Peck leading workshop on iris paper folding

GREENFIELD — Margot Peck will lead a free iris paper-folding workshop at the Greenfield Senior Center on Wednesday, May 8, from 10:30 a.m. to noon.

Iris folding is done by arranging and layering strips of paper or fabric in a spiraled pattern that resembles the iris of a camera lens — that’s how the craft got its name. Participants can use this craft to create cards or works of art to be framed.

No art or craft experience is needed. Attendees are advised to bring a roll of Scotch tape. All other materials will be provided.

Advance registration and Senior Center membership (free) are both required. Stop by the center’s front desk or call 413-772-1517, ext. 0 to reserve a space.

Next Writers Read set for May 8

GREENFIELD — The LAVA Center at 324 Main St. hosts a monthly series, Writers Read, on the second Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. Reading on May 8 will be Cosmo Grover, Richard Wayne Horton and Emily Brewster.

Horton has received 2 Pushcart nominations and is the 2019-2021 Massachusetts Beat Poet Laureate. His work has appeared in The Dead Mule, Meat For Tea, Bull & Cross, Danse Macabre du Jour and others. He is the author of “Ballet For Murderers” (2021) and “Artists in the Underworld, 2023 Edition.”

Grover is an English major at Greenfield Community College. A lifelong Pioneer Valley resident, she has been sharing her poetry for 20 years.

Brewster is a lexicographer who has been writing poetry since childhood. She lives in Greenfield.

There is a $5 suggested donation.

City seeks input on Digital Equity Plan draft

GREENFIELD — Following months of community engagement efforts, the city has published the first draft of its municipal Digital Equity Plan. The city welcomes final comments from the public before the plan is submitted to the state for approval.

Comments will be accepted until Friday, May 10. Comments can be submitted via a Google Form at bit.ly/3UGXzEY or mailed to 12 Olive St., Suite 2, Greenfield, MA 01301.

Greenfield selected the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, a pre-qualified consultant, to develop the city’s plan using funding from a Massachusetts Broadband Institute grant. A Digital Equity Steering Committee was then formed to conduct outreach to residents through focus groups, a community meeting, surveys and discussions with service providers.

Greenfield’s Digital Equity Plan will help guide municipal decision-making and investments related to increasing access, adoption and usage of the internet for several groups within the city, including seniors, low-income populations and households where English is not the primary language. The plan will also help prepare the city to submit grant proposals to existing or forthcoming state or federal programs to support digital equity activities.

Memory Cafe set for May 10

GREENFIELD — The Arbors at Greenfield is sponsoring a free Memory Cafe, a supportive gathering for people living with memory loss together with their caregivers, at the Greenfield Senior Center on Friday, May 10, from noon to 1:30 p.m. Lunch will be provided, followed by an activity.

Advance registration is required by calling 413-772-1517, ext. 0. Residents of all municipalities are welcome.

Hatfield resident to talk theater

GREENFIELD — Joe Vincent will lead a discussion at the Greenfield Senior Center on the history of theater and the poetry used onstage in Renaissance theater. The event, to be held Friday, May 17, from 1 to 2 p.m., will also include acting and singing, while bringing some of Shakespeare’s characters to life.

Vincent, who now lives in Hatfield, has been an actor all his life. Having performed in more than 70 Shakespearean plays and 51 musicals, he is looking forward to discussing just what it is that actors need to learn before going onstage. There will be time for questions after the presentation.

The program is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required by calling 413-772-1517, ext. 0 or by stopping by the Senior Center’s front desk.

Sarah Clay & The StarCats to perform May 22

GREENFIELD — Sarah Clay & The StarCats will perform a concert based on the themes of optimism, renewal and conservation at the Greenfield Senior Center on Wednesday, May 22, from 2 to 3 p.m.

Vocalist/flutist Sarah Clay leads the award-winning trio with Draa Hobbs on guitar and Steve Bulmer on bass, playing unique arrangements of pop, Latin, jazz, swing and soul.

The program, supported in part by a grant from the Greenfield Cultural Council, is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required by calling 413-772-1517, ext. 0 or by stopping by the Senior Center’s front desk.

Talk to explore home health care options

GREENFIELD — Cooley Dickinson VNA & Hospice staff will discuss home health care options at the Greenfield Senior Center on Friday, May 24, from 11 a.m. to noon.

Staff will break down the differences between VNA, palliative care and hospice while also discussing the importance of advance planning. There will be time for questions after the presentation.

The program is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required by calling 413-772-1517, ext. 0 or by stopping by the Senior Center’s front desk.