Wednesday, September 23, 202609/23/2026

Wrestling Porcupines, Your Images, Fat Bears, & Apocaloptimists

In Talk The Talk

9/23/26, Co-Host Brian Adams

Happy 40th Birthday, Hilltown Land Trust! We speak with the Ex Dir Sally Loomis & Community Engagement Mgr Sarah Welch. come celebrate with the wrestling porcupines.

Cooley Dickinson’s Michele Kearsley (Director of Medical Imaging) & Cathy Reed (Dir of Operations) on imaging you—MRIs, CT scans, ultrasounds, mammograms, xrays & ambulance calls.

Northampton Climate Action Project Administration (CAPA) Director Ben Weil: black bears, heat pumps, MassSave, schools, saving money and heating & cooling yr house.

“The AI Doc Or How I became an Apocaloptimist.” Have a child in the world of AI? Larry Hott reviews this documentary about artificial intelligence and our future, if any.

Tuesday, September 22, 202609/22/2026

Speaking Up, Out & Often

In Talk The Talk

9/22/26, Co-Host Amilcar Shabazz

Old Farmers’ Almanac Editor-in-Chief Carol Connare: 2 ½ million copies of 2027 edition just printed, 235 continuous years of publication, the content in the Almanac, why millions buy it, her 20 years at UMass.

Valley and Hilltown theatre icon and Founder of Stonesthrow Theater Court Dorsey w/ Rene Pfister, from the Berklee College of Music: “What I Learned from Years of Therapy, If Anything,” a musical cabaret at the Wendell Meeting House—this Saturday at 7:00, Sunday at 4:00.

Massachusetts Review Ex Ed Britt Rusert on her new book, The Afric -American Gallery,” her local book launch at Amherst Books on October 8 at 7:00; and the new edition of MR that just dropped.

Author and activist Howard Bryant w/ Duke Goldman on the tenth anniversary of Colin Kaepernick taking a knee—what happens and what has happened to professional athletes who want to speak out.

Monday, September 21, 202609/21/2026

Flocks and Flocked

In Talk The Talk

9/21/26, Co-Host-Megan Zinn

Silas Kopf: his recent honor and recognition from the American Craft Council as a master of marquetry; and also, the effort he led to restore the Civil War 160-year-old marble tablets on the facade of old City Hall — the many Easthampton residents who gave their lives.

Duston Spear: the local launch of her novel “Bird Girl” will be this Thursday at 6:00 at Forbes, sponsored by Broadside Books. The author talks with paintings, and her characters talk to her.

Nathaniel Malloy, Hadley Town Administrator, on the Flock cameras in that town and why there is no plan to discontinue their use. Yes, an image of every car driving East on Rt 9 is being captured.

Gabrielle Oliveira, Harvard Graduate School of Education Professor. Her new book is “Now We Are Here: Family Migration, Children’s Education, and Dreams for a Better Life.”

Saturday, September 19, 202609/19/2026

Western Mass Business Show on 9.19.26 – Bill Hines Westfield State University

In The Western Mass. Business Show

Join us as we talked to Bill Hynes, the Executive Director of institutional Advancement and Executive Director of the Westfield State University Foundation. Bill has a strong volunteer and philanthropy background. Having attended UMASS and AIC he joined the Americore Program and was drawn to service and nonprofit work. Westfield University is 187 years old and draws many students from the region and state. Tune in as we learn about fundraising and why it’s important to be able to tell a donor no, when it’s the right thing to do. Their annual auction is coming up on October 12-17 and is one way to support Bill’s efforts to fundraise for the school and student needs. This auction is not to miss. Be sure to go to their website to learn all about the one of a kind items and experiences, you woon’t be disappointed. As Nester says, Give a Hoot!

www.westfield.ma.edu

Friday, September 18, 202609/18/2026

The Hustler Files Ep 178

In The Hustler Files

MNEESHA GELLMAN – UNLOCKING THE PERSON INSIDE THE PRISONER

What changes when someone in prison is given the chance to become a college student? Dr. Mneesha Gellman, Founder and Director of the Emerson Prison Initiative (EPI), in Boston, Massachusetts, believed a rigorous college degree program could help create that change. It didn’t take much with her background in education in prison, human rights, immigration, and the politics of violence to convince her that college behind bars was a necessity. In 2017 she launched EPI, sharing that she was also inspired by the Bard College Prison Initiative which was launched in 2001. Currently MCI – Norfolk is where her students behind the wall pursue an Emerson College Bachelor of Arts in Media, Literature, and Culture and are taught by Emerson professors and guest faculty. Mneesha shares the incarcerated students’ passion for education and the ripple effect beyond the carceral classroom as many students who start their degree path behind the wall not only continue their education, after release, but also are helping others navigate reentry, and inspiring family members to pursue their own goals. Mneesha also created RECOUP which supports formerly incarcerated students with continuing education, employment, housing, healthcare, and other reentry needs.

