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By TOLLEY M. JONES

My little brother is a tall, Black man who has a penchant for wearing all black, including a signature mysterious-looking black fedora, but he was a timid, gentle kid. Once when our entire neighborhood of kids saw a single lost sunfish wandering...

By JAMES PENTLAND

EASTHAMPTON — For a business that relies heavily on purchasing directly from overseas manufacturers, it was clear to Dave Mell that the COVID-19 pandemic might cause some disruption. With 80% of the vacuum tubes he buys being made in Russia, the...

By TINKY WEISBLAT

“Freedom from Psychiatric Drugs,” by Chaya Grossberg Chaya Grossberg is easy to talk to. She makes her living talking and listening to people. We spoke last week in anticipation of her first author appearance in Franklin County.Grossberg, who lives...

By SUSAN WOZNIAK

One of the most remembered scenes in American films comes from “The Graduate,” in which Benjamin Braddock, the graduate of the title, is played by Dustin Hoffman. At Benjamin’s party to celebrate his achievement, a guest tells him a single word. The...

By SHERYL HUNTER

The Grateful Dead — you either love them or hate them. There is probably no band that sparks more division among music fans than the famous San Fransico-based group who rose to prominence in the hippie scene of the 1960s with their wildly eclectic...

By SARA WEINBERGER

On the first Sunday in February, I ascended the steps of New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, bought my ticket, and headed for an exhibition that friends had urged me to see. “Hear Me Now: The Black Potters of Old Edgefield South Carolina,”...

By TOLLEY M. JONES

“What upon Earth is the matter with the American people? Do they really covet the world’s ridicule as well as their own social and political ruin?” — Frederick DouglassI am still so tired.I am tired of having so many upsetting and horrible things...

By EMILY THURLOW and JULIAN MENDOZA

When digital downloads became widely available in the early 2000s and later surpassed sales of physical music, the music industry and the public had all but signed the death certificate for local record stores, resigned to the idea that music...

By HANNAH BEVIS

EASTHAMPTON — Just a couple of months ago, Lauren Morse was making history with the girls basketball team, sinking her 1,000th point in front of a packed home crowd.On a chilly Friday afternoon, she added her name to the history books again with her...

By KYLE GRABOWSKI

SOUTH DEERFIELD — Easthampton just needed some time to warm up.The Eagles softball team trailed Frontier Regional by two runs after three innings during Friday’s season opener. Cloudy skies and temperatures in the 40s necessitated jackets.Then Lauren...

By SARA WEINBERGER

An NPR story about the Ethiopian conflict featured a woman imploring listeners to stay interested in this war that is claiming so many lives, acknowledging how difficult it is to focus on Ethiopia, given all the world crises competing for our...

By TOLLEY M. JONES

One recent blustery February afternoon, my partner and I took a walk through the Common Burying Ground in Newport, Rhode Island. Established in 1640, it contains 31 acres of Colonial headstones.We walked, leaning into the sharp ocean gusts that...

By DAN MURPHY

I remember my excited face smushed up against the car window eagerly taking in the big city of Boston. It was finally the day my family and I were going to see the Red Sox. I couldn’t wait! We drove past Fenway Park and I watched in dismay as it got...

By SHERYL HUNTER

There are a lot of notable days in February – Groundhog Day, Valentine’s Day, President’s Day, Mardi Gras. Now, the Valley Twang Cooperative has pointed out that there is another day in February that deserves recognition—Johnny Cash’s Birthday.Cash,...

By TOLLEY JONES

‘Look, girls!” my mother whispered to my sister and me, surreptitiously pointing. Ahead of us, a white girl with a long, thick braid of blond hair reaching to her waistline strode briskly through the mall. My sister and I watched wistfully as her...

By BERA DUNAU

Asparagus, one of the culinary treats of spring, has a long history in the Pioneer Valley. And some more of that history just might be growing in one couple’s yard.Charlotte Briggs and her wife have a spear of asparagus growing in their yard that was...