pogue and this is just a real coincidence.

Board Games:

Wednesday, May 23rd
Brass Cat [65 Cottage St, Easthampton, MA 01027] at 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Board Games at the Brass Cat
Play board games with a bunch of nice folks at a nice bar! We can do it outside now, which means more tables and more folks! It’s very good, everyone finds it enjoyable and you should come meet new friends!

Books:

Wednesday, May 23rd
Historic Northampton [46 Bridge Street, Northampton, MA 01060-2406] at 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM
Teri O’Brien, Reading and Book Signing: While I Danced Alone with the Moon Across the Front Yard
A memoir of Teri O’Brien’s youth in a large family in the 50’s and 60’s! Teri weaves together stories of growing up in a loving family in a small New England town. That’s significantly more pleasant than stories about growing up in a hating family in a big English town!

Community:

Monday, May 21st
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM
Designing a Suburban Permaculture Homestead
Join Ashley Schenk of Broadfork Permaculture to learn how to live simply and in community with others in order to become a steward of the land! Learn how the permaculture design process can help make a single subruban acre into something more than a bunch of horrible lawn. Seriously, lawns are the worst, and boring! Make a tiny farm or whatever, at least it’ll be interesting. Maybe a bunch of cacti? Do those work in… no those don’t work in places with a winter, do they? That wouldn’t make sense. Anyway we aren’t the experts
Tuesday, May 22nd
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Prospects for Single Payer Health Care with Rep. John Scibak and Deborah Levenson
“In Congress there are HR676, The Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act, and S1804, The Medicare for All Act, but, while growing in support, they are going nowhere. So, several states are looking to set up their own Single Payer plans. In Massachusetts, Rep. Denise Garlick and Sen. James Eldridge have introduced similar legislation, House Bill 2987 and Senate Bill 619. What are their prospects?” A good opportunity to support useful healthcare for you, yours, and all the other yous and yourses in the Commonwealth! We all need healthcare to not die of preventable disease, so it’s good to advocate for greater access to healthcare.
Thursday, May 24th
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM
Creating Community for Women with Chronic Illness
“We hold a monthly support group for women living with a variety of chronic illnesses (e.g. autoimmune disorder, MS, arthritis, Crohn’s and colitis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Lyme disease, etc.). It is free and open to the public.”

Computers:

Tuesday, May 22nd
Click Workspace [9.5 Market St., Northampton MA] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Monitoring with Prometheus – Monthly Full Stack Meetup
Alberto Castro will come to talk about Prometheus! The man we all love, who gave us the fire-gift that stays the wolf and makes meat so tasty and delicious. We don’t understand how that relates to oh it’s a monitoring toolkit that’s open-source that is neat, Alberto will give you a rundown of when and where it might be a good idea to use Prometheus! Door code for the event and slots left are at the Meetup site! https://www.meetup.com/wmasswebdev/events/250097838/
Thursday, May 24th
Last Call Media [136 West St., Suite 01, Northampton MA] at 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Website Accessibility Presentation and Clinic
“Have you wondered if your website is accessible but don’t know where to start? Join us for a half-day interactive workshop where we provide a quick introduction to the layers of accessibility and then jump into a clinic, which is an opportunity for you to do an evaluation of your site using tools introduced. Based on the exercise, folks will determine the most critical accessibility errors found (if any), and leave with recommendations for implementing fixes.” It’s important to make sure that everyone can get the information your website has! It’s an important website!

Entertainment:

Thursday, May 24th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Anime Club
Watch anime! Why are there so many specialized high schools in anime? Like high schools where everyone only wears pineapples and are aspiring chefs. It seems like a lot to ask of a child to know they want to be in such a specialized environment.

Kids:

Monday, May 21st
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!
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM
LEGO Club
Kids! Play with LEGO! It’s fun!
Tuesday, May 22nd
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Teen and Tween Art Club
Teens! Tweens! Eeens of any sort! Join this club to produce artworks of such staggering beauty that they inspire the adults around you to stop their endless work dismantling the world!
Wednesday, May 23rd
Westfield Atheneum [6 Elm St, Westfield, MA 01085] at 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM
World Turtle Day
Celebrate World Turtle Day by making a turtle and eating turtle snacks! Wow. Wow that’s just… intense. First you bring a turtle to life, introduce it to the world and teach it to love… then you just chomp down on that. Jeez. For ages 12-18, please register by contacting 0eberli@westath.org!
Friday, May 25th
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Laser Tag (Registration required) Ages 11 – 17 (Please use Garden Entrance)
Incinerate your friends with lasers at the library! Tragic.
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Library Lego Lady
Lots of Lego fun with the Lego Lady! Build! Build to the heavens! Craft to your heart’s content, and beyond! Create a second person, tell THEM to craft!
Saturday, May 26th
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM
Saturday Stories, Songs, and Crafts
Craft a song, tell a story about a craft, sing about how storied you are, any of that! It’s all here!
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 Michelle Cuevas
“In Turtle’s shell there’s room for only one. But in Turtle’s heart, there is room for everyone! Join Berkshire author Michelle Cuevas as she reads from her new book The Town of Turtle. This tale of a lonely turtle who comes out of his shell to find friendship and community celebrates diversity and inclusion.” Adorable! Turtles are very good. They’re slow and they’re round and they like to slowly eat leaves, good job turtles!

