Residents self-publish aunt’s memoir after 50 years
By Peter Tuohy ptuohy@thereminder.com
WEST SPRINGFIELD — Charlotte Dempsey’s unpublished memoir, “I Wish I Could Live Here, Always,” sat quietly in a leather-bound scrapbook for five decades, preserving stories of the early 20th century and the artwork by generations of children in Boston’s South End.
Nearly 50 years later, one unexpected phone call to Charlotte’s nephew and West Springfield resident Bill Dempsey sparked the collaboration that finally brought Dempsey’s vision to print.
Charlotte, an educator and the director of The Children’s Art Centre in Boston from 19301971, began crafting the memoir upon retirement as a collection of her own typewritten stories and 80 original artworks by the children she taught.
The memoir never made it to publishing due to the expense of color printing in the 1970s and landed in the possession of Bill and his wife, Anne Dempsey, a few years after Charlotte’s death in 1979.
“We knew from talking to Charlotte that she wanted to write a book, which she intended as a review of her life,” Bill said. “Charlotte speaks at length about some students who stood out. It doesn’t say ‘I’m Charlotte Dempsey, this is what I accomplished,’ it’s about the children. Charlotte really wanted the public to see what these children could do.”
Bill and Anne were raising a family when the book came into their possession, and Bill said he became stumped about the direc-
tion of the memoir until receiving a phone call from former Children’s Art Centre teacher and artist Julia Glatfelter in 2019.
Glatfelter discovered Charlotte’s work during her time at the Children’s Art Centre, 99 years after Charlotte had begun working there. Glatfelter published her own children’s book, “The Little Glass Treasure House,” celebrating Charlotte’s legacy and the art center’s history.
“I had the gift of teaching at the Children’s Art Centre, and there were images of this woman on the walls teaching children from the 1920s and 1930s,” Glatfelter said. “I understood that Northeastern University had all the archives for this 100-year history of what had happened in this building … not many people knew the history, and because of my own curiosity, I learned a lot.”
Glatfelter’s book connected her to Bill and Anne, which she said was a shock because Charlotte never married or had children, so she didn’t know how to approach finding any relatives. The trio met at the Dempseys’ home in West Springfield and began digitizing and bring Charlotte’s memoir to fruition.
“It’s really magical,” Glatfelter said. “We were able to digitize the entire book and we pitched it to more than 25 publishers in the region over the last three years but we never found a match … we decided to go ahead and self publish so that the Dempsey family could have this completed heirloom. It’s done, the family has it and we’ve accomplished our goal … it was really an honor because I thought it was extremely import-
ant to recognize this woman.” Anne said that Glatfelter “dropped out of nowhere,” and Bill added that he is very pleased to have had her on board to complete this project.
“The
from
is, she was just finishing college and she knew what she would do if she
AGAWAM | FEEDING HILLS | WEST SPRINGFIELD
gift
Julia
Charlotte Dempsey combs through
scrapbook.
Western Mass. is lacking programs to help trafficking victims
By Sarah Heinonen sheinonen@thereminder.com
Not every childhood is the same. From the age of 3 until she was 13 years old, Talia, who did not want her last name used for privacy reasons, was trafficked for sex in the Baltimore area. Her trafficker was the one person who was supposed to protect her — her mother. Talia’s mother was addicted to narcotics and would trade her daughter for drugs or the money to buy them.
“I remember smells, sounds. I remember a lot of it,” she said.
As Talia got older, she would spend as much time as possible at friends’ houses. Referring to her mother, she said, “She just kind of left me alone.”
She added, “No one stepped in and saved me or anything like that.” The trafficking eventually ended because her mother died from an overdose.
Talia did not tell anyone about her experience until she
was in her 20s. Even then, while she recognized that she was abused, she didn’t realize it was human trafficking.
“A lot of kids don’t think of themselves as being trafficked. It’s shameful. It’s embarrassing. It’s a really big stigma,” she said, adding that victims think, “Maybe you shouldn’t have been in that park or maybe you shouldn’t have been online.”
