Conversatorio del Día de Muertos. A Day of Dead Conversatory.

El Día de Muertos, Day of Dead, is a complicated date that goes beyond the sugar skulls so much visible everywhere in the pop culture in U.S. as evidence of cultural appropriation. On this conversatory, Mexican Chef, Educator, and Activist, Neftalí Durán(Oaxaca); Artist, Performer, and Dancer, Michelle Marroquín (México DF); Xicanx Artist, Songwriter, Singer, and Educator, Diana Alvarez (Texas); Chicano Playwright and artist, Jason Montgomery (California); and Radioplasma’s Host and Producer, Iohann R Vega (México DF), we had a conversation to share and learn from each other’s perspectives, backgrounds, experiences, and meaning of what Day of Dead is, and is not.

 

Also, there are activities planned around this Day of the Dead, 2017 in Easthampton and Holyoke, providing an opportunity to learn and share the ways to honor, acknowledge and remember the departed:

On November 2nd, there will be an art-making workshop at The Wistariahurst Museum’s Gallery, for the creation of pieces and elements to add to our Ofrenda de Muertos.

Continue reading “Conversatorio del Día de Muertos. A Day of Dead Conversatory.”

HOLYOKE HERALD MAYORAL CANDIDATES FORUM

Holyoke Herald Staff Reporters Isabella Courchesne, Brendan Leahy, and Feroze Sibdhanni, prepared a series of questions for the Mayoral Candidates, Alex Morse and Jason Ferreira, for a special radioplasma broadcast at the Shevlin Studio in the Holyoke High School. This forum will be also re-aired on Channel 12. This Forum was a collaboration of The Holyoke Herald and Radioplasma partnership. Full credit goes to the Herald Staff Reporters, hosting the forum, and to Holyoke High students of the Video Journalism class, operating the cameras, and master control. TV and radio podcasting live produced by our youth. Special thanks to Joe Courchesne … Continue reading HOLYOKE HERALD MAYORAL CANDIDATES FORUM

Dori Digenti – Breathing Space Yoga & Mindfulness Studio

Dori Digenti is the founder of Breathing Space Yoga & Mindfulness Studio, a space for community connection. As a certified Yoga instructor, Dori is offering the benefits of Yoga and Meditation to the community in an inclusive and welcoming environment. On this episode, we talk about her studio, activities, that include a free session facilitated in Spanish, scheduled for October 7th, from 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM at Breathing Space Yoga & Mindfulness Studio, located at 208 Race Street, Suite 301, in Holyoke, MA. You can learn more about Dori Digenti and Breathing Space Yoga & Mindfulness Studio on her … Continue reading Dori Digenti – Breathing Space Yoga & Mindfulness Studio

La Gringa in Holyoke

The Urban Theater Company is visiting Holyoke during the weekend of September 22 to 24. As part of the celebration of The 2nd Annual Taste of South Holyoke Festival, they will present ‘La Gringa’ at El Mercado, 413 Main Street in South Holyoke. We had a conversation on stage, with the whole cast and crew, about their experience visiting Holyoke and their interaction with students from Morgan School, Kelly School, and LightHouse, who attended their rehearsal, previous to the recording of this podcast session.   Palante Theater Company is an affiliated organization of the Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts, MiFA, … Continue reading La Gringa in Holyoke

REBEL DIAZ IN HOLYOKE

Rebel Diaz (Rebellions in Spanish as a single word), is a Hip Hop project hailing from The Bronx and Chicago. Its members, Chilean brothers Rodrigo Venegas, a.k.a. RodStarz, and Gonzalo Venegas, a.k.a. G1, along with DJ Illanoiz, visited the Pioneer Valley on September 9th and they offered a free educational workshop about Hip Hop and Activism, at the Wistariahurst Museum, in Holyoke. That evening, they also performed at the Millpond Live in Easthampton. The morning after, we got together at the plasma media lab, to talk about their experiences in Holyoke and Easthampton, and their work as Hip Hop artists, educators, … Continue reading REBEL DIAZ IN HOLYOKE

Alexis Diaz

Meet Alexis Diaz. A Holyoke promise. A young man on the path to success, sharing his story and experiences in LightHouse, The Holyoke Youth Commission, The Sustainable Holyoke Youth Leadership Initiative’s Summit in Martha’s Vineyard, a trip to Boston with Commissioner Will Morales, being invited to Barrios Unidos in Santa Cruz, CA, and now, beginning a new chapter at Holyoke Community College. These are the stories worth of sharing and celebrating. This is our youth and future leaders.   Continue reading Alexis Diaz

Anne Thalheimer – The Holyoke Local Cultural Council, followed by a random conversation

Anne Thalheimer joins us for a randomness session. We talked about the Holyoke Local Cultural Council, and the funding opportunities they provide for the Holyoke community. The application for grants opens on September 1st and the deadline is October 16th. You can visit the official Holyoke Local Cultural Council website, for more information. Also, they have a Facebook Page. If you are interested in applying for a grant, you can follow this link. Then, we talked about different projects Anne is working on: My Monster Hat, A Roller Derby comic book, and music. This is the song mentioned by Anne during … Continue reading Anne Thalheimer – The Holyoke Local Cultural Council, followed by a random conversation

Mater Dolorosa Church Preservation Society of Holyoke – John Fydenkevez

John Fydenkevez is part of the Mater Dolorosa Church Preservation Society of Holyoke, a local organization dedicated to protect and preserve the Mater Dolorosa Church. Their initiative proposes to purchase the building and bring it back as a Cultural Center. This historic building has an impressive work of art inside. The following pictures, provided by John Fydenkevez, display the beauty and magnificence of the Polish Heritage, and the architectural features of Mater Dolorosa Church.   On September 9th, at 2:00 PM, there will be a tour of the Mater Dolorosa Church’s campus and neighborhood, guided by Robert Comeau. You can … Continue reading Mater Dolorosa Church Preservation Society of Holyoke – John Fydenkevez

Joe Courchesne – The Holyoke Herald

The Holyoke Herald is our local newspaper, a platform for young journalists from Holyoke High School to cover our local affairs and tell our own stories. On this session, we interview Joe Courchesne, Holyoke High School English Teacher on the lead of this important source of information, to learn about the Herald’s process, development, and future plans that include a partnership with the radioplasma podcast, to expand its coverage as a multi-media news outlet, that will integrate audio, podcasting, and video. You can follow all the information published by The Herald on their website: http://hhsherald.com/ And also through Twitter, @hhsherald and Instagram   Continue reading Joe Courchesne – The Holyoke Herald