Backyard OASIS - Older Adults Seeking, Inspiring, Serving

In this podcast, we hear about a special trip to South Africa in a conversation with Bill and Christine Copeland and Julissa Larios, the trip host from the Organization for Tropical Studies, or OTS. OTS began its work in Costa Rica in 1963 to promote research and education in tropical biology, primarily for college and graduate students. Since then it has broadened its audience to all ages and now...

John Olszewski has corresponded with and met some infamous serial and one-time killers. He believes that killers are damaged humans and he has wanted to know about them since he was a kid who sat in the library and read about them. He wrote The Long Dark Walk , his journey into the mind of a killer, in 2019. His newest book is Still Walking in the Dark, out now. Listen to John Olszewski‘s podcast...

On this episode of Backyard OASIS, host Denise Schwartz introduces us to author, memoirist, mother (and daughter) Lee Uttermark Wicks. Lee reads several passages from her 2021 memoir Muriel and the Grocer's Daughter , her attempt to tell her mother's story in her mother's voice. Lee is also the author of her latest memoir, 2026's A Five Dog Marriage. Praise for Muriel and the Grocer's Daughter: “W...

On this very special edition of Backyard OASIS, friend of the show and Age- & Dementia-Friendly Program Director Jason Molony fills in as host to speak with all of the amazing people who contribute the most to the show about what their journey with the show has been like. Hosts Henry Balzarini, Christine Copeland, Chad Fuller, Judy Raper, and Denise Schwartz are all here fielding Jason's thoug...

Written as a group of essays that serve as thought points on the timeline of her life, artist and writer Judy Podell candidly explores her life as the daughter of immigrants in New York in the 1940s and 1950s. There is a constant tension that pulls the reader through the book as Podell wrestles with a lifelong desire to both fit in and stand out. She describes Monkeyface as "an honest and truthful...

On this episode of Backyard OASIS, host Denise Schwartz talks with Greenfield, MA resident and world traveler Suzanne Patnaude about her recent ventures aboard the Queen Mary cruise line. Suzanne talks about some of her favorite places to visit, how she spent time at sea on her months-long cruise around the world (hint: a whole lot of ballroom dancing!), and offers some advice and words of reassur...

Jennifer Ferrara describes her journey as her father's caregiver and the moment she realized that to continue to care effectively for him she had to begin to care for herself. A heartfelt and open conversation with import for Sandwich Generation caregivers and others. Ideas for the show? Reach out at backyardoasispodcast@gmail.com Be sure to subscribe to the Greenfield Community College Backyard O...

Gloria Ratcliffe, alumnae of Greenfield Community College and host of the Ms. Americana Podcast on Backyard OASIS invites guest Anna Morrison, LICSW, a licensed clinical social worker, into the studio to discuss depression. They discuss the different types of the disorder, the different causes, and how to both avoid and fight it. During the conversation they attempt to de-stigmatize depression and...

On this episode of Backyard OASIS, host Denise Schwartz speaks with travel columnist and theater critic Max Hartshorne about his areas of expertise. Max opens with practical and unexpected travel advice (did you know that a week in Spain might cost you less than a weekend on Cape Cod?), his appreciation of meal kit subscriptions, before delving into some money-saving tips for older adults all over...

On this special edition of Backyard OASIS, host Denise Schwartz invites actor, playwright, and theater artist Rich Vaden to read Bird of Providence, a short story written by her brother, T.P. Schwartz-Barcott. Set in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1989, Bird of Providence introduces us to Joey G. Gagliardi, a young guy trying to find his way out of a neighborhood that "no longer matters because no o...

In 1894, fifteen Sunderland women joined the national Woman's Club Movement that had established the idea that women had a moral responsibility to transform public policy. More than 125 years have passed since the ladies got together to chat and work for change (something had to be done about those dirt roads!) and the club is still moving forward today. Today, host Denise Schwartz sits down with...

Join us for the third episode of Ms. Americana on Backyard OASIS. This week, Gloria Ratcliffe discusses Women’s Health with returning guests Professor Emerita Anne M. Wiley and Author- Professor Emerita Joanne McNeil Hayes of Greenfield Community College in Greenfield, Massachusetts. This episode touches on how health care research in the United States excluded women and girls for years, and exami...