Talia is now the director of the RFK Community Alliance Human Trafficking Legacy Program in Pittsfield. She works with girls and boys whose experiences run the full spectrum of trafficking. “A lot of the kids I work with now, it’s somebody they know. In Hampden County, it’s more gang-related,” Talia said. The internet has increased the prevalence of trafficking, she said, and traffickers often reach out through gaming platforms. “Take time to talk to your kids about internet safety,” Talia urged parents. “I want people to not be embarrassed
to say, ‘My kid’s talking to an 18-year-old on the internet.’”
RFK Community Alliance offers programs for at-risk youth in several locations from Boston to the Berkshires, but the Pittsfield location is the only site that specifically addresses the needs of formerly trafficked youth.
“In Western Mass., there’s not a ton of services. There are more in the more-populated places,” Talia said.
Margaret Tantillo is the executive director of the O’Dell Women’s Center in Springfield. The agency does not provide direct services, but funds grants and offers space to organizations that address women’s needs.
“We definitely abhor the sex trafficking of women and girls. We do try to connect them with resources,” Tantillo said. However, funding for those resources in Western Massachusetts has dwindled. “This is, unfortunately, more and more what
we’re seeing. We’ve talked about the cuts but now we’re seeing it firsthand.”
The YWCA of Western Massachusetts operated a program for people who had been trafficked but, but it was unable to continue due to funding. While operating, the program helped more than 50 women who had been trafficked for sex, labor or a combination of the two. Men are also trafficked, with 15% of trafficking victims identifying as men.
Some programs, such as those for domestic violence, may offer resources that overlap with those for trafficking. “Second chances and not victim blaming is huge,” Talia said. She added that one of the most important ways to help a child who is being trafficked is to “have one trusted adult. I know it sounds corny, but it helps.”
The following are some of the resources available to trafficked people in the Pioneer Valley:
TOWN EVENTS
• National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888, text “HELP” or “INFO” to 233733, Available 24/7, Humantraffickinghotline.org
• Jewish Family Service of Western Massachusetts: 413737-2601, info@jfswm.org or jfswm.org/trafficking-victims-assistance-program
• Children’s Advocacy Center of Hampshire County: 24 Hour Hotline: 800-792-5200, 593 Elm St., Northampton, 413-570-5989, kmcelhone@ cachampshire.com, cachampshire.org
• Baystate Family Advocacy Center: 413-794-9816, 300 Carew St., Springfield, baystatehealth.org/fac
• Safe Passage: 413-586-1125, 75 Carlon Drive, Northampton, Safepass.org
• Salvation Army of Massachusetts: 413-733-1518, 170 Pearl St., Springfield, salvationarmyusa.org/usa-eastern-territory/massachusetts/ human-trafficking
Submit your community listings online at thereminder.com/ submit-an-event/ or by emailing dhackett@ thereminder.com. Events are subject to review and printed on a space available basis.
AGAWAM
AGAWAM PUBLIC LIBRARY
The following events are organized by the Agawam Public Library, located at 750 Cooper St. All events are free and open to the public. Some programs require registra-
tion. For more information or to register, head to agawamlibrary. org or call 413-789-1550 ext. 3.
• Needle Felted Goose Adult Take & Make — Available beginning Monday, July 13.
• Finding Your Revolutionary War Ancestors — Monday, July 13, at 6:30 p.m. in the Clini Community Room. Learn where to look for records, how to interpret historical documents, and how to get started connecting with your family history. Please register to attend this event.
• Virtual Author Talk Series — Tuesday, July 14, at 7 p.m.
Author Karin Slaughter will talk
about her North Falls series, consisting of “We Are All Guilty Here” — in which two teenage girls vanish in rural Georgia — and her upcoming sequel, “The Secrets We Hide.”
