Crossroads

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.

Game Changers

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.

Birth, Ghosts, Safety & Swing

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.

We Remember

9/11/26, Co-Host Josh Silver

The Price of Democracy. Your hosts, including Max Page, speak with Vanessa Williamson, author of “The Price of Democracy: The Revolutionary Power of Taxation in American History. She addresses our complete misunderstanding of the Boston Tea Party and why the highest tax rate for the wealthiest has been reduced by almost 70%!

Unpaved Trails for All. Meg Bandarra, Founder of Unpaved Trails for All, and Brian Westrick, from the Trustees of Reservations, on creating accessible trails for all at the local golf courses being rewilded – Beaver Brook, Pine Grove and Hickory Ridge. We are talking about helping out 49% of the population—hear why. And Megs shares her story.

The Taste of Northampton –this Saturday and Sunday! We speak with Karen Carswell, DNA (Downtown Northampton Ass’n) Board Member and Chair of the Taste, about the food, the merch, the bands, the fun.

We commemorate 9/11 with Sam Holleran, author of “Scattered Steel: The Afterlife of the World Trade Center,” and explore memorials and memory.

Political Gold with Josh Silver. We discuss this week’s revelations about how NYC officials lied about the air quality after 9/11 and consider the political effect of Trumpapalooza in Texas and J.D. Vance’s positioning himself as the MAGA heir apparent.

ArtBeat: Donnabelle Casis & Pasqualina Azzarello from Easthampton City Arts on Art in the Meadow and other events—Eho(!!??) is a happening place.

Acts and Celebrations

9/10/26, Co-Host Andy Bukowski

The Hull/Hawley Plays at Historic Northampton’s Shepherd Barn. We interview playwrights Betel Arnold, author of “The Widow’s Land,” the story of Bathsheba Hull, a Black woman in 1765 living  in Northampton with her children, who the City is evicting from their home; and Harley Erdman, author of “Hold These Truths”— about  Joseph Hawley, prominent Northampton lawyer  & delegate to the Continental Congress, battling melancholia; and the Producer of Western Massachusetts Plays in Place Tayla Kingston.

The Protect Act is now the law of the Commonwealth! We speak with legislative sponsors, representatives  Aaron Saunders and Priscilla Sousa about what the law provides and how and why it was enacted. Rep Sousa shares her and her family’s story of being undocumented.

The Jewish High Holidays. Beit Ahavah Rabah Riqi Kosovske shares the joys, obligations, meaning and history of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

All That Jazz. Northampton Jazz Festival President Ruth Griggs with the amazing Jazz Fest musician, alto saxophonist Sarah Hanahan. We have one word—WOW!

Wars, Housing and Bears—Oh My!

9/9/26, Co-Host Brian Adams

Lynn Griesemer, Amherst Councilor, on new affordable housing, home ownership, and the future of Hampshire College’s land.

Northampton Mayor GL Sciarra: Rail Tail Safety; a $12.2 million grant for new affordable housing on Crafts Ave behind City Hall & rehabbing Meadowbrook Apts.

Dave Wattles, Black Bear Biologist from Mass Wildlife, on bears in your backyard and how the 4,500 of them in Massachusetts get along with us.

Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Larry Hott on “The Soul Patrol”(a unit of Black Soldiers in Vietnam) and “The Warrior Tradition” (Native Americans serving in the U.S. military).

Welcome Back

9/8/26, Co-Host Amilcar Shabazz

Rep Patricia Duffy: unions make us strong; cannabis policy & the marijuana ballot question; cell phone-free schools; data privacy & Flock; and more.

Hadley School Super Anne McKenzie: we continue the conversation about cell phone-free schools and explore AI in schools—the good the bad & the ugly and then discuss new graduation requirements –are we facing MCAS 2.0?

Negro League expert, baseball historian, Duke Goldman: How about those Red Sox!! —going to the World Series? Chad Tracy for Manager—forget “Interim?” The passing of Sox former manager Joe Morgan; the return to the NY Yankees lineup of Aaron Judge, the best hitter in the game.

Wayfinders President and CEO Keith Fairey: new housing in South Hadley (the Clover), Amherst and Holyoke. The laws and town support that make new housing possible.

Celebrate!

9/4/26, Co-Host Josh Silver

Andy Bukowksi, Josh Silver and Bill Newman Fishwrap the UMass football team’s 37-21 victory over Rutgers— breaking the 16 game!!! losing streak—feels like 16 years. Then—this is extraordinarily serious—the lawsuits involving Trump’s taking over mail-in voting and deciding who can vote. A decision is imminent.

Jen Nery, from the Northampton Information Hub—on coffee and donuts, two upcoming informal Saturday morning gatherings with many Northampton elected officials. You are cordially invited.

Celebrate resistance. Community Action Pioneer Valley Ex Dir Lev BenEzra and Marianne Bouthilette, Dir of Head Start, on the Trump administration’s attack on the program– killing it through new regulations and cutting off its funding. What you can do to help fight back.

Celebrate discovery. Breaking news from outer space. Astronomer Salman Hameed on the demotion of Pluto from its status as a planet—the injustice of it all; the launch or the Nancy Grace Roman telescope—the secrets of the universe that will be revealed.

More breaking news from outer space: dark matter particles discovered? Wow.

Celebrate art and community. ArtBeat with Donnabelle Casis and Chloe Torri on the upcoming Flo Fest—the community celebration in Florence.

“As Long As I Have Breath in My Body”

9/3/26, Co-Host Carrie Baker

District Attorney David Sullivan on Tuesday’s primaries, who he endorsed and why.

Smith College Professor Carrie Baker, Chair of the Program for the Study of Women and Gender and Contributing Editor of Ms. Magazine, shares a heartfelt remembrance of Gloria Steinem.

“Your Good Death: Why End-of-Life Healthcare Is So Difficult and How to Make It Work for You.” We speak with the author—the book was published this week– Professor Karen Lutfey Spencer.

Congressman Jim McGovern — the stakes couldn’t be higher: dark money, gerrymandering, Trump’s control of the USPO and voting by mail; the Supreme Court ‘s failure to stop the Trump’s ballroom & Trump’s face on U.S. currency. Also, the Congressman shares his memories of Gloria Steinem.

“All that Jazz” with Northampton Jazz Festival President Ruth Griggs and jazz legend, vocalist and pianist, Johnny O’Neal. No set lists and playing with love.

Primaries, Nature, & the Apocalypse

9/2/26, Co-Host Brian Adams

We Fishwrap yesterday’s votes: Markey v Moulton; Neal v Whalen; Jacobs v Fenton; the South Hadley override; and  down to the wire and still counting —a handful of votes separate Wondolowski & Coryat in the race to follow Natalie Blais.

Owen Wormser from Abound Design on lawns into meadows, your home, your planet, your choices.

Sarah LaValley and Tom Annese from the Northampton Planning and Sustainability Dept on the $2.8million state grant for rewilding the Pine Grove Golf Course, now the Pine Grove Conservation Area. Congratulations! What a story!

Cool Films with Florence-based filmmaker Larry Hott and Smith College Professor of Shakespeare and the Apocalypse (really!) Gillian Kendall: the world is coming to an end—too much fun!