Movies:

Wednesday, May 23rd
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Death and Taxes: A Film about War Tax Resisters and Their Motivations
“Twenty-eight people offer their motivations for –and methods– of resisting the war machine with their tax money. This unnarrated film introduces viewers to war tax refusal and redirecting tax dollars to peace. Most say it is a matter of conscience barring them from financially supporting war or other actions they find morally unacceptable. They explain that tax resistance can range from including a protest letter with full payment to withholding payment completely. Some of the resistors say they have taken on lifestyles that keep them below the legal threshold for taxable income. Others explain their drawn-out dealings with the IRS. A placard at one point explains that of the tens of thousands of tax resistors since World War II, fewer than 30 have been jailed. The combination of the speakers’ good humor and their apparent sincerity makes this film recommended for anyone interested in learning about using tax resistance as a method of protesting wars and war funding.”

RPGs:

Thursday, May 24th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
RPG Club
RPG Club is for fans of RPGs! Meet up with fellow players and chat about playing roles! Maybe try out one of the many RPGs made by Valley Creators!
Friday, May 25th
Camp Pomperaug [1174 Buckley Hwy, Union CT] at 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
NERO MA Ravenholt – The Bloody Road
“Hey Beauties! NERO MA Ravenholt has an event on May 25th-27th in Union, CT at Camp Pomperaug. Never larped before and want to try it out? We’d love to have you! Did your campaign just end and you’re looking for a new game? We have a special offer for those of you who are looking for a new home. We’re starting players who are coming from a LARP that’s ended at level 15. If you’re interested and have ANY questions, PM me and I’d be happy to answer them. https://www.facebook.com/events/143199673016596/” It’s a bit far away, but it seems like a fun LARP so why not give it a go?
Saturday, May 26th
Westfield Atheneum [6 Elm St, Westfield, MA 01085] at 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Dungeons and Dragons
Contact Tristin Anderson at a mysterious pub by the name of trisdragon2@gmail.com to begin your wondrous adventure in the Boys and Girls Library Activity Room! SHAZAM!

Science:

Wednesday, May 23rd
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Genealogy Drop-in Lab
A free drop-in lab for all your family history needs! We don’t need to know anything extra about our family. Grampa always used to say we were descended from a being that was designed specifically to bring a terrible judgement upon the human race and that one day our purpose would be fulfilled and we were to never tell anyone and that’s good enough for us!
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Lyme Disease Education Symposium
Lyme disease is a hell of a scary thing! And it’s getting more prevalent because of well… because of a lot of factors that are all bad. Learn about it to help yourself and others! You’ll also learn how you can help as a Volunteer or Board Member for the organization!
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May 14 – May 20th

The Valley Nerd Watch!

We’re going to have fun stuff at Nerd Nite NoHo this week! We’re going to be doing Beerology Beer Trivia at 7:00pm! So get here on time! We’re also going to be having the folks from Puzzled Escape Games in Eastworks! They’ll be bringing over some of their mobile game stuff, which will be real neat based on what we know about their main operation!

We saw Infinity War over the weekend with our mom and it was pretty fun and also wild to contemplate how much work it must have taken to put together this sort of silly extravagant get-together. We’re hoping the next one is like all our good movie friends at a murder-mystery party, though. We’ve never been fans of the big end-of-the-world-but-times-fifty Crossover Event That Changes Everything.

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, May 15th
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Join Rhonda Fazio from Dyer Maker Studio for a “Dyeing” Experience
Okay we’re not professional marketers but “a dyeing experience” might not be the BEST way to sell this. Anyway though, a class to find out how to dye clothing! Sounds fun. Space is limited, so call 413-420-8101 to reserve a seat!
Wednesday, May 16th
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Compass Roads Reading
A reading of Compass Roads – Poems about the Pioneer Valley! The Straw Dogs Writers Guild is putting this together. Here’s our poem about the Valley: The Pioneer Valley is a – nice place that has a lot of – people in it who do good work in a variety of creative fields – free verse is a sort of poem you can do without any effort – just not well.
Emily Dickinson Museum [280 Main St, Amherst, MA 01002] at 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Emily Dickinson Poetry Discussion Group
Session Topic: Revival, Temperance, and Intoxication in Emily Dickinson’s Amherst, leader: Melba Jensen. Speak about a great local poet with other people who also like her work!
Thursday, May 17th
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Jones Library Stitchin’ Group
Stitch! A stitch in time saves 9, so it stands to reason that if you stitch ENOUGH ahead of time, you’ll be able to coast on those for a pretty long while. You’ll be able to enjoy your retirement clothed in hand-stitched luxury, looking back on your sensible decision to stitch in time instead of waiting until it wasn’t time!
Friday, May 18th
Smith College Museum of Art [20 Elm St, Northampton, MA 01063] at 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Commencement & Reunion Gallery Talk
A guided tour of “Modern Images of the Body from East Asia” led by Yao Wu, Jane Chance Carroll Curator of Asian Art. Learn more about a spectacular exhibition at a great local museum!

Board Games:

Saturday, May 19th
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! This particular tournament is going to be played on a life-size chess board with real people at the whim of the villainous Doctor Doom.

Books:

Tuesday, May 15th
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 attend a critique group in the Greenfield Room the third Tuesday of each month from 6 to 8 pm. The group will be facilitated by Nell Wright. Participants will discuss skills, share tips and opportunities for development, and read and discuss their stories. For more information, Call the library at 413-772-1544.” Get better at writing with some fellow writers!
Yiddish Book Center [1021 West St., Amherst MA 01002] at 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
TALK | “People of the Picture Book:” The Many Diasporas, with Ilan Stavans
“The final lecture in this series showcases contemporary picture books from different cultural habitats, including the United States, Israel, Europe, Latin America, and the Arab world.”