• Tea & Trivia — Wednesday, July 15, at 2:30 p.m. and Tuesday, July 21, at 6:30 p.m. in the Clini Community Room. There will be a couple of rounds of both Jeopardy and pub-style trivia, and prizes will be awarded to the winning teams. The questions are the same for both sessions, so register for the time you prefer Popular Music and Veterans — Thursday, July 16, at 6:30 p.m.
in the Clini Community Room. This program consists of songs, history, and an accompanying slideshow pertaining to some of the experiences of veterans of World War I, World War II, the Civil War and other conflicts alongside the history of popular music in America. Registration is required.
WEST SPRINGFIELD
WEST SPRINGFIELD PUBLIC
LIBRARY
The following events are organized by the West Springfield Public Library, located at 200 Park St. For more information or to register for programs, visit wspl.org or call
413-736-4561, ext. 4.
All ages programs: Summer Reading Performer Series: The BaNannies — Tuesday, July 14 at 10 a.m. The BaNannies are a mother/daughter duo who bring children’s songs, both old and new to life. With their silly and interactive songs, they’ll have your littles singing and dancing along! For ages birth to 5 years old. Children’s programs: • Summer Storytime — Thursdays in July from 10-10:45 a.m.
• Kids Create (for ages 6-12 with some adult help) — Wednes-
See EVENTS on page 3
AGAWAM
After $3M project, mayor hopes drivers will go slower
By Michael Ballway Special
to the Republican AGAWAM — If drivers on Maple Street have to hit the brakes to avoid bouncing off the “ski jump,” it’s doing its job.
Mayor Christopher C. Johnson said the new raised crosswalks, narrower roadway and new stop signs are intended to slow down drivers.
“This is a ‘Safe Routes to School’ project,” he said, referring to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation program that funded the roadwork. “The design is based upon the concept of slowing vehicular traffic on Maple Street and providing students, children, pedestrians, bicyclists, a safe passage on that strip.”
Maple Street runs about sixtenths of a mile from Springfield Street to Walnut Street in North
Agawam. The entrance to Sapelli School, which serves kindergarten to grade 4, is just steps away. Many neighborhood children in grades 5-6 also use Maple Street as a walking route to Doering School on Main Street.
Over the past year, the state has paid for a $3 million reconfiguration that narrowed the paved shoulder of the roadway, and widened one of the sidewalks into a “multi-use path” 10 feet wide.
Back in the spring, neighborhood resident Barry Capponcelli told the City Council that he was “appalled” with the reduction in road width.
“It’s just going to make it more dangerous,” Capponcelli said on April 21. “Nobody’s going to slow down.”
At the same meeting, Councilor Rosemary Sandlin said she was concerned about whether the new curbs left enough room for
large vehicles to make left turns between Maple Street and Bridge Street. Others referred to a raised crosswalk at the top of a hill, which had not yet been painted, as a “ski jump” that could damage cars.
At a more recent meeting, as signs and lane markings were installed, councilors had nothing but praise for the project. “The reason they’re doing it is to slow down traffic,” said Councilor Edward F. Borgatti. “When you narrow it, it does slow done. It makes it more like a side street.”
Although the purpose of the project was to install a multi-use path and slow down traffic, Johnson said the state-funded project also provides the neighborhood with improved water and sewer lines and a resurfaced road.
“From the town’s perspective, we’re getting a $3 million investment in one of our main roads,”
Registration required.
Johnson said. “There’s a lot of underground infrastructure work that’s going into it, that the community is getting the benefit of.”
The mayor also said he thinks the “traffic calming” techniques built into Maple Street, particularly the narrower roadway, are more effective than installing speed humps. Calls for pedestrian-friendly infrastructure on Maple Street gained attention in 2011, when 11-year-old Doering School student Braedyn Collins died after being struck by a car while crossing the street.
Johnson said next year, he hopes to extend the multi-use path up the 700 feet of Begley Street, which connects Maple Street to Sapelli School. He noted that when school is not in session, many people use its parking lot as a gateway to Robinson State Park.
day, July 15, starting at 9 a.m., pick up the materials and directions for making a fun craft for our older kids. While supplies last.
• Video Game Night (for ages 8-12) — Wednesday, July 15, 6-7 p.m., Come in to try some of the library’s Switch or Wii system games.
