June 24, 2026: Nerve-racking ceramic survival

We are getting people together for artistic endeavors no matter how harrowing it may be. Off to Westhampton, where one of the many studios that is part of the pottery collective the Hilltown 6 lays nestled by a waterfall. The artists who make up the group are hosting a workshop at Easthampton Clay this weekend and opening up their respective workplaces for a tour later in July. Potters Sam Taylor and Robbie Heidinger meet us to talk about the ceramics scene of western mass and more. In Amherst just outside of the UMass campus is an important lifeline to folx of Hampshire and Franklin counties. The Amherst Survival Center is much more than just a food pantry, addressing the growing needs of the public. We get a tour of their daily work with director Carleen Basler, hear a bit of how their services have changed, and learn how you can support them at a benefit concert this weekend. And word Nerd Emily Brewster knows we might be a bit stressed out by language sometimes, and especially with a deeper look at wrack with a w versus rack without one and how their meanings are kinda tied together.