Community:

Monday, May 14th
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Opioid Overdose Prevention and Narcan Training
“Community members are invited to attend an opiod overdose prevention workshop and Narcan training. Co-sposored by the Opiod Task Force of Franklin County and North Quabbin Region and Tapestry Health, this event is open to the public. Information on treatment and recovery will be available.” Learn how to help your neighbors!
Wednesday, May 16th
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Cambridge Focus Groups
“Cambridge Focus on behalf of Massachusetts Cannabis Control Board ( Mass. Department of Public Health) conducting focus groups. ” Talk to the Department of Health about what you think is important RE: Cannabis!
Saturday, May 19th
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Adulting 101 – Find Your Perfect Job!
Teens and young adults ages 14-22, get some tips on how to get employment! Create a great cover letter and resume, interview well, and more! We recommend having your resume and cover letter consist solely of the phrase “GIVE ME THE JOB NOW” repeated as many times as it takes to fill the page.

Computers:

Thursday, May 17th
Northampton Community TV [380 Elm St., Northampton, MA] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
WordPress Developers and Admins
Talk about your current WordPress projects, bring forth problems and offer up solutions, talk about your favorite plugins, and most of all get in touch with a local community of designers who can help you out!

Entertainment:

Wednesday, May 16th
Historic Northampton [46 Bridge Street, Northampton, MA 01060-2406] at 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Readers’ Theatre: The Mill River Disaster of 1874
Elizabeth Sharpe, co-director of Historic Northampton and Author of ‘In the Shadow of the Dam: The Aftermath of the Mill River Flood of 1874′, will narrate a readers’ theatre presentation on the Mill River Disaster. Which stands to reason, when you think about it. Registration required, $8 for donors, $12 for non-members.
Saturday, May 19th
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Swedish Ancestry Research Association
“Our program that month will be Scandinavian Desserts. Many of our members’ families have been in America so many years that they no longer know what many of the true Swedish recipes are that came with their ancestors. I, Esther Johnson, will be one of the presenters for this delicious meeting. The desserts will be accompanied with copies of the recipes. Coffee and tea will be available throughout the event. We will assist members with their genealogy during the meeting. Members bring lunch to share.” Dessert research is always a good plan.
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM
Victorian Lady: Dressing from Corset to Gloves with performance artist Kandie Carle
Sunday, May 20th
MYSTERY LOCATION at 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Firefly Episodes 9, 10, 11, & Potluck!
Bring some food! Watch some good old fashioned space-cowboy television! Cowboys, but also spaceships! Two of your favorite things, presumably! It’s a fun show.

Kids:

Saturday, May 19th
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 10:30 AM to 11:00 AM
Pig Out On Reading with Farmer Minor and Daisy the Pig!
It’s a pig! And some pugs! They’re going to hang out and read with you! Aaaagh pigs are cute and pugs are cute! Well, we suppose Farmer Minor is going to do the reading. Pigs are smart and good but famously they refuse to speak in public. They’re very shy, you see. We really wish pigs were not 300+ pounds, because they seem like such nice folks!
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art [125 West Bay Rd., Amherst, MA 01002] at 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Happier Family Comedy Show
Happier Valley Comedy is the heart of improv comedy in Western Mass! Let your family’s creativity flourish in an accepting improv atmosphere! Geared for kids aged 5-12, call 413-559-6336 to get tickets!
Sunday, May 20th
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: Nadia Hohn
“In Malaika’s Winter Carnival, Malaika has moved to Canada, where everything is different. It’s cold, no one understands when she talks, and Carnival is nothing like the celebration Malaika knows from home. Written in a blend of standard English and Caribbean patois, author Nadia Hohn tells a warm story about the importance of family, especially when adjusting to a new home. During this special storytime, Hohn will delight families with an interactive, lively, and musical program exploring Caribbean songs, rhymes, and games.” A good book and a fun storytime!

Science:

Monday, May 14th
World War 2 Club [50 Conz St., Northampton, MA] at 7:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Nerd Nite NoHo: Life in the Earth’s Hot, Dark, Crust & Let Me Google That For You!

It is estimated that 20% of Earth’s microbes live in Earth’s crust. How do these microbes live there? What do they eat? Do they cooperate with one another or compete for resources? What can they teach us about origin of life and life on other planets? ‘Let me Google that for you’. A look at the more esoteric features of Google search in Google and Google Scholar. Advanced search, search tools and how to get the most relevant results will help you ferret out the good bits and leave behind the chaff.

 

May 7th – May 13th

The Valley Nerd Watch!

Free Comic Book Day was incredibly fun and we hope you all had a great time of it. And, with the sad news of Modern Myths shutting down at the end of the month we hope you are all ready to head to Comics N’ More for all of your comic book needs! They’re great folks and we hope they can keep their shop open for as long as they possibly can because we like going to comic shops.

You can set up a pull at Comics N’ More and get a really nice discount, which is cool. Comics N’ More has a bunch of good locally-produced and off the beaten path books, too. Which is neat! More people should support more work from a wider variety of folks than just the big two publishers. They’ve got the movies, they’ll be fine. And it’s right in Easthampton, the town that we have on good authority is just as cool as Northampton.

Also the next Nerd Nite is coming up! It’ll be next Monday, so mark your calendars! And if you’re interested in presenting, you should drop us a line by entering your information into this form! Also this time we’ve got some special guests and some special treats! We’re going to have Beerology Beer Trivia! Winners will get Beerology T-Shirts! We’re also going to have the folks from Puzzled Escape Games with one of their mobile games! It’ll be neat! Both of these will be a prod to get you in the dang door before 7:15, you slackers.

