Arts & Life
Book Bag: ‘The House in the Pines’ by Ana Reyes; ‘The Perfect Tree’ by Corinne Demas
By STEVE PFARRER
The House in the PinesBy Ana Reyes; Dutton There are so many mystery novels in the world today that it can be tough to make your book stand out. But take one that’s built around around psychological suspense and the elusiveness of memory, rather than...
The Beat Goes On: Seats hot for three-day Back Porch Festival; celebrated guitar pickers will hit Amherst and Northampton
By STEVE PFARRER
Though it’s still two weeks away, the Back Porch Festival is set to take up a lot of space in downtown Northampton, and some of the ticket options have already sold out, so it’s time to give a final preview of the annual roots music fest.The basics:...
The romance of the rails: 22,000 flock to the annual Railroad Hobby Show in West Springfield
By STEVE PFARRER
It’s no secret that the U.S. railroad system, which a century ago had the largest passenger service in the world, looks very different today.Though the nation’s freight system is still significant, passenger service has long since been eclipsed by...
Arts Briefs: Film in Northampton, theater at UMass, and a public art proposal in Easthampton
STEVE PFARRER
Climate change on film in NorthamptonNORTHAMPTON — Tonight (Friday, Feb. 10) from 6 to 8 p.m., CLICK Workspace in Northampton will present several short videos by Smith College students exploring the challenges of climate change.Students in a class on...
Music of loss, grief and transformation: Concert by Illuminati Vocal Arts Ensemble will include a nod to local Black history
By STEVE PFARRER
David Ruggles and Frederick Douglass, two of the most notable Black men to come to Northampton in the first part of the 19th century, left behind a strong legacy as committed abolitionists, writers, and speakers. Ruggles also lived in Florence in the...
The water cure: Storytelling event in Northampton will examine how cancer survivors move beyond the disease, including competitive rowing
By STEVE PFARRER
Story slams have become all the rage in the last couple of decades, an outgrowth of poetry slams in which competitors tell real-life tales instead of reciting verse. The topics vary, but the goal is the same: tell short, engaging and truthful...
Book Bag: ‘Sun on the Muddy’ by Jim Armenti; ‘Common Place’ by Thomas E. Johnson, Jr.; ‘The Adventures of Robo-Kid’ by Diane deGroat
By STEVE PFARRER
Sun on The MuddyPoems by Jim Armenti; photos by Dave Madeloni; edited by Dan Lombardo; Levellers PressJim Armenti is well known in these parts for the varied roles he’s had in the regional music scene. The multi-instrumentalist — guitar, bass,...
The Beat Goes On: Poetry and folk in Northampton, rock, blues and punk in Amherst, and more
By STEVE PFARRER
Signature Sounds is gearing up for a considerably expanded Back Porch Festival this year, with the annual roots music fest, which takes place March 3 through 5, now featuring over 50 bands and artists performing in eight different downtown Northampton...
Art to reflect the community: Forbes Library uses anonymous donation to purchase a range of BIPOC art
By STEVE PFARRER
A couple years ago, Forbes Library received a $10,000 donation from a donor who wanted to remain anonymous but also wanted the money used for a very specific purpose: to broaden the Northampton library’s permanent art collection.More specifically,...
Come on back: The Mead Art Museum, closed to the public since March 2020, reopens Jan. 31 for all visitors
By STEVE PFARRER
AMHERST — The Mead Art Museum at Amherst College, which has been closed to the public for nearly three years, is poised to reopen with two new exhibits in place.The museum shut its doors for all in March 2020 when COVID-19 arrived, and though it...
Into ‘The Maelstrom’: Easthampton artist’s new installation contemplates the dangers of climate change
By STEVE PFARRER
About six years ago, in the midst of some of the worst violence in Syria’s long-running civil war, Harriet Diamond was contemplating a couple of different projects. On one hand, the sculptor and installation artist was horrified to hear about the...
A doctor who still makes house calls: Tracy Kidder’s new book profiles Dr. Jim O’Connell, who tends to Boston’s homeless community
By STEVE PFARRER
In a long career that’s seen him win a Pulitzer Prize, a National Book Award, and a boatload of praise, Williamsburg writer Tracy Kidder has tackled a number of different subjects: the computer revolution, elementary schools, civil war refugees, the...
Pictures of possibility: Exhibit by acclaimed illustrator Christian Robinson aims to help children explore the variety life offers
By STEVE PFARRER
Illustrator and children’s book author Christian Robinson calls his website “The Art of Fun,” and it seems an appropriate title. Robinson’s colorful and whimsical art — a mix of detailed collage, acrylic paint and colored pencil — transmits the sense...
Keeping the torch for books aloft: New bookstore opens near downtown Northampton
By STEVE PFARRER
Dianne and Kevin Germain say they’ve long been avid readers, book lovers who enjoy discussing the ideas and themes advanced by a variety of writers from different fields.In 2019, the Germains decided to take their literary interests a little further:...
Into the fire: Northampton author’s new book re-examines the 1993 siege in Waco, Texas, that left over 85 people dead
By STEVE PFARRER
Waco Rising: David Koresh, The FBI, and the Birth of America’s Modern Militiasby Kevin CookHenry Holt and Co.The images and the story, almost 30 years old, can still shock: a building compound on a Texas plain engulfed in flames following an FBI raid;...
A new home for art, business and community: ‘Bloom Local’ looks to highlight LGBTQ+ artists and organizations
By STEVE PFARRER
A few years ago, Luc Abbott, a marketing consultant who works with various clients in the area, decided to produce an online guide of regional businesses and organizations that, broadly speaking, embodied progressive values and contributed to the...
Arts Briefs: Comedy in Northampton, striking visual art in Amherst and Easthampton, and more
Compiled by STEVE PFARRER
Laughing for a good causeNORTHAMPTON — A number of regional comedians, joined by another who’s worked the national circuit, will host a fundraiser Jan. 21 at Northampton’s Academy of Music for The Literacy Project, the western Massachusetts group that...
The power of women’s hair: Photographer uses 19th-century technique to re-imagine female portraits
By STEVE PFARRER
Time was when Rachel Portesi did much of her photography using Polaroid film. She loved the immediacy of the image, the way each photo was different and often didn’t quite match what her eye had seen, and what she calls “the feeling of Christmas when...
The Beat Goes On: Classical music in Florence, Amherst and Springfield, roots rock in Northampton, and more
By STEVE PFARRER
As John Montanari sees it, the classical music field these days is awash with talent, full of artists who “are so smart, flexible and just damned good that they can pull off virtually anything,” as he noted in a recent email.Montanari, the artistic...
‘The Little Mermaid’ finally swims into view: Amherst Community Theater production opens after two years of pandemic shutdowns
By STEVE PFARRER
It’s been almost three years since Amherst Community Theater has presented its annual musical at Bowker Auditorium at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, given a little problem called COVID-19 that prevented the group from returning to UMass in...
