The Fabulous 413

If we managed to learn more about a besmirched side character in a literary classic, how does that shifting of frame broaden our understanding of the original work? In the new book Miss Bates by local author Catherine Cliff, we explore the life of spinster Henrietta Bates from Jane Austen’s Emma, and along with NEPM reporter Elizabeth Roman, we’ll plumb the work and the perspective it gives both to women and class struggles. Out west this weekend, the Berkshire Botanical Garden is hosting its annual Harvest Festival and right at the center of that is a Scarecrow Contest. Shakespeare and Company’s production manager and more, Erica Johnson, is building an entry that will connect the season with the bard. We learn about her creation and the campus’ upcoming Shakespeare Festival featuring 9 local school’s productions. And Mr Universe, Five College professor and Kainaat Studios’ Salman Hameed, celebrates International Space Week by giving more insight to the crowding of satellites into earth’s orbits, and the troubling experiment of putting data centers in the skies as more communities object to them being terrestrial.

It's Friday and we find our studio filled with Americana legacy. Sam Grisman's notable father may have raised him on music, but he found his own way to the contrabass instead of mandolin. Over the years of his career he's rooted his sound in the innovations of his father, and the ambience of musicians that were regular guests of his upbringing. We hear from the bandleader with the current iteration of his eponymous Sam Grisman Project project before you can see them at The Shea Theater tonight. Earlier this week we got to show donors around the new artwork in our Building, but one of the coolest parts of that event was those donors and artists becoming part of a collective work as well. Helmed by the Eric Carle Museum, we'll head to their art-making space to chat about the collage that the community came together to create, which will eventually join the art pieces at our studios! And after a quick derailing, level 2 sommelier and Franklin county wine friend Ken Washburn meets us at the Leverett Village Co-op to pit parent against child in this week's un-fancy Wine Thunderdome, a battle of the cabernets.

The 2nd Stockbridge Munsee Homelands Powwow is taking place this weekend after an incredibly well received event last year. This iteration brings even more descendants of the peoples whose land we now live on to reconnect with the places of their ancestors. We’ll speak with organizers Ginger Stevens and Mysti Hammer about the start of this celebration, and what they’re doing to keep the connections between the present day peoples and the places of their past strong. And Congressman Jim McGovern sees the midterms on the horizons and has some very valid concerns about how they’ll go, so we’ll explore his fears about voter suppression and learn to whom the unopposed representative is lending his campaigning power, the unprecedented lack of work days for the house of representatives, his take on the new AI powered government site america dot gov, and the recent revelations on the catholic church here in Massachusetts including the diocese in his district.

Today is full of archaic lore, which sometimes comes in the form of movement and sound. Flamenco Boston has been keeping their centuries old tradition alive in New England. The collective of dancers and musicians are performing today at the Holyoke Library with a stop by our studios to share their incredible artistry and learn more about this art form’s origins in the people's feet and on guitars far beyond Andalusia. Last night NEPM hosted an open house to share the new local artwork we’ve brought into our building. One of the paintings on our floor depicts a unique landmark of Springfield that happens to be right beside the NEPM building itself. We speak with artist Charlie Gould about the legends surrounding the house that sits underneath the I-91 highway, and what makes it a compelling subject. And word nerd Emily Brewster wishes us well with a dive into the language that emerged from the ancient beliefs and attributions of the four humours, and how such language ends up in more laughable places today.

We’re heading to Wilbraham where a turn off a main road brings wondrous vistas and copious amounts of locally grown fruit. Fern Valley Farm is nearing its tenth year of bringing bucolic views and tree fruits of all sorts to the area, and we talk with the family that brought it back from disrepair, Dan and Brooke Fernandes, and learn more about the trees and varieties they’re raising, and the community that’s sprouted up in their newest venture: Fern Valley Market. Plus just because the summer season is over doesn’t mean that Jacob’s Pillow is ending their presentations of dance and dance innovators for Western Mass and the world. They’re about to launch their 2nd ever fall season, and their incubator program The Pillow Lab is celebrating its 10th anniversary! We speak with Ex. Dir Pam Tatge about the lessons learned from last year and who’ll grace their stage in this one, as well as the impact having dedicated space to create can make for up and coming choreographers. And the Quabbin remains an important source of water… for folx who don’t live in western Massachusetts. And recently the Water Resource Authority has requested 20 million more gallons of water from the reservoir even in this time of statewide drought. We’ll talk to former director of the Water Supply Citizens Advisory Committee to the MWRA Lexi Dewey about the public hearing on this matter happening tomorrow, Sept. 30th, and the possible results of drawing from the reservoir while it is at record lows.