Adult programs: Medicare Basics with Stateline Senior Services — Monday, July 13, at 11 a.m. Are you a little confused trying to understand how Medicare works and what is best for YOU?
Please join us for this educational Medicare seminar (no selling) and learn about your healthcare options. You will learn how and when to enroll in Medicare and how to choose the right plan that addresses your specific healthcare needs. Registration encouraged.
• Good Golly...Missed Trolley! with Steve Cormier — Wednesday, July 15, at 6 p.m.
NICOLE CHAPMAN
AWARDED DEGREE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA
TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA — Nicole Chapman of Agawam has received a Educational Specialist degree from The University of Alabama. UA awarded some 7,000 degrees during its spring commencement ceremonies.
Come discover the history of Western Mass as shaped by the development of the trolley system. From the infamous Huckleberry Trolley to the invention of the electric trolley, join local history enthusiast and author, Steve Cormier as he takes us on a good golly adventure! Registration encouraged. This program is supported in part by a grant from the West Springfield Arts Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency. Tech Help — Thursday, July 16, from 2-4 p.m. The library provides guided assistance for questions about your mobile device or laptop during a 30 minute appointment. Please call 413-736-4561 ext. 3 to register for your time spot.
Teen programs:
Teen Monthly Self-Care and Chill (Rainbow scratch art) — Monday, July 13, from 6-7 p.m.
Join for chill vibes and some easy and fun dinosaur rainbow scratch art! Open to ages 13+
• Dig Real Fossils! — Wednesday, July 15, from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Uncover a mystery fossil to take home!
WSPL FRIENDS JULY MINI
BOOK SALE
The Friends of the West Springfield Public Library will be holding a Mini Book Sale on Wednesday, July 15, from noon to 2:00 p.m. on the library’s porch entryway. In case of inclement weather, the sale will be held in the library’s Community Room. Several genres of adult and children’s books will be available (hardcover books for $1, and
softcover books for 50 cents), with proceeds benefiting the library. The library is located at 200 Park St. WEST SPRINGFIELD
GARDEN CLUB MEETING
The West Springfield Garden Club will meet on Thursday, July 16, 2026 at 6 p.m., in the J. Edward Christian Municipal Office Building, 26 Central St. Parking is available in the Municipal lot across the street. We will gather in the Justin Morgan Auditorium on the second floor. We are happy to welcome the evening’s speaker, Heidi Dollard who is co-chair for the MA Pollinator Network Advisory Board and MA Master Gardener. Come learn the basics of pollinator gardens and how to make yours a success. The public is welcome to attend. Please contact BeckyJean at beckyjean@ beckyjeanthompson.com to RSVP.
Operations Director: Curtis Panlilio Executive
Sales
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WEST SPRINGFIELD
Eastern States Exposition names 2026 scholarship recipients
WEST SPRINGFIELD — Annually, the Eastern States Exposition Scholarship recognizes the academic accomplishments of three outstanding graduates from West Springfield High School who plan to continue their education. This year’s recipients are Arianna Hopkins, Gemma Conca and Ann-Marie Asselin. They were presented with their awards by ESE President and CEO Gene Cassidy on June 30.
ESE’s mission champions agriculture, education and regional heritage, and these $1,500 scholarships award students who honor that mission by demonstrating academic excellence, exemplary leadership and a commitment to their community in accordance with the organization’s mission. By investing in the next generation, ESE supports those who will shape the future of Western Mass. and beyond.
“It is my privilege to represent Eastern States Exposition and give you this stipend, which reflects your accomplishments as young women in education. We wish you the very best and hope you will go on to do great things, and I hope to read about all your successes,” said Cassidy.
Hopkins graduated from West Springfield High School in the top 11% of her class. While enrolled, she was an involved student that took part in many leadership roles and earned much recognition, including the National Honor Society, being named the 2026 Youth of the Year and a semi-finalist for the Massachusetts Youth of the Year, becoming manager of the girls’ varsity basketball team, a term as a team leader for the school’s science fair and two years as a peer
mentor supporting fellow students socially and academically.
