The LAVA Center

09/02/2026

Smack Dab Q***r Open Mic
Friday, Sep 4 @ The LAVA Center: 324 Main St, Greenfield
Sign-up at 6:30, performances start at 7!

Smack Dab Q***r Open Mic is a free 18+ LGBTQIA community open mic in Greenfield, MA with the slogan “All genders, all the time.” Your hosts are Jules and Avery.

Smack Dab was founded in San Francisco in 2003 by writer Kirk Read and queercore historian Larry-Bob Roberts. Smack Dab stopped in San Francisco during the start of the pandemic in 2021, but Smack Dab was resurrected by Avery and Jules in Western Massachusetts last year! Q***r joy and creativity is resistance at its finest!

Comics, poets, musicians, dirty stories, journal musings, puppeteers… bring it on! Five minute limit.

https://www.facebook.com/events/932528949287248/

09/01/2026

The 6th annual LAVA Film Festival is accepting submissions through Friday 9/11!

The LAVA Film Festival is a showcase of Massachusetts filmmaking talent—from students to professionals and everyone in between. We spotlight local filmmakers who create films that engage with the community and are made with joy.

Learn more and submit here—> https://filmfreeway.com/LAVAfilmfestival

Follow the event—> https://www.facebook.com/events/1457545432851763

08/31/2026

08/31/2026

🌋 This week: 🎤 First Sunday Word fundraiser + 🎨 Christine Mirabal opening reception + 🎤 Q***r Open Mic - https://mailchi.mp/thelavacenter/2026-08-17474066

08/26/2026

Renewal Society Workshop: Leather, with Rhys
Saturday, Aug 29, 9:30-11:30am
The LAVA Center: 324 Main St, Greenfield

Redistro is a mutual aid collective dedicated to building community locally through the redistribution of our shared abundance. Their community members envisioned a series of focused workshops building on the very popular repair fairs that have been held from time to time in Franklin County. What if people could not only have their household items repaired, but learn how to do it themselves? This vision is actualized in THE RENEWAL SOCIETY project, which focuses on re-using and reclaiming through the art and craft of repair. Participants will learn specific skills to extend the life of their own household belongings.

August 29: Leather, with Rhys

Got a leather item that could use a little TLC? Join Redistro organizer Rhys for a hands-on workshop about how to care for, maintain, and repair leather goods. The workshop will run about 2 hours.

Bring a leather item* if you have one, and/or something to take notes with. Come curious, and leave with a few new tricks for keeping your leather goods in good shape!

*This workshop is for educational purposes. Rhys will do their best to help you assess and work on your leather item, but we can’t guarantee that it will be fully repaired by the end of the workshop.

Let us know you’re coming by signing up for a slot here. Doors open at 9:15, and the workshop starts at 9:30. Please arrive early enough that we can get started on time. See you then!

RSVPs for the leather workshop here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0D4DADAE2CA4F8CF8-65088575-renewal

More information: Renewal Society linktree: https://linktr.ee/renewal_society

https://www.facebook.com/events/edit/1746626886480274/

08/26/2026

Comedy Project Workshop: The Return of Joke Writing Bootcamp
Thursday, Sep 27, 7pm
The LAVA Center: 324 Main St, Greenfield

Alright cadets, make your beds, shine your shows and get ready for roll call, Thursday August 27 for The Return of Joke Writing Bootcamp, from 7:00-8:30 PM at The LAVA Center, 324 Main Street in Greenfield. We'll study the principles of the craft, take some time for solo preparation of new material and take turns at the mic. All levels are welcome, whether you are funny (ha-ha) or funny (a little off). Or a real mushroom, as in a fungi (ha-ha, a vegetable joke!).

No need to register but RSVP is appreciated at [email protected]. We are always asked to contribute to the overhead costs of LAVA, so donations will be happily received.

See you then!

https://www.facebook.com/events/826007167137478/

08/25/2026

The LAVA Book Club has room for a couple new members. If you are interested, please email [email protected].

The books are generally placed on hold at Greenfield Public Library a month prior to our discussion date. This year's list is as follows:

September 21 - Edith Wharton - House of Mirth

October 19 - Dawn Burns - A Green Glow on the Horizon (we will order this one directly from the author)

November 16 - Amanda Bellows - The Explorers: A New History of America in Ten Expeditions

December 21 - David Sedaris - The Land and its People

January 18 - Elizabeth Strout - The Things We Never Say

February 15 - Abdulrazak Gurnah - Gravel Heart

March 15 - Allen Levi - Theo of Golden

April 19 - Monica Wood - How to Read a Book

May 17 Ruth Ozeki - The Typing Lady: And Other Fictions

June 21 - Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan - Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump

08/25/2026

Franklin County residents met at The LAVA Center to discuss nine ballot measures ahead of the November elections.

08/24/2026

🌋 This week: 🤣 Comedy Project workshop + 🎨 Arts Walk + ♻️ Renewal Society workshop + ♻️ RE-ART workshop - https://mailchi.mp/thelavacenter/2026-08-17473895

08/24/2026

RE-ART workshop w/ Alyson Arnold: Creations from cardboard packaging and other found materials
Saturday, Aug 29, 12-2pm
The LAVA Center: 324 Main St, Greenfield

LAVA’s extended season of creating art from reclaimed, repurposed and reused materials! We will learn from local artists who turn waste to wonders, trash to treasures.

RE-ART will culminate in the fall with a community art show featuring work created by those who have attended one or more of the sessions.

• Saturday, Aug. 29, noon–2 p.m.: Alyson Arnold. Creations from cardboard packaging and other found materials.

For more information, contact [email protected]. To register for one or more artist-led workshops, go to http://bit.ly/4fEmdQa.

RE-ART is made possible in part by project support from Greening Greenfield and Cultural Crossroads District LLC (a project of Mass Cultural Council), 2026 Season Support from the Greenfield Recorder and Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, and 2026 Community Building Sponsor Dog Hollow Press.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1048997621420082/