This week on Backyard OASIS, Denise Schwartz sits down with United Way of the Franklin and Hampshire Regions' Digital Navigator Rich Vaden. Rich talks about his approach to helping our local seniors navigate a digital landscape that can feel impenetrable at best and actively hostile at worst. Have you ever wondered how to make a secure password that you can actually remember? Do you have trouble d...

On this episode of Backyard Oasis, host Gloria Ratcliffe speaks with author and (retired) Greenfield Community College professor Joanne McNeil Hayes about her newest poetry collection, I am the Prairie . Joanne treats us to several excerpts from the text, as well as providing insight into her inspiration for the work. What was it like to grow up in Illinois "in the shadow of the prairie," as Joann...

Dave Hayes does weather with a personal touch and an entertaining writing style. Since August 2011, he’s been providing daily and very entertaining weather forecasts for western Massachusetts. We discuss his passion for weather and learn a bit more about the man behind the forecast, including an original guitar solo. Here are the ways you can access Dave Hayes’ weather reports: Mobile App (iPhone)...

"A week after his release from prison, Al Kitchen is found dead beside a bicycle on a back country road. Al served 18 years in prison for beating a well-liked man to death during a botched robbery, but most everyone in this small town is unwilling to forgive him. Nobody feels Al could have changed from the reckless guy they knew although he believes he has. They prefer he died in prison, and they...

Jan Maher is a local writer, creator and co-founder of LAVA, a community arts center in Greenfield MA. In this episode, we learn more about Jan, her life and art. And we explore Jan’s thoughts about creativity. Jan’s latest play, Phoenix will be read at LAVA on June 5. On the Boards: "A Rare Sight" + "Phoenix" - The LAVA Center She will also adapt her stepfather’s classic sci-fi story “I, Gardener...

Named a Publishers Weekly Editor’s Pick. “Lost between the ancient wisdom of 13th-century China and the unraveling of his modern life, one man must solve the ultimate koan: how to live in the present...” A haiku magically transports Zen student Stephen Maine to 13th-century China where he encounters Zen masters, experiences koans firsthand, and begins a romance with a beautiful sword maker that th...

Community colleges are more than just classrooms; they are hubs where generations collide. In this special episode, host Denise Schwartz speaks with GCC's Associate Dean of Community Engagement Judy Raper and GCC student Carly Mahowald to discuss the social infrastructure that keeps us connected. We’re moving past 'old versus young' headlines to explore how proximity, shared goals, and genuine cur...

Gloria Ratcliffe, alumnae of Greenfield Community College/MS. Americana Waves podcast and Professor Emerita Anne M. Wiley of Greenfield Community College have a conversation about AI and its impact on you. We discuss the types of AI, how AI works, and some of the concerns how AI has potential harmful social impacts on humans. We also discuss how AI uses data servers that contribute to environmenta...

"With the innocence of young eyes and with the perspective of a long life well lived, Wright gives us this sweet, loving memoir full of wonder and mystery that is our world." - Ken Burns. filmmaker Jonathan A. Wright takes us around the world in his coming-of-age memoir based on his boyhood diary entries and deep memories of a 9-month journey with his family across the globe in 1962 and 1963. It e...

Enter Smith College from Elm Street onto College Lane in Northampton and stroll down the hill towards the Mill River on your right. On your left you have arrived: the Botanical Garden of Smith College with outside flower beds, a pond surrounded with diverse wetland plants, and the Victorian style greenhouses of The Lyman Plant Conservatory. Join Anjali D’Souza, Manager of Engagement for the Garden...

Western Massachusetts resident Larry McFarland calls himself a travel enthusiast. And indeed, he has traveled to some thirty countries from the age of 54 to his current age of 70. In this episode, Larry describes his journey, both in mind and miles. He addresses solo vs. group travel, planning a trip, safety and financial considerations, and regales us with a few anecdotes from his jaunts. Speakin...

Pioneer Valley has suffered some demanding changes to climate in the past 20, 25 years. Are public officials prepared to meet our needs as these changes deepen? Hosted by Chad Fuller with guest Josh Shanley, this conversation explores the concept of resilience centers - community spaces designed to support people during climate-related emergencies or other large scale disruptions - and what it mig...

What does it mean to walk the Camino - not just once, but multiple times, in different seasons of life and with different people? In this conversation, Beth Berry shares what keeps calling her back to the Camino and how each journey has unfolded in its own way. From shifting expectations and comfort levels to the subtle (and not-so-subtle) changes in trail conditions, Beth shares how the same path...