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, May 8th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Palmer Public Library K-12 Art Show Reception
Reception and light refreshments while you gaze upon the wondrous art produced by K-12 folks!
Wednesday, May 9th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Forbes Library Zine Club
“A club to talk and create all-things-zine! Meeting at Forbes Library on the second floor in the Arts and Music Department.” We met the organizers and they seemed really nice! You can expect to find a wide range of ages, occupations, and of course Zine Power Levels at this club! So long as you don’t challenge a higher ZPL member to battle the first day it’ll all go smoothly.
Thursday, May 10th
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Drop In Mother’s Day Craft
“Drop in after our regular Thursday morning story-time to make a sweet little something for your favorite lady. We’re celebrating moms, grandmothers, aunts and friends!”
Friday, May 11th
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Student Art Show Reception
See student art! Though really aren’t we all students of art? And all artists students? Can we really say that we have learned all we can from art? Or that art has learned all it can from us? Or that us is art all we can learned? Who’s to say?
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! Pay tribute to Mary Bauermeister’s sculptural Eighteen Rows as you assemble your own “pebble painting” playing with tint, shade, and value scale! You can also get a guided tour starting at 6pm and some free refreshments! Go hang out in your great local museum!
Saturday, May 12th
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Paint a Kindness Rock
Paint a rock with a friendly message! Frankly, rocks have been unkind to too many people for too long. Good job starting to make them a little more friendly! You can keep it or leave it at the library for others to see! Free and open to all ages!
Emily Dickinson Museum [280 Main St, Amherst, MA 01002] at 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Annual Poetry Walk
“The Emily Dickinson Poetry Walk marks the anniversary of the poet’s death (on May 15, 1886) with readings of her poetry at historic sites in Amherst. This spring’s Walk will feature Dickinson’s works inspired by the natural world and the plants she grew in her conservatory at the Homestead, which was restored in 2017.” Head over to the Homestead and toast to a great poet who lived in Amherst a long time ago and by all accounts thought it was alright.

Board Games:

Wednesday, May 9th
Brass Cat [65 Cottage St, Easthampton, MA 01027] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Wednesday Games: Back Outside!
“It’s finally happened folks! After what felt an endless winter we finally broke through into better warmer weather! And with that, weather permitting, WE ARE BACK OUTSIDE. And what better way to celebrate than with Trees! This week I’ll be featuring Photosynthesis (yes I featured it before but OUTSIDE)! In Photosynthesis, each player is playing a specific species of tree vying for control of the forest. Every round you’ll be throwing out new seeds and growing your trees across the board to get the most sun and keep your opponents in the shade as much as possible.” We tried Photosynthesis a while back and loved it! You should give it a shot too!
Saturday, May 12th
Burger King Community Room [344 King St., Northampton, MA 01060] at 12:30 PM to 10:00 PM
Tabletop Gaming Day
Board games! Nice folks! A good time will be had by all. Bring your favorite game to share with your new friends!

Books:

Tuesday, May 8th
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Book Launch & Reading with Donna Jenson
“Donna Jenson’s new book, Healing My Life from Incest to Joy, focuses not on the details of the author’s abuse, but on the steps she took to build a life of meaning. It’s a detailed account of what helped Jenson, how and why she came to learn new tools for introspection, storytelling, and growth, and where any person could find them. Jenson doesn’t pretend to speak on behalf of all survivors, but she clearly speaks to all survivors. In her readings she helps audiences face the taboo subject of sexual exploitation with an open dialogue; creating a safe space, a space where all can stay open to the possibility of healing, for one’s self, for people we care about, for whole communities.”
Wednesday, May 9th
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Jason Sokol, The Heavens Might Crack
“A vivid portrait of how Americans grappled with King’s death and legacy in the days, weeks, and months after his assassination. On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was fatally shot as he stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. At the time of his murder, King was a polarizing figure–scorned by many white Americans, worshiped by some African Americans and liberal whites, and deemed irrelevant by many black youth. In The Heavens Might Crack, historian Jason Sokol traces the diverse responses, both in America and throughout the world, to King’s death. Whether celebrating or mourning, most agreed that the final flicker of hope for a multiracial America had been extinguished.” Learn more about an important and tragic moment in US history.
Thursday, May 10th
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar, The Map of Salt and Stars
“This rich, moving, and lyrical debut novel is to Syria what The Kite Runner was to Afghanistan; the story of two girls living eight hundred years apart–a modern-day Syrian refugee seeking safety and a medieval adventurer apprenticed to a legendary mapmaker–places today’s headlines in the sweep of history, where the pain of exile and the triumph of courage echo again and again.” This sounds like a neat book to read!
Saturday, May 12th
Montessori School of Northampton [51 Bates St., Northampton, MA 01060] at 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM
What If… Book Launch with Mike Curato & Samantha Berger at We Need Diverse Books Book Fair!
“Mike Curato and Samantha Berger will kick off their book tour with a first event at the Montessori School of Northampton. In addition to their books, the Odyssey will be bringing books by other authors for the We Need Diverse Book Book Fair. Come for the books and authors, stay for playtime and games on MSN’s wonderful playground!” Adorable and fun! A great chance to meet your favorite authors and have fun playing.
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM
Friends Book Sale
A book sale for friends of the library put on by friends of the library! A delightful day!