In 2023, Hopkins worked as an assistant occupational therapist intern at Sensory spOT in Wilbraham, Mass. In 2024, she began to work as a group leader at the West Springfield Boys & Girls Club, and she still hosts activities, prepares snacks and makes sure students are content, entertained and safe there to this day.
Hopkins also gives much of her time to the community. She participated in Rock 102’s three-day food drive, the Mayflower Marathon, thrice; volunteered with Operation SonShine, Free Shopping Day for the Homeless and various community events at Tatham and Fausey Elementary Schools; tutored students at West Springfield Middle School; gave time to West Springfield Parks and Recreation during the holiday season in 2024; assisted with National Honor Society’s induction; and twice welcomed rising students at her high school’s annual Step-up Day.
Hopkins has been accepted into 11 of the 12 college programs she applied for, the one exception being waitlisted acceptance. She plans to study nursing to specialize in pediatrics and mental health units. She hopes to later earn her master’s in nursing and a bachelor’s degree in psychology, too, to fulfill her high-reaching career goal of becoming an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse in pediatric mental health so she can help children navigate the same physical and mental adversities that she has overcome.
Conca also boasts a place in the top 11% of her class at West Springfield High School. She took multiple Advanced Placement
courses in high school, including AP Biology and AP Psychology.
Conca is a student athlete across many rosters; she was on the varsity soccer team, the varsity basketball team and the varsity outdoor track team for four years. She was also on the varsity indoor track team for two seasons. She was team captain of the soccer team during her senior year, and she was peer elected to the same role for the indoor track and field teams in her junior year.
She is a decorated soccer player, with achievements including the 2023 New England DPL Champions, DPL NEP Season Champions, the 2023 National Qualifier in Colorado, the IFA Girls Academy, the 2024 State Cup Champions, the 2024 NAL League Northeast Championships Qualifier, the IFA 2025 NAL New England Champions and the 2025 National Qualifier.
Conca spent three years as an MIAA Student-athlete ambassador, fundraising events and peer mentoring. She volunteered with National Honor Society at various food and clothing drive fundraisers, was active in student government for four terms, participated in the school’s Irish Club throughout all four years and raised money for sports teams through the Soccer and Track Booster Clubs and the Varsity Sport Team Fundraisers for hockey and basketball.
Outside of school, she gives alms through Rachel’s Table food pantry as an elected member of the Teen Board then as the Vice President of Membership and Outreach. She has been a hostess at Amedeo’s in Holyoke since May of 2025, and she works in food and beverage services for Eddie Shore Enterprises on the grounds of ESE both during The Big E and the fairgrounds’ yearround calendar.
Conca plans to study business and health sciences at the University of Connecticut this coming fall.
Ann-Marie Asselin is generous with her time, even while maintaining impressive academic standing. From 2023-2024, she participated in SkillsUSA, a
had the chance,” Anne said. “It was like somebody was dropped into this empty spot, so she re-
workforce development organization for students that empowers them to become skilled professionals, career-ready leaders and responsible members of their local communities. She has applied these lessons to her own life, especially when she began to mentor students at Career & Technical Educational Collaborative in West Springfield in 2024. She is still working with CTEC today.
For four years, beginning in 2020, she helped foster full-grown cats and kittens, including helping to find these animals permanent homes. From 2023-2024, she gave her time at the Yule Tree Jubilee.
In 2024, she also began volunteering with the West Springfield Lions Club during The Big E.
From 2021-2025, she made jewelry and other products for craft fairs and retail locations as a creative outlet and entrepreneurial venture. In the fall and spring of 2024 and 2025, she worked at Westfield Rehabilitation and Health Center as a Certified Nurse’s Assistant.
Like Hopkins and Conca, Asselin would like to work in the medical field one day. She hopes to study nursing and specialize in cardiovascular critical care.
