This month, as I adapt to my relocation to Western Massachusetts, I’ve been focusing on establishing relationships with potential partners, collaborators and venues. I’m started reaching out to several local organizations that really align with my work, including the BOMBYX Center for Arts & Equity, The Hidden Temple, the Hitchcock Center for the Environment and the Kestrel Land Trust, all of which offer some really innovative programming that jives with what I plan on offering.

I’ve also started writing for the Amherst Current, a grassroots online community newspaper, as I strongly support hyperlocal news. As a part of this volunteer work, I’ve reached out to the staff of the Massachusetts Daily Collegian at my Alma Mater, the University of Massachusetts, to explore ways to build relationships between student journalists and those who work for the Amherst Current. As an undergraduate, I started writing editorials, articles and columns for the Collegian after I realized I didn’t want to pursue working as a volunteer firefighter for Engine Company #3, the student firefighting force for the university (!).

I would like to offer some workshops (free) for college and high school students interested in covering local news; I also think it’s important for Current reporters to listen to the voices of young people on nearby campuses and schools. In every kind of way, I see to build bridges, including those that separate “Town” and “Gown.”