My Weekend in The Valley

No, I didn't spend the last few days perfecting my rising inflection or impersonating Tai from Clueless. I was in the Pioneer Valley of scenic Western Massachusetts for the annual Civil Liberties and Public Policy conference (CLPP, pronounced clip) at Hampshire College. This was my second year at the CLPP conference but my first time in Western Mass with a rental car (an electric blue PT Cruiser) so I was able to explore the area.

First, let me introduce several of the key players in the following vignettes:
Miriam P.: Blogger (you may know Miriam from Radical Doula or Feministing) and fabulous activist, speaker, and birthing advocate (signature accessory: patterned vans)
Alex M.: Graduate of Haaaarvard Divinity School and RCRC fund development superstar (signature accessory: orange Vespa)
Jenny O.: One of my favorite friends made during a summer interning at Planned Parenthood, friend of Alex M., and current staffer at the Abortion Access Project (signature accessory: chunky green necklace)
Alex S.: New friend and new Choice USA crew member, yoga instructor, and fellow ice cream enthusiast (signature accessory: patterned scarf)

From Abortion Rights to Social Justice: Building the Movement for Reproductive Freedom

The conference itself was powerful and memorable. It is completely free to all participants and the organizers go to great lengths to ensure accessible funds for housing and transportation. It was attended by over 1,000 young adult reproductive justice (RJ) activists and allies and is by far the largest gathering superficially for youth involved in this work that I have attended. The CLPP conference certainly represents the progressive core of the RJ community and brings together voices from a very wide range of movements. A small sampling of the many, many session topics: Climate Justice and Reproductive Justice: Making the Link, Intersex 101, Criminalization of Sexuality, Occupied Bodies/Occupied Territories, “Rhymes with Schmaschmortion..." Abortion Values Exploration, Empowering Birth. I facilitated a session with Alex M. called Progressive Religious Voices Speak Out which I think went very well. We were also joined by a DC SYRF Regional Training participant, Nasra G., who talked about her experiences as a public health nurse, reproductive rights advocate, and practicing Muslim.

The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
While in Western Mass, I also took two non-conference related adventures (whenever I travel for work I always try to do at least one authentic local activity so I don't end up feeling like I spent the weekend behind a table or in the Courtyard Marriott).

My first excursion was to the Eric Carle Museum of Storybook Art located right on Hampshire College's campus. The museum is a happy combination of child-centered art activities (small clip boards, chubby pencils), colorful textured wall panels, and three small and lovely galleries that showcase the work of Carle and several other storybook artists.

Outside the galleries there was a great wall of windows covered in butterflies made by small visitors to the museum in the art studio down the hall. I spent just as much time photographing this as I did browsing inside the galleries because it was such a striking picture against the quaint backdrop of the dewy Hampshire campus. The bathroom walls were scattered with tiles featuring characters from The Very Hungry Caterpillar and other Carle classics (a close second to the butterfly windows).

Bub's BBQ
My second adventure was to Bub's BBQ. There was a curious little sign across from my hotel with an arrow and the words "Bub's BBQ 4.4 miles" (similar to what you'd see for the Maryland House or Rock Creek Parkway, but not a random BBQ place). I was intrigued so I did a little blackberry research and decided Bub's would be a good dinner destination.


I plugged the address into my rental car GPS and arrived about 10 minutes later (nothing seems to be very far apart in this part of the world). I ventured there alone and was thoroughly pleased with the selection of pulled pork BBQ and the free cold and hot side dish buffets. I was half way through my plate of hushpuppies (which came with the most DELICIOUS dill sauce) when I realized why Bub's seemed so familiar...although the place mats at Bub's don't have bible quotes on them, it is very similar to Mountain Gate Family Restaurant in Waynesboro, PA! No wonder why I felt at home there...

I was also fascinated with the ingenious way the cashier gets the information about an order once it has been placed to the kitchen: the order is first attached to a little clothespin duct taped to a stuffed pig then swung across the restaurant on a little zipline to the kitchen. I stuck around long enough to document this fabulous process:


Herrell's Ice Cream
I also made a stop at Herrell's Ice Cream (this doesn't count as a unique excursion because it has become a mandatory part of any CLPP conference and this was my third visit to the ice cream mecca). I took a whole bunch of photos when I was there in November and would encourage you to make a visit next time you are within 100 miles of one of their six locations. If you don't get the chocolate whipped cream please lie to me and tell me you did.