If you are still wondering how did we get here, we’re about to speak with a group of students that have been covering it for NEPM.

We speak with the group that made up The Latino Election Project. High School students Evanni Santos, Halima Mohamed, and Ian Burger have been examining the national political landscape through a local lens this Autumn, guided by Julio Varelas of The Latino Newsletter. We get their take on the fallout from the fifth and what they’ve learned about themselves and the country by taking a micro view. 

We’ll also head back to Ashfield where their winter market is about to bounce into action. We chat with champion lettering artist Nan Parati, whose work you have definitely seen all over the 4 counties of Western Mass, about the beginnings of the market, her fraught journey to Ashfield and it's New Orleans connections, and about dancing your blues away at an event this Friday with the band Timeless. 

(And about how you can tell your food or foodways connected story onstage for CISA's upcoming Field Notes Event at the Academy of Music)

And Word Nerd Emily Brewster moons us with beavers and strawberries as the senior editor from Merriam Webster talks to us about the names of moons, and a couple of bonus astronomical terms!

Today we're seeking food for the body and soul as we head to where the internet fears to tread, and to where our region’s hunger needs are greatest

In Ashfield, a project exploring the life of artist Leonora Carrington is shifting and expanding for a new location and audience. Double Edge Theater’s current production “Leonora: La Maga y la maestra” takes a look at the surrealist artist’s life through the medium of her work, and we tag along with a gaggle of franklin county high school students to interact with this maelstrom of the earthly, the divine, the uncanny, and the very real.  Plus we'll let you know about a recent book that speaks with Executive Director Stacy Klein about the previous incarnation of this work, along with essays and conversations about Leonora's influence on other artists and authors including Tilda Swinton,  Samantha Sweeting,  Heidi Sopinka, and others. 

And in Chicopee, the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts is getting ready for its biggest push of the year. THE MARCH. But the day to day operations of the only food bank west of Worcester is much more than donations and distribution. We chat with Laura Sylvester Public Policy Manager about how edict can aid their mission to reduce and prevent hunger in western mass, and hear some of the success stories of their advocacy that might encourage you to walk some or all of 43 miles to help them in their mission. We'll also hear about an event in Boston on Nov. 13 where you can help the HIP program regain it's previous aid levels. 

Are we still reeling from last week? Yes

Are we still looking for ways we can affect change here to bolster community for whatever may come? Also yes. 

So we’re headed to Greenfield to take a tour of Stone Soup Cafe. The organization is multi-faceted in it’s approach to combating hunger and building community, so we’ll explore the kitchens and programs under the All Souls Church with director Kirsten Levitt, and Board director Whitney Robbins, to learn how they are teaching, supporting, and feeding the people of Western Mass. 

Also on this Veteran’s Day, it’s in how we are providing services to those who have served the country. Steve Connor, Director of Veterans affairs for Central Hampshire County, speaks with us about what they provide to those returning from military service, the needs of the office, and how the ways the public can help. 

And post election, Mr. Universe, Kainaat Studios and Hampshire College’s Salman Hameed, explores what it means for American Space exploration now that Elon Musk has been inserted into the conversation, including a possible shift in focus from the moon to Mars. 

We’re bringing you lots of things that might make you feel a little better. 

With the uplifting and resonant songs of Jake Klar for Live Music Friday, and we’ll learn about the movie he’s in and the famous gardener who once lived in his house before you can catch him this evening at the Dream Away Lodge in Beckett. 

And a well loved work making its way to the stage in updated context. The Valley Light Orchestra presents one of  Gilbert and Sullivan’s most popular compositions: The McAdo this weekend. So we head to the Academy of Music to check in with the company about adjusting this work for a modern time from its problematic original form, the appeal of the work, and how light opera fits into the evolution of theater with music onstage

And many of us may have felt the need for a drink this week, so we head to the women owned and operated Tip Top Wine shop in Easthampton to pit two Syrahs against each other with proprietors Lauren Clark and Miranda Brown. .

Because we may need a little help letting whatever will be to be. 

Alright, we’ve had a day to process, Now it’s time to look at what the landscape is and see where the changes we need can be made, and get prepared to make them

So today on the Fabulous 413, we’re speaking with the director of a new documentary that takes a very a la minute look at the issues concerning book bans, with a focus on three teens in South Carolina who approach the issue head on. We Chat with Filmmaker and educator Kate Way about “Banned Together” which is getting a screening at Bombyx in Florence tonight

We’ll also  look at shifts in the state’s efforts to ensure that everyone is fed. It’s just been announced that the Healthy Incentives Program (or HIP) is taking a big cut that will drastically reduce the benefits folx will receive across the commonwealth. But that cut adversely affects farmers too, and we’ll talk with the farmers at Northampton’s Tuesday market about the impact of the shortfall, and how you might be able to help. 