This decision was inspired by the strength of her aunt and mother, who both navigate life with help from Left Ventricular Assist Devices. When both women were diagnosed with their heart diseases,
ally is very significant in all of this. She has a background in a lot of aspects of art that neither of us have, except that we appreciate it.”
Bill said the memoir showcases pieces of art that “really ex-
Asselin made the choice to educate herself about helpful routines, medical terminology and otherwise learn and retain all she could to assist. Beyond personal studies, she began to attend medical appointments, memorize important phone numbers and committed emergency procedures to memory. She hopes to be able to make a tangible change in the lives of others struggling through similar diagnoses, which is why she will be attending Westfield State University in the fall of 2026. ESE congratulates each of these exemplary students and looks forward to watching them lend their talents to the community in the years to come. In addition to the ESE Scholarship, the organization annually contributes 1% of its gross annual revenue to the ESE-West Springfield Trust, which provides grant funding for community-based programs and initiatives supporting youth, senior citizens and education. Residents may submit grant applications through the Town of West Springfield’s official website, TownofWestSpringfield.org. Additionally, ESE hosts West Springfield High School’s graduation ceremony at the historic Coliseum each year at no rental cost and offers students of the town free admission to The Big E on West Springfield Day at the Fair through the town’s school systems.
press difficult emotions.”
“In this case, a boy was nine years old and his father died unexpectedly,” Bill said. “He was distraught after his father passed away and his artwork shows, when you look at it, first of all you think ‘that’s a kid who did that?’ You find out the story and then you look at the picture again, you can see the anger and the frustration that this kid was feeling. His brush strokes reminded me of [Vincent Van Gogh].” Anne said other artworks depict events like the sinking of the Titanic, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the experience of living in Boston’s South End.
She said that since Charlotte never had children, “this book might be her kid.” More information on Charlotte and “I Wish I Could Live Here, Always” can be found at charlottedempsey.com/book.
H. Lam
From left: Gemma Conca, Eastern States Exposition President and CEO Gene Cassidy, Ann-Marie Asselin and Arianna Hopkins. Reminder Publishing submitted photo
Panel discussion to follow autobiographical play about clergy abuse
By Sarah Heinonen sheinonen@thereminder.com
NORTHAMPTON — This July, Easthampton resident Jay Sefton will stage a production of his one-person show “Unreconciled” at the Academy of Music in Northampton.
The play, about the sexual abuse Sefton experienced as a child at the hands of a priest, will be followed by a panel discussion with renowned author, researcher and educator in the field of trauma treatment, Bessel van der Kolk.
“It was really born out of political things that happened in 2021,” Sefton explained. Several times before then, the state legislature in Pennsylvania — where Sefton is from — had considered a constitutional amendment creating a two-year lookback window in the statute of limitations for adults who had experienced child sexual abuse. Sefton said that in 2021, the amendment was as close as it had ever been to being passed.
“I really thought it was going to happen this time,” Sefton said. “When it didn’t, I didn’t know what else to do. I was filled with rage.”
Sefton started writing about his experiences. It began almost as a thought experiment, akin to one writing a letter they never
EASTHAMPTON — CitySpace welcomes Lomelda, joined by Plume Girl and Home Baker, for an evening of collaborative new music in the Blue Room at Old Town Hall on Friday, July 17. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and music begins at 8 p.m.
The concert celebrates the release of “Everyday I Weave on the Great Loom,” a new recording by Plume Girl and Home Baker. Designed in the spirit of the album itself, the performance will feature selections from its “Voice and Wind” sections, alongside new music by Lomelda performed collaboratively by all three artists. Rooted in friendship, trust and years of creative exchange, the evening highlights the deep connections that have shaped each artist’s work.
Lomelda is the long-running songwriting project of Texas-born musician Hannah Read. Since its beginnings nearly two decades ago, Lomelda has earned acclaim for intimate, emotionally resonant songs that explore con-
mean to send to someone who wronged them.
“I was in that mindset, ‘I don’t have to perform it.,” he said, explaining he told himself, “There’s a chance nothing will happen with this.”