Friday, September 18, 202609/18/2026

The Answer to Each Question is Yes

In Talk The Talk

9/18/26, Co-Host Josh Silver

Are public employees’ pensions at risk? Max Page speaks with teacher Matthew Scheffler, a member of the PRIM, the Pension Reserve Investment Management Board.

Is there a substantial risk that Republicans can steal the Midterm elections by refusing to seat duly-elected Democrats? We interview Amherst College Political Science Prof Austin Sarat.

Can you attend an amazing concert that is a benefit for the Amherst Survival Center? We speak with violinist and organizer Amanda Stenroos and Nate Kerbin, from the Survival Center. Short answer: see above. Longer answer: Brahms Requiem, Saturday, Sept 19,
4:00, Buckley Recital Hall, Amherst College. 120 musicians and choir members on stage.
Bring a non-perishable food item to donate or another contribution if you can.

Political Gold with Josh Silver: Can the Democrats take back the Senate? Can the Republicans maintain their majority?

ArtBeat with Donnabelle Casis: Can you go on a treasure hunt for tiny art? Donnabelle takes us on a tour of the “Fun Sized Art Festival” in Northampton with Kim Carlino and Michael Crigler.

Thursday, September 17, 202609/17/2026

Headlines and Headliners

In Talk The Talk

9/17/26, Co-Host — Carrie Baker

Immunologist Dr. Jonathan Bayuk: infections & diseases here and now—the flu & covid, shots you and your kids need –is this the time? What about measles? RFK, Jr’s influence.

Gazette and Recorder Ex Editor Dan Crowley on covering data centers, artificial intelligence, local responses & the effect in college and high school classrooms.

Feminist Futures with Carrie Baker; At Smith College this Friday and Saturday –“One Body: Dispatches from Idaho.” Carrie is a professor in Smith’s Program for the Study of Women and Gender, a Contributing Editor of Ms. Magazine and an attorney. She interviews Jimmy Maize, the writer and co-director; Jen Jackson Quintano — lumberjill, turned abortion activist and actor; and Maridee Slater, associate producer and co-director.

THE HEADLINER at the upcoming Northampton Jazz Festival—Lakecia Benjamin—Saturday, Sept 26 at the Academy of Music– the 6x Grammy-nominated saxophonist.

Wednesday, September 16, 202609/16/2026

Crossroads

In Talk The Talk

9/16/26, Co-Host Brian Adams

Dr. David Gottsegen: diagnosing, treating and living with Parkinson’s. Also, the immunizations you and your kids need now.

UMass Professors Margaret Stratton (Biochemistry) and Eric Strieter (Chemistry) —their new $1.3 million grant to search for the protein in your brain that makes memory –how your memory in yr brain works.

Evolutionary Biologist from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Carolyn Tepolt, on
invasive species and what do about them — turn green crabs into whiskey and delicious sauce?

Democracy at a Crossroads: History, Power, and the Fight Ahead: A Conversation with Ken Burns movement.vote/register/8ky1p1vt/ with Larry Hott—a preview of their conversation and the Movement Voter Project event this evening.

Tuesday, September 15, 202609/15/2026

Game Changers

In Talk The Talk

9/15/25 Co-Host Amilcar Shabazz

UMass History Prof & Founder & Director of the Ellsberg Initiative for Peace and Democracy, Christian Appy: Ellsberg’s place in history, the importance of whistleblowers, lessons from Ellsberg’s life, the Vietnam War and the release of the Pentagon Papers.

UMass Economics Prof and Co-Director OF PERI, the Political Economy Research Institute, on “Game Changers: Economic Policies for a Working America”– the progressive agenda for 2029 and now—30 proposals to save the country.

The Comedy Quiz w/ Happier Valley Comedy’s Scott Braidman, Maddy Benjamin and Jem O’Hara: the topic is state and county fairs– what do you know about fried ketchup and sculpting butter?

“Her Final Hour,” the scene — death row in South Carolina: a play about life and death, discovery and hope, at the Northampton Center for the Arts.

Monday, September 14, 202609/14/2026

Birth, Ghosts, Safety & Swing

In Talk The Talk

9/14/26, Co-Host Megan Zinn

Tom Reney, 42-year host of Jazz a la Mode: his presentation Thursday at GCC Symposium on the Swing Era, race, gender & jazz, and some history we didn’t know.

Meghana Mysore, author of “Let All Our Ghosts Depart” on our own ghosts and speculative fiction. Her book launch is tomorrow at the Odyssey.

Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia: the lock-down at the high school last week, a swatting incident, and the community debate that has ensued—what about phones in schools? How about metal detectors?

Avital Norman Nathman, author of “The Perfect Birth Myth: Pushing Back Against a Broken Industry.”
The title says it all. Panel discussion with the author and birth workers on Sunday, Sept 27.