Comics:

Thursday, May 10th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 3:30 PM to 4:15 PM
Comics Club
“We’ll discuss, share, and create comics and graphic novels! There will be artist’s supplies, materials to put your own books together, and time to receive and give recommendations! Intended for elementary, tween, and teen readers and artists, this meeting will run from 3:30 to 4:15.” A delightful excuse to talk about comics. We just got a collection of old Mister Miracle stories and dang if we don’t think that Jack Kirby might be good at making comic books. Remember to head to Comics N’ More in Easthampton for all of your comic-buying needs!

Community:

Tuesday, May 8th
Sunderland Public Library [20 School St., Sunderland, MA 01375] at 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Designing a Suburban Permaculture Homestead
Join Ashley Schenk of Broadfork Permaculture to learn how to live simply and in community with others in order to become a steward of the land! Learn how the permaculture design process can help make a single suburban acre into something more than a bunch of horrible lawn. Seriously, lawns are the worst, and boring! Make a tiny farm or whatever, at least it’ll be interesting.

Computers:

Monday, May 7th
Common Media [84 Russell St., Hadley, MA] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Hack for Western Mass
“After quick updates on our ongoing projects, we’ll discuss upcoming projects and then get hacking to make a difference in our communities. Who is Hack for Western Mass? 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.” Go do something useful with all that computer tinkering beside playing (pause for SEO maximization…) FORTNITE!

Entertainment:

Monday, May 7th
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Conversation with Author Series: Jana Millbocker – The Garden Tourist
The Garden Tourist is a travel guide for weekend gardeners, landscape professionals, and vacation travelers that comes packed with 665 color photos, regional maps, and all the information you need to find some cool as hell gardens and walk around in them! Jana Millbocker is an avid gardener, lecturer, and writer, and she’s going to be able to tell you a lot about extremely beautiful gardening.
Tuesday, May 8th
Yiddish Book Center [1021 West St., Amherst MA 01002] at 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
TALK | “People of the Picture Book:” The Invention of Childhood, with Ilan Stavans
“The second lecture surveys the parallel rise of psychoanalysis and the comic-strip industry in the twentieth century as the background against which Jewish children’s book classics like Curious George, Where the Wild Things Are, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar emerged.” The Very Hungry Caterpillar sounds familiar, but we can’t place it. Was that written by someone in … the Unhappy Mountains?
Wednesday, May 9th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Anime Club
Watch anime! We’re watching a bit of Children of the Whales right now. It’s neat! It’s very pretty.

Kids:

Monday, May 7th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Minecraft Club
“Join us for May’s Minecraft Club meeting. Sign up at the Children’s Desk, or by calling 587-1010. Space for library laptops is limited. Let us know if you’ll be using a library laptop or bringing your own device!” Play Minecraft with some friends!
Tuesday, May 8th
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, May 9th
Westfield Atheneum [6 Elm St, Westfield, MA 01085] at 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Lost Sock Memorial Day
“Join us to mourn the loss of our sock to the dark hole that is the washing machine, the space under the bed, and the crack behind that dresser. We will honor our socks by finding new uses for a single, lonely sock. Socks will be provided, unless you want to bring your lonely sock. Please register for this program! For ages 12-18 CONTACT: Olivia Eberli, oeberli@westath.org”
Saturday, May 12th
Westfield Atheneum [6 Elm St, Westfield, MA 01085] at 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Laundry Day
“Learn about how people washed their clothes long ago with Dennis Picard, a local historian. Kids will have a chance to use washboards, ringers, and other old fashioned equipment, then hang the clothes to dry. Bring your own piece of clothing to wash. Ages: 5-13 years old. Registration required and space is limited. CONTACT: Sarah Scott 413-562-6158 x5 sscott@westath.org” A spectacular way to trick your children into doing chores for you!
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: Aaron Becker
“Join Caldecott Honor winner Aaron Becker as he reads from A Stone for Sascha, his first picture book following the conclusion of his best-selling Journey trilogy, and talks about his creative process.” WARNING: SAD STORY ABOUT DOG. We’re sure it’s good, just go in with both eyes open.
Sunday, May 13th
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: Samantha Berger and Mike Curato
“Creativity, imagination, self-expression, and the resilience of the human spirit are celebrated in What If…, a picture book written and illustrated by real-life best friends Samantha Berger and Mike Curato. Join Samantha and Mike for a special story-time followed by a found objects studio art project inspired by the mixed media illustrations in their new book.” Being described as ‘real-life best friends’ is pretty great.

Movies:

Monday, May 7th
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM
Teen Movie: Pitch Perfect 3
Pitch Perfect 3 is a movie that 100% represents the actual life experiences of any person who chooses to join acapella in any capacity. It’s a wild ride, so be sure to think about how much excitement you’re willing to endure before signing up for that school club!
Wednesday, May 9th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Film: Disturbing the Peace
“Resistance Film Series of the Northampton Committee to Stop the Wars. Free and accessible. Discussion follows. Disturbing the Peace follows former enemy combatants – Israeli soldiers from elite units and Palestinian armed fighters, many of whom served years in prison – who have joined together to challenge the status quo and say “enough.” The film reveals their transformation journeys from soldiers committed to armed battle to nonviolent peace activists, leading to the creation of Combatants for Peace.” A worthwhile thing to learn about, we think.
Sunday, May 13th
Yiddish Book Center [1021 West St., Amherst MA 01002] at 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
FILM | “The Women’s Balcony”
“An accident during a bar mitzvah celebration leads to a gender rift in a devout Orthodox community in Jerusalem, in this rousing, good-hearted tale about women speaking truth to patriarchal power.” Sounds like a good time at the movies, in Hebrew with English subtitles! Students | $4, Member | $6, GA | $8!

