Today we'll speak with two folx who are trying their very hardest to make the nation better, through reading materials, and reading the writing slowly getting scrawled on walls

Locally an incredibly prolific author illustrator not only has a new novel to celebrate, but a whole exhibit looking at her books, her paintings, her process, and whole career. A living retrospective of Grace Lin’s work is on display at the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst, and we take a trip to see her work unfold on the walls there, and continue our impromptu summer reading week, as we all explore the possibilities of cultural connection and the importance of being seen. 

And a lot has changed in the political landscape over the last few days. So our weekly chat with Congressman Jim McGovern is covering a lot of ground as well. From the bombings in Iran, to more possible cuts to Snap nationwide there’s troubling situations afoot. But there’s also glimmers of good stuff as well, and we’ll get into how the recent NYC elections tie into a sea change in the Democratic Party, and how the Dalai Lama is helping to buoy his hope this week. 

Today we're bringing other locales into closer view. 

In literature, we’ll dig into Mattea Kramer’s new novel The Untended, which takes a very close look at a fictional woman’s interaction with the very real opioid crisis with a Greenfield Backdrop. We hear about treading proverbial lines between the real and unreal on the page from someone who’s been addressing issues like these in the public sphere for years.

We’ll also evoke more than a little Clouseau with the music of someone you can see perform at the Iron Horse tonight. John Carroll Kirby has collaborated with big names you know like Solange and Blood Orange, but on his solo albums evokes more of a free-form electronica and we’ll ask him about the music and art he makes with others and for himself before you can see it in person in Northampton 

And word Nerd Emily Brewster, senior editor at Merriam-Webster, takes us back to English’s origins with German words we’ve taken and adopted for our own linguistic purposes. Which is a bit of an oroborous of a journey, except that that word is Greek. 

Today on the Fabulous 413, we’re turning dreams into reality, which is a tall order, but sometimes, the magic just happens. 

In Northampton which has had a particular hole in its culinary landscape. We head to the future home of Lichter and Levin Jewish Delicatessen to hear from the music stewarding duo at the helm of this endeavor, the eponymous Emily Lichter and Ben Levin, as well as their talented chef, Alex Hanley, and familiar face to their location, Robin Wynn, at their downtown digs about the joke that started it all, and the legacy they’re accidentally continuing. Oh and a quick taste test of some of their delicious menu items!

We'll also head to Chicopee where Evan Nawrocki of Nightjar Farm turned almost an acre of land at his grandmother’s house into a growing farm operation and we head to his burgeoning homestead to hear how this very young farmer got into the business, along with CISA executive director Jennifer Core.

And our very favorite of the Baystate’s unique geological features is once again up in the legislature to become the official sedimentary structure of Massachusetts. Professor Richard Little joins us to talk about how you can write in support of them becoming official, and about the JAMB-oree being held this weekend to celebrate them. 

We are winding down from an amped up weekend locally and globally

Locally, the Green River Festival wrapped yesterday, and beyond our live show being the very first thing on any of the stages as the festival opened, a good handful of artists agreed to sit with us for pop-ups throughout the course of those 3 days. Including one who nearly didn’t make it to the festival at all. We hear music and stories from our session with Olive Klug. 

Globally, the US has been up to things. Kinda terrible things that have repercussions on the scientific community in ways you wouldn’t expect, so Mr. Universe, Kainaat Studios and Hampshire College's Salman Hameed, walks us through some of the implications of our bombing of Iran. 

And what better way to unwind from being amped up than to nestle in with a new noir novel that follows actors, con artists, journalists and the organizations that tie them all together. The Set Up is the first novel by UMass Professor of Sociology Jonathan Wynn that explores all of this against a Las Vegas Backdrop, and we chat with the author about this foray into fiction. 

We’re in Franklin County, on the country fairgrounds, ready to begin 3 days of music, fun, and community in Greenfield.

It’s time once again for the Green River Festival. What started as a small birthday party for a local radio station has grown to be much much bigger, from 1 day to 3, and with or without hot air balloons, it’s still one of the most fun gatherings around. 

And we are broadcasting live from the grounds as they open to let in the peoples, hoping against hope for better weather this year. 

We’ll hear from Maker’s Market Co-ordinator Mark Lattanzi about his role and the many creative artisans that you can encounter on the grounds this weekend, especially with a new twist on their location.

Western Canada's Ocie Elliott joins us with the sweet harmonies of their folk sound, and some corrections to the internet's record. As will the Winterpills, with their western Mass. dream pop and an announcement of music to come. And speaking of new music, we check in with Philadelphia's Mo Lowda and the Humble before they take the Main Stage to hear about the album they just released today! 

Today on the show, we double your Pride, double you chance to party for equality. 