And our weekly chat with the recently re-elected Jim McGovern addresses the elephant that has recently regained the oval office, and the repercussions a second term for the 45th president may mean for the nation’s future.

Everyone is reeling a bit because, WHOA. So welcome to oasis part deux, so to speak. A tiny bubble outside of the goings on if it’s overwhelming for you because everything is a lot right now. 

We'll go adjacent to the election with Julio Ricardo Varelas of the Latino Newsletter, who’s been working with the students in Media Lab to cover... that thing that happened yesterday, so we’ll hear about what’s going on with the next generation and their thoughts and interactions with voters in this election season. 

And we’ll get a bit of music in with Glen Fant. Not only has he launched a new locally focused booking series in the valley with Fantastic Shows, but he’s also at the start of a brunch series at the Iron Horse. We’ll hear about covering the Singles soundtrack, and what tasty threats you can break your fast with this Sunday. 

Plus, Word Nerd Emily Brewster, senior editor at Merriam Webster gets into the furious history and many uses  of the word Mad. Because there's almost as many as a certain word starting with the 6th letter of the alphabet we’re not allowed to use on the radio due to FCC restrictions.

But on a day like today, we wish we could.

 Well, we are finally here. The day the nation has been gearing up for since basically January 1st. (may the votes be ever in your favor, and may you convince someone out there who hasn’t made a plan to vote to figure it out.) 

We here at the Fabulous 413, have decided that we are gonna be an island of respite in this sea of overwhelming anxiety and information, because we all deserve a break. 

But that doesn’t mean we won’t share information at all! In fact, we’ve got another power of history lined up for you to learn about the first black woman to run for President: Shirley Chisholm. Professor Ousmane Power Greene of Clark University breaks down the key facets of her campaign and political career, and even her ties to Western Mass. And then 

Then we’ll segue to the Judicial branch where household disputes are presented and presided upon in podcast form. Judge John Hodgman and Bailiff Jesse Thorn are taking their justice on the road and making a stop in Turners Falls This week, so we speak with the two of them about the allure of being right, and adjudicate a few disputes of our own.  

Today on the show, we take a look at what could come, and at ways to ease some of those anxieties you might have.

The Toy Box in Amherst has a gaggle of games, , and much more and they too are sensing some tension in the air, so we chat with proprietor Liz Rosenberg about games to play to relax your mind,  light-hearted gifts to lift the spirit, and the return of their “So you think you’re too old for a toy store” event going on this Thursday, Nov. 7th that will help you remember that fun is an important part of your life to maintain. 

Maybe it’s music that helps you ease through things. So we also hear about a retreat in the Berkshires bringing sounds from all around the globe together to broaden our ears and bring us all together. Barbes in the Woods is coming up for three days of musicians descending on Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield Mass. We hear from Edo Mor of Secret Planet, and Olivier Conan of the original Barbes in Brooklyn about the importance of hearing the world in our own backyard and building a path for smaller artists with big impacts to tour our corner of the US. 

And Mr.Universe, Kainat Studios and Hampshire College’s Salman Hameed espouses the details of what could happen to the scientific community and development depending on the outcome of Tuesday’s election. 

 Hello November!

Time to drive those spookies away with a little bit of laughter and a lot of looking at the way things are and wanting to change them. 

So today on the Fabulous 413, humor hits the road with Laughter Unlimited. Comedian Tim Lovett takes us aboard the Chuckling Charlie, bringing folks, food and comedy together for an experience that traverses the county. We get a tour of the comedy bus, and find out why the local comedic scene is putting its jokes on wheels. 

And Live music Friday brings the ever amazing Pamela Means to the studio as she prepares for a solo show at the Parlor Room Tonight. We’ll hear why songs that address the issues of now are just as important as the songs that force you to reckon with yourself, and give you a glimpse of the fantastic fretwork she’ll display this evening in Northampton. 

Plus Table & Vine Wine ambassador Michael Quinlan, the only purveyor we drink with who has held office, brings us to northern California to show us the evolution of the region’s Pinot Noir for this week’s wine thunderdome. 

On this last day of October, we delve headlong into horror, which is not a nice way to talk about politics, but it may be accurate for some.

To make it a little less scary, we’ll continue our conversations with the candidates for the 2nd Congressional seat.

Independent challenger Cornelius Shea as we explore one of his key issues: Immigration, plus his position on Social security regulations, his thoughts on hunger policy, and more.

Incumbent Rep. Jim McGovern, gives us his stump speech, responds to a dept of agriculture rumor we’ve heard from Politico, and gives quickfire answers to a long list of questions we've got in these last few days leading up to the election.

Then we’ll take on the REAL scaries of Halloween with an eerie new special on NEPM TV tonight from New England Legends. “Ghosts and Witches” will traverse new haunts and haints of the regions countryside just after trick or treating time. So we have a chat with one of the creative forces behind the series and get into some of the gorier details of the ghouls and grotesqueries of Western Mass with folklorist Jeff Belanger.