Heather Bish is an educator, an advocate, and a warrior. When her sixteen-year-old sister Molly was abducted and murdered in the year 2000, her life changed forever. Heather has sought justice for over two decades, not just for her sister—for all missing persons. As a member of the Massachusetts Missing Persons Task Force, she is taking the criminal justice system to task. Thank you to everyone who supported our first live show! Photos by Unity Mike Hendrickson. We are #WACfunded. Next, let’s talk about Patty Gonyea. Pop It shirts are now available at Crompton Collective from our pals at Hundred Acre Apparel.

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Live Show: A Conversation with Heather Bish

Our live show at the BrickBox is fast approaching on 9/30! Get your tickets here. In preparation for the big event, we met up with Managing Director Olivia Scanlon. This project is funded by the Worcester Arts Council.

Worcester's BrickBox Theater ft. Olivia Scanlon

On September 30th, we will sit down with Heather Bish to reflect on the abduction of her sister, Molly Bish, which took place more than two decades ago at a Central Massachusetts pond. We are taking this opportunity very seriously and doing our homework to better understand the significant details of the case. If you feel comfortable attending, we hope you will join us for our live show at the BrickBox Theater at 7 PM on 9/30. Tickets are $6; proceeds will go to the Molly Bish Foundation. Thanks to the support of Worcester Arts Council, this event is #wacfunded.

Remembering Molly Bish

White Lotus, Larry David v. Alan Dershowitz, Bennifer, & more. We're back! I missed you, Molly. xoxo -S Live show at the JMAC Brick Box on September 30th: A Conversation with Heather Bish $6 Tickets to benefit the Molly Bish Foundation

Pop Summer 2021

Worcester Arts Council supports our efforts to elevate the voices of womxn & girls in the community through podcasting. Our most recent podcast pop-up took place in Great Brook Valley at the first POW! WOW! Worcester event of the summer. Artist Stephanie Benenson of Harbor Voices was on site to oversee an art installation titled "Not Alone" that combined recordings (5:30-15:20) and lasers to deliver a powerful message about mental health.  Thank you for taking the WAC 2021 Funding Priorities survey. Its purpose is to identify areas of community interest for the Council's upcoming grant cycle. Projects funded under these priorities will be completed in 2022. This survey should take about 3-4 minutes to complete. To enter for a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort Earbuds ($279 value), you must provide your name and email address at the end of the survey before you submit your answers.

What are your arts and culture priorities for Worcester?

SchoolHouse aims to improve both the quality and safety of K-8 education by working hand in hand with parents to create local “pods” that provide a tailored learning experience. Nevertheless, a powerful New York Times op-ed recently referred to pods as “the latest in school segregation.” Clara Totenberg Green went on to say, “At face value, learning pods seem a necessary solution to the current crisis. But in practice, they will exacerbate inequities, racial segregation, and the opportunity gap within schools.” Shara explains why microschools are the right model for her right now. 

Microschools with Shara Conroy

Mairéad Dickinson Connolly has always admired Ali Wong, but motherhood has given her a fresh appreciation for the critically acclaimed comedian. We discuss Mairéad's own standup career and her new role as a show producer.

Comedian Mairéad Dickinson Connolly

 Fern L. Johnson, senior research scholar and professor emerita of English at Clark University, and Marlene G. Fine, professor emerita at Simmons University co-author Let’s Talk Race: A Guide for White People, a new book that confronts why white people struggle to talk about race, why we need to own this problem, and how we can learn to do the work ourselves and stop expecting Black people to do it for us.  

Johnson & Fine, Authors of 'Let’s Talk Race: A Guide for White People'

Roller skating is more than just a pandemic pastime. We're examining Worcester's skate scene and talking about history, culture, and representation with Derek Thompson from Chez-Vous. Thank you to organizers Ellen Walsh and Ellen Benson for nurturing the local rollerskate community. And also to نغمه, Penelope Angiulo, Jeanne D. Arc, and Lady LaRouge for their insights.

Life After Skylight (ft. Derek Thompson of Chez-Vous)

It is Molly's one true destiny to someday appear on Jeopardy. When we found out Worcester native Brendan Sargent was going to be on the show, we had a lot of insider questions for him. How did you study? How sensitive was the buzzer? How did your charming anecdote land at the start of the episode? Brendan has graduated from Christ the King musicals to the LA comedy scene. Check out his web series "Dear John" to experience MTV Cribs for the bathroom enthusiast.

Worcester's Jeopardy Contestant: Brendan Sargent

Avanah Sophia grew up in the Faith Assembly cult under the teaching of notorious divine healer, Hobart Freeman who aided and abetted in the deaths of nearly 100 of his followers. Avanah has gone on to become an incredible mother, respected music teacher, and revered singer song-writer in Central Mass. Avanah’s liberation came when she realized she would rather live in dangerous freedom than peaceful slavery. We are so honored to share her story with you today.

Cult Survivor & Musician Avanah Sophia

Episode 99 provides an extensive overview of the Free Britney movement, Golden Globes snubs, and celebs who exchange blood vials. Also, we love The Eggroll Lady!

Free Britney

Worcester native Katzie Guy-Hamilton is the author of the "Clean Enough" cookbook, co-founder of Cassata Bakery, and a Top Chef alum. 

"Clean Enough" with Katzie Guy-Hamilton of Cassata Bakery

A Village People send-off, a sea of purple coats, a pair of hand-knit mittens, and an exquisite young poet—this was an inauguration day we won't soon forget.

Inauguration Mittens & Amanda Gorman

 Che Anderson and Amy Peterson of Food & Convo host us for a virtual tasting of Grandeza Hot Sauce. Other guests include Ricky Nelson and Travis Duda of SeltzerTime, Jesse Burlingame of the Lonely Mans Podcast, and Shaun Connolly of WOOtenanny and An Actual Alt-Weekly Podcast.

The Spicy Sauce Crossover, Hosted by Food & Convo

This is a podcast about popping questions, popping bottles, and pop culture.

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