Community Calendar

El Khat is a homemade junkyard band led by multi-instrumentalist Eyal El Wahab. Named for the drug used so widely chewed across the Arab Peninsula, their original compositions are inspired by the music of the golden age in Aden, Yemen.

Experimenting with DIY, self-made instruments as an expression of a minimalist life philosophy—while remaining loyal to traditional Yemeni percussive roots—the three-piece developed a unique Arabic-Yemeni style. Although their detachment from any nation or flag is a driving force behind the group, the heart of their music and heritage remains deeply rooted in Yemeni culture. The constant divisions created by war and migration have given rise to a reassembled identity, one that resonates strongly throughout El Khat’s music. With a fourth album to be released in 2026, El Khat continues to forge a sound that bridges past and present—keeping Yemeni culture alive while reimagining its future.

Celebrate National Poetry Month at Next Stage with an evening of poetry, conversation, and dancing! Join poet Diana Whitney for the release of her new book, Girl Trouble, which readers are calling “unstoppable” and “deeply subversive.”

Girl Trouble excavates the terrain of female adolescence in a brazen journey through rape culture from the 1980s to the #MeToo era. Whitney’s earthy poems spill secrets, make trouble, and reckon with stories of desire and harm while exploring the agency and oppression of women and girls. Deeply rooted in the natural world, the collection grieves the planet’s degradation even as it celebrates queerness and seeks healing for the next generation. By the end, a chorus of voices rises to a full-throated roar, revealing the power and release of truth-telling. This is a book for survivors and advocates, for mothers and daughters, and for anyone moving through trauma with resilience.

Whitney is a queer writer and educator who believes fiercely in the power of poetry to connect us to ourselves and one another. She is the editor of the bestselling anthology You Don’t Have to Be Everything: Poems for Girls Becoming Themselves, winner of the Claudia Lewis Award, and the author of two previous poetry collections, Wanting It and Dark Beds. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Kenyon Review, The San Francisco Chronicle, and many other publications. An advocate for survivors of sexual violence in her Vermont hometown and beyond, Whitney works as a developmental editor and community organizer for a rural LGBTQ+ nonprofit.

Whitney will be in conversation with poet Eve Alexandra, whose prize-winning collection None of Us in White was released in 2025.

Snacks will be provided, a cash bar will be available, and books will be for sale from Everyone’s Books.

The Remnant and The Echo, Ligia Bouton

This exhibition will explore movement as an integral throughline in Kwame Brathwaite’s work—one that spans his deep engagement with social and political movements and his keen attention to the body in motion. Brathwaite’s images intimate the powerful and transformative ways that action can convey joy, beauty, strength, and hope, even in charged moments.

Brathwaite (1938-2023) is perhaps most recognized for photographs celebrating Black beauty and excellence in fashion, music, and athletics. His studio portraits and concert photography like his documentation of historic marches, the everyday life of residents in Harlem and The Bronx, and of athletes such as Muhammad Ali convey the power of the body as a symbol of cultural strength, resilience, and pan-African solidarity. Through a selection of original and new prints from archival negatives, the exhibition will offer an opportunity to experience the breadth of his work and its resonance today.

Curated in close partnership with Brathwaite’s son and daughter-in-law, Kwame and Robynn Brathwaite (Amherst College Class of 1996 and 1998, respectively), Revolutionary Movements will expand stories about the artist's work and its international circulation.

Kwame Brathwaite: Revolutionary Movements is made possible by Teiger Foundation.

JooYoung Choi is an astro-futurist artist whose expansive practice blends autobiography and invention. For over a decade, Choi's work has centered on developing narratives within a highly structured imaginary realm known as the Cosmic Womb.

Adventures of the Quantum Soup Surfer brings together early and recent paintings, a sculptural installation, and video works that chronicle one character's journey of self-discovery. Long known as Nina Blue, the Quantum Soup Surfer first appeared in the Cosmic Womb as a professional imaginary friend, contributing to the journeys of several legendary heroes of the Cosmic Womb.

The exhibition follows Nina Blue's passage from supporting character to protagonist. She emerges as the Quantum Soup Surfer--a celestial superhero and thoughtful navigator who channels the spiritual energy of water to brave uncharted territories and share her story of resilience.

Inspired by the Cosmic Womb's motto--"Have Faith for You have Always Been Loved"--this exhibition foregrounds imagination, curiosity, and art as tools for resilience that have been significant for Nina Blue's transformation into the Quantum Soup Surfer and the hero of this story.

Adventures of the Quantum Soup Surfer is made possible by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation.

The Friends of the Westfield Athenaeum is seeking donations of gently used adult and children’s books, DVDs, and jigsaw puzzles for their upcoming book sale. Donations will only be accepted by curbside drop-off at the back door of the First United Methodist Church, 16 Court St., Westfield, during the weeks of April 6-11 and April 13-18 as follows: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10-1; Tuesday and Thursday from 4-7, and Saturday from 9-12.
Please note that we cannot accept musty or damaged books, encyclopedias, dictionaries, textbooks, Reader’s Digest books, or outdated manuals, travel books, or self-help books.
The book sale will be held at the Church on Thursday, April 23, 10-7; Friday, April 24, 10-5; and Saturday, April 25, 10-2. On Thursday only, we are offering a $5.00 discount for educators (bring your ID!) and new Friends members joining at the door.
The Friends of the Westfield Athenaeum is an all-volunteer 501(C)3 not-for-profit organization that supports the programs and services of the Westfield Athenaeum.

William Baczek Fine Arts, in Northampton, Massachusetts is pleased to announce a solo exhibition of new oil paintings by Robert Sweeney. The exhibition will be on display from Wednesday, March 18 through Saturday, April 25, 2026. The public is invited to an opening reception with the artist on Saturday, March 21 from 4 – 6 pm.

Call for artwork
Science, technology, engineering, art, math, an exhibit inspired by and incorporating the sciences.
Exhibit runs April 3 - May 17, 2026
With special events, demos, and fun activities during the course of the exhibit.
Contact margedvaa@gmail.com by March 20 with your interest.

Amherst, Mass. A free multimedia event, “In the Moment,” takes place Saturday, April 11 at 7 PM in Buckley Recital Hall at Amherst College (Arms Building, 53 College Street). The performance showcases new and collaborative work by Amherst faculty, with performance both by faculty and visiting artists. This program is FREE and open to the public.

Genres represented and combined include instrumental, vocal, and digital music, poetry, film, dance, and a meeting point of theater with scholarly investigation. Creators include Dwight Carey, Omeed Goodarzi, Judd Greenstein, Kirun Kapur, Dan Langa, Adam Levine, Jenna Riegel, Jason Robinson, Eric Sawyer, JaMario Stills, and LJ White. The performances will encompass a range of approaches to improvisation and dialogue between artists, as well as works that while fully composed are spontaneous in feel.

Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

Is it the murder of a king? A hasty incestuous marriage? A prince bent on revenge? Or maybe just a gassy Polonius full of beer! Shakespeare’s greatest work gets the full boozy treatment as we proudly present Sh!t-faced Shakespeare®: Hamlet. This timeless examination of the nature of humanity is performed in under 2 hours, so “To be or not to be” gets answered and you shan't need a nap! Grab a cocktail and enjoy as we prove that though this be madness, yet there is method in ‘t- helped with a bit of wine!
Be Advised
Anyone under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Parental discretion is advised.