RPGs:

Wednesday, May 9th
Palmer Public Library [1455 N Main St, Palmer, MA 01069] at 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
RPG Club
RPG Club is for fans of RPGs! Meet up with fellow players and chat about playing roles! Maybe try out one of the many RPGs made by Valley Creators!
Saturday, May 12th
Westfield Atheneum [6 Elm St, Westfield, MA 01085] at 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Dungeons and Dragons
The big old standard one! The RPG with swords and shields and dragons and dungeons! It’s fun and you can play it with pals!

Science:

Thursday, May 10th
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Hummingbirds of the World
“Join us for “Hummingbirds of the World”, a presentation by naturalist John Root, which features spectacular images of hummingbirds from around the world. Topics discussed include myths and legends about hummingbirds in different cultures, special adaptations for flight, co-evolution of hummingbirds and the flowers that they visit, courtship and nesting behavior, and migration.” Hummingbirds NOT of this world will not be discussed. Not after what happened last time…
The Nacul Center [592 Main St., Amherst] at 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Super Soils: Why Dirt is Key to a Greener Planet
Soil! The wonder-material that makes life possible! A teaspoon can contain a billion teeny cells, and soils can contain enormous amounts of carbon that would otherwise be in the atmosphere! A panel of grad students will welcome you to the wonderful world of soil and let you in on the mysteries that thereby abound! Snacks and drinks are available!

April 30th – May 6th

The Valley Nerd Watch!

There’s a bunch of Free Comic Book Day festivities in the Valley on May 5th! Wherever you are, you can grab some excellent comic books for no cost whatsoever! Spend time hanging out in your friendly local store Comics N’ More, take a moment to say goodbye to Modern Myths, friend to all Valley Nerds, or stop by the Greenfield Public Library!

Don’t forget to submit a talk proposal to Nerd Nite NoHo! We’ve still got open slots for the summer! You get $50, and you get a nice crowd of folks who tell you you’re smart. Who else can promise you that?

We’re particularly excited this week by the MAKE TALK PLAY event featuring Epidiah Ravachol on May 6th at Another Castle in Greenfield! Epidiah’s a top-notch tabletop designer who’s also very good at talking so you know it’ll be fun!

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 30th
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Star Wars Terrariums
“Build a mini habitat of your favorite fantastical world! This program is open to all ages. Pre-register in the Kids Room 413-259-3091 / kids@joneslibrary.org ” The program to build Enormous Super-Weapon Terrariums to destroy these tiny worlds is next week.
Tuesday, May 1st
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, May 2nd
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
The Greatest Makerspace in the Galaxy (Ages 8-up)
“Do you know as much about gadgets as Rey? Can you build a droid out of spare parts like a Jawa? Exercise your maker skills with LittleBits and Perler Beads at our Star Wars-themed Makerspace. Please pre-register in the Kids’ Room or at 413-259-3091/kids@joneslibrary.org” First person to build a working droid gets a cease and desist from Disney!
Thursday, May 3rd
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
3-D Printing and More for Teens
Come play around with robotics toys, learn how to use 3D design software, a 3D printer, and more to make your own unique creations! 3D printers are neat, you can make unidfferentiated plastic into shapes that are meaningful to you! Take that, plastic! Contact Rachel to register, rdowd@holyokelibrary.org!
Emily Dickinson Museum [280 Main St, Amherst, MA 01002] at 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Arts Night Out
Featured performers the steppers from Springfield High School of Science and Technology, featured artist Jennifer Sinclair’s visual art students from SPHST, open mic signups from 5-6pm, open mic starts at 6pm!
Sunday, May 6th
Emily Dickinson Museum [280 Main St, Amherst, MA 01002] at 9:45 AM to 12:00 PM
“Dear to the moss”: Emily Dickinson Wildflower Walk
“Emily Dickinson observed nature keenly, distilling it into poetry. With botanist Connie Parks, we’ll explore, as the poet did, Amherst’s fields and woods, visiting Kestrel Land Trust’s Spaulding Conservation Area on Amethyst Brook… Then, we’ll return to theEmily Dickinson Museum for refreshments and readings of Dickinson’s nature poetry. Meet at 9:45 at the Emily Dickinson Museum tour center. For directions and parking, click here. Complimentary shuttle to the trailhead leaves at 10am. Sturdy footwear suggested. Thunder cancels. Registration Recommended for adults and youth 12 and up. Pre-registration required, as space is limited. Please email edmprograms@emilydickinsonmuseum.org to register. Payment will be taken at the door. $10 adults/$8 Friends/$6 Garden Volunteers (May 5-6), youth and students with valid college ID”

Books:

