Listen to Rachel’s Maddow Cum Laude speech!


Thank you for helping The Literacy Project raise over $60,000!

River alumnae and MSNBC superstar Rachel Maddow back home at the Academy of Music giving her only commencement speech of the year for…Bill Dwight, Northampton City Council President and new recipient of his GED which he earned through the Literacy Project. With special guests The Young@Heart Chorus, Mayor David Narkewicz, Mayor Clare Higgins, singer Erin McKeown and Monte Belmonte as emcee.

See more pictures from Reelife/Folktography by Tom

Recent Headlines

19 hours ago in Entertainment, Music

This year’s song of the summer is a ballad, not a banger. Here’s what that says about us

For the past 14 weeks and counting, the top Billboard spot has been held by a love ballad: Alex Warren's "Ordinary." As Berklee College of Music professor and forensic musicologist Joe Bennett notes, the February release is "a fair bit slower than the mean average for the Hot 100, or for a historical song of the summer."

2 days ago in Entertainment, Music

Justin Bieber announces ‘Swag ll’ will arrive Friday

Never say never... again? In July, Justin Bieber surprised fans by releasing his seventh studio album, "Swag," hours after he teased it on billboards and social media posts. It turns out, he wasn't done yet. On Thursday morning, Bieber shared that "Swag II" will arrive on Friday.

2 days ago in Entertainment, Trending

Giorgio Armani, who dressed the powerful and famous from boardroom to Hollywood, dies at 91

Giorgio Armani, the iconic Italian designer who turned the concept of understated elegance into a multibillion-dollar fashion empire, died Thursday, his fashion house confirmed. He was 91.

2 days ago in Lifestyle, Trending

Powerball jackpot jumps to $1.7 billion after another night without a big winner

The Powerball jackpot has jumped to an eye-popping $1.7 billion, after yet another drawing passed without a big winner Wednesday. The numbers selected were: 3, 16, 29, 61 and 69, with the Powerball number being 22.

3 days ago in Lifestyle, Trending

Amazon ends a program that lets Prime members share free shipping perk with users outside household

Amazon is ending a program that allows members of its Prime membership subscription program to share their free shipping benefits with people who don't have the same primary address.