Little Local Conversations

Should art be difficult? 

That was the question Dan Pritchard brought to our Creative Chats conversation in May 2026. The Creative Chats series features (almost) monthly live podcast events put on by Little Local Conversations and hosted at the Mosesian Center for the Arts.

Daniel E. Pritchard is a poet, translator, and essayist, as well as the founding editor of The Critical Flame (criticalflame.org), whose work has been published in the Lily Poetry Review, The Arts Fuse, Pangyrus, Salamander, and elsewhere. Find him at danielpritchard.net. 

Listen to other Creative Chats episodes.

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Head on over to www.littlelocalconversations.com to check out all the episodes, events, and everything else going on. 

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Upcoming events! Click here to see upcoming live podcast events.

Discover the stories behind 3 art exhibitions going on in Watertown then go visit the galleries and experience the art yourself! 

Images, links, and more details at LittleLocalConversations.com

Support the show

Head on over to www.littlelocalconversations.com to check out all the episodes, events, and everything else going on. 

Sign up for the Little Local Conversations email newsletter

Follow on Instagram: @littlelocalconversations

Upcoming events! Click here to see upcoming live podcast events.

Listen to the latest conversation with Tyler Cote, the Director of Communications and Community Engagement for the City of Watertown, and Victoria Weichel from WCA-TV to discuss things that have happened during the past month in Watertown through key moments, success stories, and important numbers. 

Full list of links from episode at: www.littlelocalconversations.com/episodes/local-government-update-june-2026

Support the show

Head on over to www.littlelocalconversations.com to check out all the episodes, events, and everything else going on. 

Sign up for the Little Local Conversations email newsletter

Follow on Instagram: @littlelocalconversations

Upcoming events! Click here to see upcoming live podcast events.

This episode is from a Watertown's Open event that happened back in late March 2026 over at the WCA-TV studios. The theme of this event was Storytelling and Marketing for Solopreneurs. We had a great conversation with a large panel this time. It was four panelists who were breaking down and giving advice to two featured solopreneurs who offered to be on the spot telling their perspective with what they're trying to do to with sharing their story. There was a lot of good advice in here. So if this topic is interesting to you, I think you'll get a lot out of it. Feel free to share with anyone else you think might benefit from hearing this too!

Watertown's Open are live podcast events for small businesses, and it's a place to get local business owners together to discuss topics such as this. It's a three-way partnership from Little Local Conversations, the City of Watertown, and the Watertown Business Coalition. 

Panelists:

Sam Dudley, Watertown Business Coalition, Director of Communications and Engagement

Margo Guernsey, Time Travel Productions, Director/Producer/Impact Strategist

Ashley Rappa, MORE Advertising, Creative Director 

Erin Rathe, City of Watertown, Senior Planner for Economic Development 

Featured Solopreneurs:

Heather Caldwell, Caldwell's Miscellaneous Fancy Goods, Founder

Benita Chelagat, Coffee Plus 254, Founder

Support the show

Head on over to www.littlelocalconversations.com to check out all the episodes, events, and everything else going on. 

Sign up for the Little Local Conversations email newsletter

Follow on Instagram: @littlelocalconversations

Upcoming events! Click here to see upcoming live podcast events.

I sat down for a conversation with Watertown Pride organizers Anna Strohmeyer, Carey Conkey-Finn, and Xin Peng about building a Pride celebration that feels like a real community home. We talk about the event’s origins as an idea from Watertown Library staff, how the organizing of the event has shifted over the years to include more groups and residents in the planning, and what you can expect to see at Watertown Pride 2026 on Saturday, June 6th (including a parade, performances, vendors, food, education and resources and more). We also get into some of their personal connections to Pride and other safe spaces, stories from previous Prides, and how it's shaped their own lives and the lives of others who interact with the event.

Find out all the details for Watertown Pride 2026 at watertownpride.com

Saturday, June 6th 

11am-4pm

Parade starting from Moxley Park at 11am (with queer family decoration meetup at 10am) and ending at Saltonstall Park next to City Hall where the rest of the festivities will take place.

Support the show

Head on over to www.littlelocalconversations.com to check out all the episodes, events, and everything else going on. 

Sign up for the Little Local Conversations email newsletter

Follow on Instagram: @littlelocalconversations

Upcoming events! Click here to see upcoming live podcast events.

Meet Arthur Ferraz, Christos Sarris, Jafar Al-Hilfy, and Zoe Tendler! They are seniors at Watertown High School and members of the Watertown Youth Coalition Peer Leaders group. Christina Lupica and Sofia Block, orgranizers of the group from Wayside Youth and Family Support Network here in Watertown, also joined us for the conversation. We talk about what it's like building community and connections as a youth, their honest views on technology and phones, their advice for freshman, what it's like being in the transitional phase as seniors, and more.