Tuesday, May 1st
Yiddish Book Center [1021 West St., Amherst MA 01002] at 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
TALK | “People of the Picture Book:” You Shall Not Worship Idols, with Ilan Stavans
In this first in a three-lecture series, Professor Ilan Stavans will investigate storytelling from the Middle Ages/Enlightenement to the ninteenth century, including a look at the Haggadah and the Book of Esther as tools for education Jewish chidlren. Suggested donation of $5!
Wednesday, May 2nd
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Science Fiction and Fantasy Discussion: The Fifth Season
This month the get-together will focus discussion on The Fifth Season, an excellent/terrifying novel about the post-post-post-post-post apocalypse in a world that has apocalypses so regularly they set their clocks by them. Talk about this book or talk about just sci-fi in general because this is a big group of sci-fi nerds who like to talk books!
Thursday, May 3rd
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Heather Abel, The Optimistic Decade
A sprawling novel about idealism in the 80s and a particular piece of land that changes the lives of five people who live on it. Heather Abel’s debut is coming out in May, and this is your first chance to see it! She’s taught writing at the New School, UMass, and SMith, and she lives in Northampton while dreaming of Colorado. What’s Colorado got that we don’t? Pssh.
Frost Library, Amherst College [Amherst, MA 01002] at 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM
Reading Ramayana in Hindu India
Learn about the Ramayana and Hindu india from a scholar in classical Indian literatures from the University of Chicago. She’s had translations from Sanskrit published by Penguin, and has writtern four books for children including the Ramayana for Children!
Frost Library, Amherst College [Amherst, MA 01002] at 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
You Can’t Read this Book!” Exhibition
“Come see books and related objects that have been hidden, banned, lost or never-opened. You can’t read these books – it’s time to find out why. Food and beverages will be provided!”
Saturday, May 5th
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Aaron Becker, Stone for Sascha Book Launch!
A girl grieves the loss of her dog in a beautiful worldess epic by oh no our eyes are too full of tears to continue typing about this children’s book about a dog dying, why does it have to die why aren’t dogs immortal, they’d have fun with it and not even get caught up in all that existential is-it-a-gift-or-a-curse stuff aaagh. This is Aaron’s first book since his Journey trilogy and it’s a good one, you should go get it signed!
Sunday, May 6th
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art [125 West Bay Rd., Amherst, MA 01002] at 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
International Children’s and Young Adult Literature, with Restless Books
“Programs will include a presentation and storytime by Arshia Sattar, author of Ramayana: An Illustrated Retelling, and an art activity with Mexican cartoonist/artist Eko, illustrator of Juan Don Quixote of La Mancha: 400th Anniversary Edition, and Villoro’s contemporary middle-grade classic, The Wild Book.” A spectacular opportunity to enrich young readers!

Comics:

Tuesday, May 1st
Comics N’ More [31 Union St, Easthampton, Massachusetts 01027] at 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM
Free Comic Book Day!
Comics? For free? It’s the best of all possible worlds! Extremely special offers at Comics N’ More this year: up to 3 free comics per customer, with one more if you donate to the Easthampton Community Center, a bunch of new and used book bargins, and 80 long boxes full of dollar comics! Buy thousands of dollars of comics in addition to your good free books!
Saturday, May 5th
Modern Myths [34 Bridge Street #4, Northampton, MA 01060] at 12:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Free Comic Book Day!
Free comics! Can you imagine anything better than that? Come into Modern Myths and try not to spend the whole time weeping about how it’s the last free comic book day at the stooooore *sob*! And pick up free comics and some 20% sales!
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Free Comic Book Day!
“Greenfield Public Library celebrates Free Comic Book Day on Saturday May 5th from 10 am to 1 pm. The event is free, open to all ages, and will take place throughout all public spaces in the library. Highlights include a demonstration by professional comic book artist Andrew Delvalle. Free comics and much more!”

Community:

Tuesday, May 1st
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM
Valley Gives Day – Holyoke!
Free snacks! Hang out with fellow Holyoke charities like Holyoke Reach Out and Read, Community Education Project, and Lighthouse Holyoke, the Womanshelter/Companeras, Holyoke Codes, and Holyoke Creative Arts Center. You can even win prizes for donations! If you donate $10 or more you can win a free night in a studio or king suite at Homewood Suites by Hilton Holyoke!
Saturday, May 5th
Downtown Northampton at 11:00 AM to 12:30 AM
Northampton Pride Parade
Pride is this weekend! The parade is fun and you can march with the Forbes Library staff and patrons if you meet across from Northampton Brewery at 10:45am! Then you walk a mile while crowds cheer and you have a good time. Festive attire encouraged!

Computers:

Tuesday, May 1st
The Foundry [24 Main St., Northampton, MA] at 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Northampton Webdive – After Work
A regular meetup of people who do web dev work! It’s a great place to meet and chat about your work and also fun stuff you do!

Entertainment:

Monday, April 30th
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Bullet Journaling 101
“Get started with bullet journaling and see what all the fuss is about.  Group will meet the last Monday of each month to prep journal for the upcoming month.  Get tips, share ideas.  All skill levels welcome. Bring your own journal and supplies or we will have some available to get started.” Bullet journaling is basically journaling, but with fewer words.
Wednesday, May 2nd
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
First Wednesday Speaker Series: Walking to Listen
“The First Wednesday Speaker Series welcomes Andrew Forsthoefel, sharing his adventures traveling 4000 miles across America, one story at a time. His book, Walking to Listen, is a young man’s coming of age on cross-country trek story, as told through the stories of the people of all ages, races, and inclinations he meets along the highways of America.”
Friday, May 4th
Jones Library [43 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002] at 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM
3rd Annual Star Wars Day–Room Reserved
Kids ages 0-17 and their families are invited to join the staff of the Jones Library Kids room for a Star Wars extravaganza featuring crafts, trivia, raffles, games, photo booth, STEM activities and FUN! Activities will be offered from 3:00-5:00pm. Dressing as your favorite galactic character is encouraged! Following our activities fans of all ages are invited to a free screening of Star Wars: The Last Jedi (PG 13) 5:00-7:30pm Follow beloved characters from the greatest space epic franchise in the galaxy as they explore the Force and combat the rising power of the dark side.” A pretty solid Star Wars lineup!
Saturday, May 5th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Doctor Who Club
Wait what’s this doctor they’re discussing? Why are people so interested in this doctor. Which doctor? Wait, doctor… whom? Anyway go hang out and watch Doctor Who and eat snacks, it’s a good time with cool folks!
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
MakerSpace Event
Make things at the MakerSpace!
Sunday, May 6th
MYSTERY LOCATION at 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Firefly Episode 6 & Potluck
Watch Firefly and eat some delicious food! Some of that food you will need to bring, of course. Join at the meetup to find out where it is held! It’s a fun time for all involved. https://www.meetup.com/4scifi/events/250197304/