When the opportunity arose to workshop the play at the Chester Theatre Company, Sefton said he experienced hesitation. It would not be the last time. At each level of the play’s production — when it was first staged, when he performed it at a bar down the street from where the abuse happened in Philadelphia — he encountered another moment of hesitation.
“It’s rather hard to get people to come see a one-person show about clergy abuse, surprisingly,” Sefton said with a chuckle. “I thought no one would want to see it.” But he pushed forward. Unexpectedly, he said, “It started to not become mine.” At the discussion he holds after each performance, people began voicing their own experiences of abuse, some for the first time.
After a production he staged on Cape Cod, a psychologist who was friends with van der Kolk approached him. Van der Kolk is the author of the 2014 book, “The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma,” a popular book about how trauma reshapes the body
nection, vulnerability and human relationships. Read’s acclaimed releases include “Hannah” in 2020, “M for Empathy” in 2019, “Thx” two years earlier and and “4E” in 2016. A new album is expected in 2027. Plume Girl is the experimental music project of singer, dancer, and performer Sowmya Somanath. Drawing from Indian classical music and dance tra-
and brain. The author lives in the Berkshires and after meeting with Sefton, agreed to join him for the discussion panel after the July 25 show.
Sefton said he no longer feels hesitant about the play. “What was born in rage has become a joy,” he said. “I enjoy performing it ... The play doesn’t feel like I’m screaming into the void anymore. It feels more profound than anything else I’ve done on stage.”
Reflecting on what he wants people to take away from “Unreconciled,” Sefton said he wants them to have a full theatrical experience, filled with a wide array of emotions. “I would like survivors to feel heard and seen, if that’s possible,” he said. Sefton also wants people to be moved to urge their legislators to support legal mechanisms that provide an opportunity for adult survivors of child sex abuse to have their day in court.
In the Massachusetts House of Representatives, bill H.1829 would eliminate the statute of limitation in civil child sexual abuse cases. Current law provides a limit of 35 years to bring a civil suit for child sexual abuse “or within 7 years of the time the victim discovered or reasonably should have discovered that an emotional or psychological injury or condition was cause.” Sef-
ditions alongside ambient folk, experimental pop, and musique concrète, her work explores sound, improvisation, and the emotional landscapes of love, mortality and spirituality. Her recent releases include “In the End We Begin” in 2023 and 2025’s “Unnameable Glory.”
Home Baker is the project of Walter Nichols, whose music reflects the quiet rhythms of
ton said that in the case of clergy abuse, the Catholic church lobbies legislators to protect their institutions.
Sefton said, “It’s not good for survivors. It’s not good for communities.”
Having performed the play at
everyday life. Combining synthesizers, wind instruments and field recordings, Nichols creates contemplative soundscapes informed by his work operating a sourdough bakery and his fasci-
venues around Western Massachusetts, Sefton said the Academy of Music show will likely be the last time the play will run in the area. Sefton said he is going to perform in England and Ireland in the fall. After that, the play will run off Broadway.
nation with the beauty of ordinary moments. Ticket prices are $20–$30 and are available at CitySpaceEasthampton.org.
Jay Sefton presents his one-person play, “Unreconciled,” at the Academy of Music on July 25.
Photo credit: Google Meet
Matthew Tsyhchenko (L) wins the ball in front of Nathan Demetri.
Ayden Eckleberg blasts the ball into the net to put West Side ahead 2-0.
Hunter Coffey attacks down the left sideline.
West Springfield’s Vincenzo Andre (L) battles for the ball with Jackson Shanley of Wilbraham.
Heber Gonzalez Jr. centers the ball.
Helal Al Helal chases the ball as he mounts a second half scoring bid.
Abdullah Alkertani (R) receives the West Side throw as Tyler Hoskinson of Wilbraham defends.
Goalie Avery Donahue pitched a shut-out as the Terriers prevailed 2-0.
West Side’s Elliot Latham (R) intercepts the ball intended for ‘Chaug’s Jake Salemi.
Austin Morin (R) from West Springfield and Sean Tillberry from Wilbraham vie for the ball.