Find out more about the Watertown Youth Coaltion at watertownyouthcoalition.org.

Support the show

Head on over to www.littlelocalconversations.com to check out all the episodes, events, and everything else going on. 

Sign up for the Little Local Conversations email newsletter

Follow on Instagram: @littlelocalconversations

Upcoming events! Click here to see upcoming live podcast events.

Listen to the latest conversation with Tyler Cote, the Community Engagement Specialist for the City of Watertown, and Victoria Weichel from WCA-TV to discuss things that have happened during the past month in Watertown through key moments, success stories, and important numbers. 

See links for things mentioned in the episode at www.littlelocalconversations.com/episodes/local-government-update-may-2026

Support the show

Head on over to www.littlelocalconversations.com to check out all the episodes, events, and everything else going on. 

Sign up for the Little Local Conversations email newsletter

Follow on Instagram: @littlelocalconversations

Upcoming events! Click here to see upcoming live podcast events.

This episode is a special Watertown's Open episode, and this came from a live discussion that happened at the WCA-TV studios back on April 7th. It was a panel discussion about how Watertown businesses can capitalize on the tourist influx this summer. Watertown's Open are live podcast events for small businesses, and it's a place to get local business owners together to discuss topics such as this. It's a three-way partnership from Little Local Conversations, the City of Watertown, and the Watertown Business Coalition. 

And if you want to see my graphic for the timeline of events or see links to things mentioned in this episode, you can listen to this over on the Little Local Conversations website, LittleLocalConversations.com, and find the episode there. 

Panelists:

Andrew Holden, Branch Line, Owner

Gavin Kleespies, Gore Place, Executive Director

Steve Owens, Massachusetts State Representative, Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development - Vice Chair

Erin Rathe, City of Watertown, Senior Planner for Economic Development 

Korinne Robertson, Residence Inn Boston Watertown, Director of Area Sales

Support the show

Head on over to www.littlelocalconversations.com to check out all the episodes, events, and everything else going on. 

Sign up for the Little Local Conversations email newsletter

Follow on Instagram: @littlelocalconversations

Upcoming events! Click here to see upcoming live podcast events.

Welcome to the first episode of The Dish! This is a new series that I'll be doing with Charlie Breitrose from Watertown News where we'll visit different Watertown restaurants to learn about a signature dish, but we'll also capture some of the stories that make the restaurant and the people behind the food unique.

This episode is with Max Ritcey over at Ritcey East at 208 Waverley Ave here in Watertown. Max walks us through making his fish tacos, an homage and spin on his family's old restaurant fare at Ritcey's Seafood Kitchen. We also hear about Max's love of supporting local artists, memes and taco trucks, and how he got Governor Healey's praise when he stepped up to help those in need when SNAP benefits were cut near the end of 2025. 

Listen to the episode and then head on over to Ritcey East to try out the fish tacos!

Find Ritcey East's hours, menu, and other info online at RitceyEast.com.

You can also listen to my longer interview with Max from last year, where you can learn more about Max and his personal story: www.littlelocalconversations.com/episodes/episode-67-max-ritcey-ritcey-east-owner-and-chef

Read Charlie's article of The Dish on Watertown News

Support the show

Head on over to www.littlelocalconversations.com to check out all the episodes, events, and everything else going on. 

Sign up for the Little Local Conversations email newsletter

Follow on Instagram: @littlelocalconversations

Upcoming events! Click here to see upcoming live podcast events.

This is a recording from a series for the podcast at the Mosesian Center for the Arts called Creative Chats. I sat down for a live conversation with artist and climate and social justice activist Eileen Ryan to discuss the question: How do you stand out in a crowd?

Eileen talks about the ideas behind the many signs, hats, and outfits she's designed for protests, how images of her and her work have been featured in local and national publications (and why she thinks she captures photographers' eyes), how she thinks of herself as an illustrator of movements, the case for beauty, kindness, and humor as tools that persuade and recruit better than pure anger, and more.

Find out more about Eileen and Beyond Plastics and the upcoming Mother's Day Walk for Peace

Listen to other Creative Chats episodes

Photo Credit for Image of Eileen: Asia Kepka

Support the show

Head on over to www.littlelocalconversations.com to check out all the episodes, events, and everything else going on. 

Sign up for the Little Local Conversations email newsletter

Follow on Instagram: @littlelocalconversations

Upcoming events! Click here to see upcoming live podcast events.