We’ll head up to Charlemont and get wet at Zoar Outdoors. Jason Costa and Ann Gillard take us out on the river for a paddling experience, not unlike the ones folx will experience at their Pride event this weekend. We’ll hear about the importance of creating queer space outside, and hear about the classes, clinics and party they’ve got planned as we take a few kayaks on the Deerfield River

We’ll also head to Holyoke who’ve got Pride Fest happening this weekend. The city will be a-buzz with a wealth of activity, but post parade partying is headed back to one of our favorite haunts in Hampden county: Fame Eatery and Lounge. We’ll chat with proprietor David Blood, and mixologist and pride committee member Alex Torres about what fun activities you can expect on Dwight Street this Saturday. 

And word nerd Emily Brewster, senior Editor at Merriam Webster, has us take a closer look at the way our language pluralizes things, and how other languages we’ve borrowed from are leaving their marks at the end of words in English. 

(Looking right at you octopus, and you too mouse.)

We’re talking with folx creating connections in their fields.

Sometimes literally as we venture out to see how the berries are doing at Dickinson Farm. We’re at the height of Strawberry season and on the verge of Blueberry season, both of which you can venture into the fields and pick for yourself at their Granby location. 3rd generation farmer Nate LaFlamme shows us the lay of their multi generation farm’s land, including the diversity they're growing across their just under 200 acres. . 

And sometimes it adorns the walls you see every day. This Thursday on Juneteenth, Common Wealth Murals is hosting a bus tour of some of the public artwork in Springfield with specific connections to the holiday and the Black community. We speak with executive director Britt Ruhe about the art you can see in the city of firsts, the importance of public art, and how you can be a part of a new mural going up in Indian Orchard. 

Occasionally, it’s crossing genres. Composer/saxophonist/bandleader Felipe Salles released a brand new album earlier this month. "Camera Obscura" blurs the lines between light and dark, chamber music and jazz, large and small ensembles to create an atmospheric auditory take on perspective and memory, and we chat with the creator about the work itself and two opportunities in the 413 you’ll have to see it performed live. 

Today, we are getting a very intimate tour of an institution with someone who has seen the move of its evolution to the point where an exhibit was just created to cover the 5 decades of his tenure with them. 

Norton Owen began as a student at the festival, but now fills a position that was made for him: Preservationist, a title he gets to add to that of curator, archivist, dancer and more that he’s engaged with at Jacob’s Pillow. We get a personalized tour of the archives at the Festival with the Man himself and learn about his impressive tenure and the development and expansion of the archive and its attached exhibition space. We’ll also hear about the award he’s being honored with at the gala that marks the start of the festival and even delve into the depths of the archive itself to see some of the amazing costumes, film, posters and more marking the history of the festival and beyond for posterity. 

And Monte brushes the sand off of his recorder to hang out with Mr. Universe, Kainaat Studios and Hampshire College’s Salman Hameed explains how scientists are using the Pandora Galaxy Cluster as a lens to check out more heavenly phenomenon. 

We're headed to the screen to meet the young local Black W. Mass. creatives putting their work on it. 

We speak with the creator, producer, and writer of The Matumbilas, an animated series about a young Tanzanian family and their experiences in the US. Zulfiqar Manzi now finds the story that was inspired by his own experiences in Springfield on two African Based platforms, Kweli TV and AfroWatch, and we hear from the man himself about the changes that’s brought in his work and more. 

We also get to see a new production company emerge into the light with a fantastic script to boot. Christian Banda comes to the studios to talk about his past season writing a screenplay inspired by Polish cinema, the lessons learned from his first short film that he brings with him, and how the community can be a part of bringing the Decalogue to life through crowdfunding.

And for Live Music Friday, indie tinged americana heads to the Marigold theater tonight, June 13th in the sounds of Melanie A. Davis. Noctalgia is Melanie A. Davis’ fourth full-length album and the first to feature her full-band outfit, Melanie A. Davis & The Madness. Released late last year, it is a love letter to the fading night sky that’s slowly “disappearing” from our perspective due to climate change, the 10-track collection runs from doo-wop, to honkytonk, and everywhere in between and beyond.

Including a brand new Pride celebration this weekend as Lee prepares to put on its very first Pride events EVER. Although nestled within Berkshire Pride, the southern Berkshires town is putting on its own festivities this Saturday June 14th and we speak with Leah Docktor about the full day of activity, the importance of towns beginning their own Pride traditions

We also have live music THURSDAY with local Kinks inspired band the Muswell Hillbillies who are bringing Tom Petty to life on the Iron Horse Stage this Sunday. The band stops by the studio to relive some of the rock icon’s song glory and hear what's still compelling about his massive catalog. 

And Monte being out of town makes it the perfect time to make our regular guests play games with me, so I sit with Prof Ousmane Power Greene to talk about a crucial moment in American history with my favorite game to casually bring up with people: 6 degrees of the failure of reconstruction.