Something special is growing in Western Mass. Together, artists and arts sector workers are building something new from the ground up: a central online resource to help the region’s creatives in business thrive and connect with each other—and with patrons, audiences, and cultural leaders across all fields. This is the ArtsHub.

Mass Cultural Council is now accepting applications for its Grants for Creative Individuals program, which awards $5,000 unrestricted grants to artists, culture bearers, and creative practitioners across Massachusetts.

In her second compelling collection of stories, Heart-Work, Great Barrington-based author Roberta Silman explores the intricacies of love, the infinite surprises that exist within families, and the yearning for guidance that can result in great leaps of the imagination. As she did in her first prize-winning collection, Blood Relations, Silman has created a group of unforgettable people who have something to tell us about how to negotiate the often dangerous shoals of daily life.