History:

Wednesday, May 2nd
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Stonewall and the Mafia
What does a gay rights protest have to do with the mafia? Kind of a lot, it turns out! Justin Cascio presents a complex story that spans gay culture, criminal alliances, the immigrant experience and the classic American anti-hero. Learn more about an important part of history in order to better deal with the present.
Saturday, May 5th
Emily Dickinson Museum [280 Main St, Amherst, MA 01002] at 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Curves, Carpets, and Color: Olmsted, the Dickinsons, and 19th Century Landscapes
“Join landscape historian and author Marta McDowell for an illustrated talk exploring the development of American landscaping in the nineteenth century. While discussing developments in style, from formal to romantic to Victorian, we’ll meet the great tastemakers of the 1800s, including the individual who cointed the term “landscape architect. $12 for adults, $8 for Museum Friends, Free for participants of garden volunteer days May 5-6. No reservations required, but space is limited.”

Movies:

Monday, April 30th
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Far Out Film Discussion: Donnie Darko
Watch the movie first! This is like a book club but for movies. Watch that good story about how Donald Darko and his friend a frightening rabbit costume save the day in a twisty time-travel story! You can pick up a copy at the library or watch it free with your card on Canopy! Then talk about it with fellow film afficionados!
Forbes Library [20 West St, Northampton, MA 01060] at 7:00 PM to 8:45 PM
Film Screening: Patagonia Treasure Trail
Or did you want to WATCH a movie at the library? Then check out this mother/daughter road trip but not roads fields and on horseback movie about two people journeying into a pristine wilderness that has just been sold off, dealing with many types of loss in several ways. Hope emerges from unexpected places! Also a horse learns to knit.
Tuesday, May 1st
Greenfield Public Library [402 Main St, Greenfield, MA 01301] at 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM
GPL Teen Pizza and Movie Night
Pizza and a movie: the ultimate chance to have pizza and also watch a movie. Teens, don’t let this slip by! This is your chance to have pizza and watch a film! It’s a hoot to do so with pals!
Thursday, May 3rd
Holyoke Public Library [250 Chestnut St, Holyoke, MA 01040] at 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Film Screening & Panel Discussion: Promesa
An independent short documentary that examines the horrific economic crisis in Puerto Rico before Hurricaine Mario and explores how Puerto Rico’s colonial relationship with the US impacts the island on a personal and political level. There will be a panel discussion after the film with filmmaker Michelle Falcón Fontánez and activists Samantha Marie Medina Figueroa and Johanyvette Rodriguez González.

RPGs:

Sunday, May 6th
Another Castle [30 Olive St, Suite 2, Greenfield MA] at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
MAKE TALK PLAY | Roleplaying Games with Epidiah Ravachol!
“We’re pleased to announce that local game designer Epidiah Ravachol will be joining us at the next MAKE TALK PLAY! Epidiah will be presenting us with a brief history of tabletop roleplaying games from Dungeons & Dragons to the finest indie games of the valley. After the talk he (and maybe a few others) will be running a few demos. So come out, hang out and lets talk games.”

Science:

Tuesday, May 1st
Odyssey Bookshop [9 College St, South Hadley, MA 01075] at 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Zach Schonbrun, the Performance Cortex: How Neuroscience is Redefining Athletic Genius
Q: Why couldn’t Michael Jordan, master athlete that he was, hit a baseball? Why can’t modern robotics come close to replicating the dexterity of a five-year-old? Why do good quarterbacks always seem to know where their receivers are? A: He did not practice hitting baseballs very often, they picked a particular dextrous five year-old to try to copy, good quarterbacks tie a gossamer strand to each receiver in the huddle.
Wednesday, May 2nd
Historic Northampton [46 Bridge Street, Northampton, MA 01060-2406] at 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Dispelling Myths and Confirming History: Dendroarchaeology Studies as a Means for Establishing Accurate Building Construction Dates
Have you ever seen those plaques on old houses and wondered if they were installed by tricksters out to dazzle you with artificially old houses? Of course you have! Everyone shares our understandable house-age paranoia. Well Dendroarcheologist Bill Flynt has been doing some studies throught the Northeast and he’s finding that we were correct to be wary! He’ll share how he studies old wood to understand old houses and how what he’s found re-writes our local history!
Saturday, May 5th
Frost Library, Amherst College [Amherst, MA] at 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Aesthetics of Information Conference
“What are the aesthetics of information? Fifty years after “the society of the spectacle,” how does information entangle with spectacle—as news, entertainment, propaganda or style? How do ideologies of information inflect forms of sensing and knowing? What are the social, legal and technological consequences of prioritizing information over communication as societal infrastructure? How do characteristics of information direct our attention, dazzle and confuse us?” All these questioned answered succinctly at this good conference in the Frost Library!

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.

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!