Northampton Book Fair returns
The Northampton Antiquarian Book, Ephemera, and Book Arts Fair returns to the city for its ninth year on Friday, Nov. 21, from 5 to 8 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 33 Hawley.
The fair will feature more than 60 booksellers, paper Americana specialists, book artists, literary presses, and authors selling books, broadsides, pamphlets, maps, bindings and more.
Twenty writers from the area, including Patricia Lee Lewis, Richard Michelson, Andrea Hairston and Michael Favala Goldman, will be signing their books at the Straw Dog Writers Guild booth.
Tickets are available online and at the door and are $8 general admission, $12 to benefit Forbes Library, and free for children, students with ID, and anyone with a SNAP, WIC, or Mass Health card. To buy tickets or for more information, including a vendor list and book signing schedule, visit northamptonbookfair.com.
‘The Night We Rode’ debuts at CitySpace
A staged-reading of an original play by performer and storyteller Mercedes Loving-Manley will debut the new play “The Night We Rode” on Friday, Nov. 21, and Saturday, Nov. 22, at 7 p.m. at the Blue Room at CitySpace.
The play, based on real events, is about R&B singer Teddy Pendergrass, his relationship with trans nightclub performer Tenika Watson, and the car crash that left him paralyzed from the chest down.
The cast includes Terrell James Jones as Teddy, Danielle Davis as Tenika, and Cynthia Claudio as Yvette.
After each show, there will be a community Q&A/talkback.
Loving-Manley, an alum of Hampshire College, is part of the 2025 Pay It Forward cohort, a group of local artists in residence at CitySpace.
For more information, visit cityspaceeasthampton.org/all-events/#/events.
Pa’lante hosts ‘Latin Dance Night Fundraiser’
The local youth leadership program Pa’lante Transformative Justice will host “Bailemos: A Latin Dance Night Fundraiser” at De La Luz in Holyoke on Thursday, Nov. 20 from 7 to 10 p.m.
The evening will feature a Latin dance lesson led by local salsa/bachata instructor Roshay from 7 to 8 p.m., then social dancing from 8 to 10 p.m. Guests will also be able to purchase food and drinks from De La Luz’s kitchen and bar and will be able to buy tickets to a raffle whose prizes include movie tickets, concert tickets, gift certificates to local restaurants and businesses, and a photo shoot.
“Bailemos” is the kickoff to the organization’s end-of-year fundraiser, which seeks to raise $12,000 to renovate the kitchen in their drop-in space, which serves more than 200 young people ages 13-19 annually.
“A lot of us get here hungry after school, and we want to cook for ourselves and our friends,” a Pa’lante participant said in a press release. “Especially with the way food stamps were just gone — we really count on groceries we can bring home from the food pantry at Pa’lante, and being able to cook here. If I can eat dinner here, then there’s a little more food left at home for my family.”
Tickets are $20 per person at the door or online, and all proceeds will go to Pa’lante. For more information about Pa’lante, visit palanteholyoke.org.
Fantasy creatures featured at the Eric Carle Museum
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art will open its newest exhibition, “Sprites, Spells, and Splashes: Magical Beings in Picture Book Art,” this Saturday, Nov. 22. The exhibit is running through next April.
The show includes picture book artwork of fantasy creatures like mermaids, fairies and wizards from more than 40 classic and contemporary books.
“From the brownies of the British Isles to the djinns of the Middle East, magical beings abound in folklore. These creatures exist in a parallel world within and alongside humans,” said Isabel Ruiz Cano, associate curator. “Picture book art can be a powerful bridge between cultures, a keeper of stories, and a source of wonder that allows us to see the invisible. Although we may not always be able to spot these creatures, the artists in this exhibition bring their mysterious forms to light.”
The museum is open Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 12 to 5 p.m.
For more information about the exhibit or admission, visit carlemuseum.org.
Audition for multiple theater companies at once
As part of Play Incubation Collective’s Community-Wide Auditions, local actors are invited to audition for multiple local theater companies, producers and directors at once on Friday, Nov. 21, and Saturday, Nov. 22, at The Workroom at 33 Hawley in Northampton.
Four time slots are available for up to ten actors at a time; those time slots are 4 to 5 p.m. and 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 21; and 10 to 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22.
Participating actors will introduce themselves, rehearse and present a provided scene, and take part in a short conversation about the scene with your group.
Actors should only sign up for one time slot, and sign-ups are required; walk-ins will not be accepted.
To sign up or for a list of the participating theater companies, producers, and directors, visit playincubation.org/auditions.
Bombyx present Valley Voices Story Slam
The next Valley Voices Story Slam will be at Bombyx Center for Arts & Equity in Florence on Thursday, Nov. 20, at 7:30 p.m. It will feature 10 local storytellers sharing personal stories that relate to the theme “Cringe.”
Audience members will vote on their three favorite stories, and the top three finalists will be part of the Best of Valley Voices Story Slam at the Academy of Music in April of next year.
Tickets are $17 via bombyx.live or at the door.
Also, New England residents 18 and older are invited to audition for January’s Story Slam.
To audition, call 413-482-8607 between Sunday, Nov. 16, and Sunday, Dec. 7, to record a voicemail with your first and last name, email address, phone number, and the first line of your story.
All stories for this event must relate to the theme “Wrong Turn” and must be first-person stories from each auditioner’s own life. Props, costumes, notes, and musical instruments are not allowed, and stories cannot be longer than five minutes.
All callers will be notified by 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 12. The show will be at the Marigold Theater on Thursday, Jan. 15.
For more information, visit nepm.org/valley-voices or email valleyvoices@aomtheatre.com.
Fall Faculty Dance Concert at Smith College
Smith College’s annual Fall Faculty Dance Concert will be at Theatre 14 at Mendenhall Center for the Performing Arts at 8 p.m. nightly from Thursday, Nov. 20, through Saturday, Nov. 22.
Featured works include pieces by Angie Hauser (“intricately combines idiosyncratic movement, partnering and human behavior in her new sextet, inspired by the complex composition of the aster flower”); Nerie Torres (“merging [Afro-Cuban goddess] Ochún’s sacred dances with Cuban modern and “reparto” (street) dance styles … the piece becomes a hymn to beauty and grace in motion”); Ellie Goudie-Averill (“explores ways that we can tune into the beauty of our daily lives, nature, and our communities to find hope for our collective future”); and Chloe London (“an imaginative chapter book full of virtuosic dancing and curious characters … exploring ideas of constant rebuilding and disrupting”). (All quoted descriptions come from the press release.)
For more information about the concert or admission, visit smitharts.ludus.com.
