New England Public Media airs and publishes commentaries from local people during Morning Edition and All Things Considered. We look for contributors in the region whose views will be of continuing interest and value to New England Public Media’s listeners — from the Berkshires to Worcester, Hartford to Brattleboro, and all points between.
Experts in a particular field who have an informed perspective on events in the news — whether local, national or international — are wanted. We also seek people with knowledge of local civics, culture and history, with an eye on little-known but fascinating elements of the regional experience. And we seek non-experts who by virtue of their thoughtfulness broaden or deepen our understanding of the world we live in.
Please email submissions to our commentary editor at commentaries@nepm.org.
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Paul Franz/Greenfield Recorder / recorder.comThoughts about the concept of "moral injury" — a relatively new term describing an ancient condition suffered by those who go to war. -
File photo/Daily Hampshire Gazette / gazettenet.comCommentator and veteran John Paradis says family members of veterans have also served. In fact they often continue to serve.
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Madelaine Zadik/courtesy of the authorLegislation known as the Massachusetts End of Life Options bill is currently sitting in committee. Should it pass the Massachusetts Legislature, the proposal would allow certain terminally ill people to request, obtain and ingest medication to die peacefully in their sleep. This is all quite personal for commentator Madelaine Zadik.
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Liz West/Wikimedia CommonsCommentator Robert Chipkin takes many trips — some to places he returns to often. But a recent one? Not so much.
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"Don’t get into the cars of strangers," most of us — quite sensibly — have been told. But our commentator says hitching can be a valuable way to connect. -
A fan of a popular 1960s TV sitcom reflects on the dangerous irony he now realizes was stitched into one of his favorite childhood shows.
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An Episcopal priest says some of society's impassioned differences over gender and sexuality might be resolved by reconsidering how a seminal biblical passage about God's image is usually interpreted.
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Election day was a week ago, but the work of local election officials in Massachusetts has not stopped, with the vote certification deadline approaching. Commentator Grace Bannasch is town clerk in Shutesbury, population 1,700. She’s been nonstop busy for months.
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A judge in Connecticut on Thursday ordered conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay $500 million to relatives of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims, on top of a previous award of almost $1 billion. Commentator Jenny Hubbard lost her 6-year-old daughter Catherine in the tragedy. Hubbard says those parents who sued Jones have her unwavering support — but she chose not to join them in the lawsuit.
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Grace Segran has been writing about her terminal cancer diagnosis for Cognoscenti since the end of 2021. In this piece, produced for the radio, Grace shares how she's choosing to spend the time she has left.
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The parents of commentator Madelaine Zadik only left Nazi Germany after her father had been in a concentration camp and her mother in prison. Zadik says she's finally beginning to understand why they waited as long as they did.
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Many businesses, including retail stores, have shuttered since the start of the pandemic, continuing the tough times for brick-and-mortar stores. This past week another joined the list — A.J. Hastings, a store in Amherst, Massachusetts, selling stationary, books, gifts and more. Commentator Martha Ackmann thinks much more than a store has been lost.
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Interactions with wildlife can be tricky, especially when the wildlife starts acting a little less than wild.
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A popular TV show about the life of Jesus has some important lessons for us as we witness a rise in anti-semitism, says an Episcopal priest.
