June 22, 2026: Louder Equity for those in the back

June 22, 2026: Louder Equity for those in the back

We head to a new exhibit in Holyoke that’s helping newer artists explore their craft, and the anniversary of this nation with more experienced artists in the area. Valley Arts Mentors branched out of Piti Theater, but has grown to encompass many ways that we all tell stories including visual arts. This year’s cohort of mentors and mentees have recently opened an exhibit Revolutionary Artstories: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Equity, which we explore along with the artists who’ve made the work on display.  The Green River Festival [https://greenriverfestival.com] happened this past weekend, but if you think about festivals you've been to, how are their lineups looking in terms of gender diversity? Book More Women [https://www.bookmorewomen.com/] is an upcoming soon to be non-profit that started as an instagram project and has evolved into a full on movement, in which the Green River festival has partnered. We speak with founder Abbey Carbonneau about starting the organization, what her data has shown so far, and the struggles of getting other organizations to recognize their blind spots.  Plus after running around all weekend we get to talk a little bit about our highlights from the festival as well.

June 19, 2026: Juneteenth live from the Green River Festival!

Today is a day to celebrate freedom and music, because it’s Juneteenth, but it’s also the first day of the Green River Festival So we’re combining those two things for a live broadcast straight from the mainstage at the Franklin County Fairgrounds In addition to a celebration of freedom for all, we’ll hear insights and music from some of the amazing artists performing as part of the this year’s line up: including last year’s NPR tiny desk winner Ruby Ibarra [https://www.rubyibarra.com/], who has ties to one of rock’s godmothers locally and internationally in June Millington [https://junemillington.net/], the musical legacy of Swamp Dogg [https://www.theswampdogg.com/], whose created and produced music of too many genres to mention, and whose influence reaches into many other artistic arenas as well. Plus we’ll get to meet one of the first guests this show ever had with the heartfelt lyrics and intrepid fingerpicking of Sunny War.  [http://www.sunnywar.com/] And we’ll give you a quick history of the holiday we’re all celebrating as well.

June 18, 2026: Almost Juneteenth

,We're looking at freedom and our relationship with it, because freedom’s legacy in this country has had a fraught relationship with the black community. Clark University Professor Ousmane Power-Greene [https://www.clarku.edu/faculty/profiles/ousmane-power-greene/] in continuing to examine the nation's 250th birthday brings forward the case of Crispus Attucks, one of the victims of the Boston Massacre, now intrinsically tied to the story of this nation’s independence. We discuss Attuck’s life, how the liberty of the nation affected black revolutionary veterans, and more.  Tomorrow is Juneteenth, the now federally recognized holiday that celebrates freedom for everyone. At the Iron Horse, an inspired collection of musicians are celebrating with a concert that honors that legacy [https://ironhorse.org/#calendar-b0bd4277-11aa-4ae8-9f35-fc260b996a4e-event-2692e735-fb23-47bc-95e2-77418836c301]. Indë [https://www.artbyinde.com/music/role-model],  PARRIS [https://www.richardparrisscott.com/], and the Ujima Singers [https://www.ncmc.net/programs/ujima-singers] will perform in Northampton Tomorrow night. We sit in on their rehearsal, and speak with their musical director Indë about this performance and the impact of the holiday on the communities they’re centered within.  And congressman Jim McGovern [http://mcgovern.house.gov] has some thoughts about the Iran deal, FIFA and how it connects to the USA’s bad habit of intervening in other countries governance, his juneteenth plans and how they tie into the ongoing importance of the upcoming midterm elections, and more.

June 17, 2026: Embattled

Today is all about circles of life. For instance in East Longmeadow, which used to contain more agricultural enterprises, a third generation farmer is still growing vegetables for the area, while looking at ways to make sure that land is available for future generations to grow on. Neil Pomeroy shows us around Pomeroy’s Vegetable Farm [https://pomeroysvegetablefarm.wordpress.com], and gives us insight to its history and what’s coming up right now.  Then we head to the Hitchcock Center for the Environment [https://www.hitchcockcenter.org], where they’re not just teaching the adults of tomorrow about the ways we can be better to the planet, they’re readying for an event that gives us tasty morsels and beverages straight outta nature. Their Battle of the Botanicals [https://www.hitchcockcenter.org/battle-of-the-botanicals/]Fundraiser happens tomorrow on Amherst College’s Campus, so we make a trip to see the breakthroughs they’ve been making in their innovative building. And language is constantly shifting underneath us, so word nerd Emily Brewster at Merriam Webster introduces us to some new terms that have just entered the slang section of their website so that we can continue to ruin the new phrases of the moment for the young folx in our lives.

June 16, 2026: Emilys Juneteenth Band

We are getting the bands together, because it’s the 25th anniversary for the Florence Community Band, which has grown from the idea of one woman seeking musical community, to having over 50 members or more finding their instruments, dusting them off, and joining in the sound. We speak with director Priscilla Ross and members Linda Davis-Delano and Yop Molenaar  about their upcoming concert on June 21st that will bring even more local bands into the mix And in a new novel by Heather Abel, bands of amateur investigators attempt to find the cause and cure of a mysterious ailment. The Emilys is a book that bears an indelible imprint of the asparagus valley, including an array of easter eggs for the locals, and we speak with the author about the issues of friendship, ecology, and place before you can meet her yourself at an event in South Hadley this evening.  Plus this Friday being Juneteenth means there’s lots of places celebrating the nation's truest freedom day, and we’ll hear from Theresa Cooper Gordon, Damany Gordon, and Megan Seiler about the festivities happening in Holyoke [https://wistariahurst.org/event/celebrate-juneteenth-2026/] at Wisteriahurst for the occasion.