Episode 72: Benita Chelagat (Coffee Plus 254)
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Little Local Conversations is discovering and connecting the people, places, stories, and ideas of Watertown, Massachusetts. Follow the podcast to hear conversations with various community leaders, business owners, non-profit organizers, artists and creatives, and other folks doing interesting and important work in the city. Come out to live podcast events to connect with others in the community and be part of the conversation.
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Episode 72
Benita Chelagat (Coffee Plus 254)
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Local Government Update
January 2026
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Event Highlight
River of Light
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Episode 71
Roberta Miller (Watertown Public Arts and Culture Committee Chair)
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Creative Chats With Marija Draskic Brancazio
The Importance of Organizing Creative Community
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Watertown's Open
The State of Development in Watertown
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Local Government Update
December 2025
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Episode 70
Jenna Bancroft (Director of Human Services, City of Watertown)
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Watertown Arts & Culture Roundtable
December 2025
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Event Highlight
SOLSTICE: Reflections on Winter Light
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Creative Chats With Guest Margo Guernsey
Capturing and Sharing Unheard Stories Through Film
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Episode 69
Aliana de la Guardia (Mosesian Center for the Arts)
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Local Government Update
November 2025
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Episode 68
Jon Hecht (Political Activist / Former Town Councilor and State Representative)
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Episode 67
Max Ritcey (Ritcey East, Owner and Chef)
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Episode 66
Jon Bockian (Community Volunteer / Author)
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Episode 65
Jim Henderson (Attorney / Singer)
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Creative Chats With Guest Megan Ramette
The How and Why of Zines and Watertown Zine Fest
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Local Government Update
October 2025
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Watertown's Open
Small Business Support Group
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Episode 64
Michael Bobbitt (Mass Cultural Council)
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Creative Chats
With Guests Tim Merton and Jennifer Morsches: Building Local History Into Programming & Doing Outreach With Incarcerated Teens
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Watertown Arts & Culture Roundtable
September 2025
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Episode 63
Barbara Callahan (Browne House/Historic New England)
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Local Government Update
September 2025
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Episode 62
Fangxue Zheng (Energy Advocate for City of Watertown)
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Episode 61
Alex Patriquin (Cass School of Floral Design)
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Local Government Update
August 2025
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Episode 60
Gary Beatty (Watertown Boys and Girls Club)
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Episode 59
Sara Keary (Caregiver Counseling and Consultation)
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Episode 58
Rita Cleary (Brahma Kumaris Meditation Center)
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Local Government Update
July 2025
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Creative Chats With Guest Arto Vaun
Finding Optimism and Creative Opportunity in Grief and Anxiety
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Episode 57
Xin Peng (Community Organizer and Human Rights Activist)
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Watertown Arts & Culture Roundtable
June 2025
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Local Government Update
June 2025
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Episode 56
Kim Charlson (Perkins School for the Blind / Watertown Commission on Disability)
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Creative Chats With Guest Julie Fei-Fan Balzer
Does Art Have to Have Meaning?
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Creative Chats With Guest Cat Bennett
Finding Your Artistic Path and Discovering What Comes Next
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Episode 55
Drew Rollert (Wada Hoppah)
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Local Government Update
May 2025
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Episode 54
Jen Nicholson (Commander's Mansion)
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Episode 53
Steve Magoon (Assistant City Manager for Community Development and Planning)
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Creative Chats With Guest Kristen Kenny
A Discussion on Local Space for Artists and Musicians
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Episode 52
Ora Grodsky & Larry Raskin (Watertown Community Conversations)
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Episode 51
Melissa Hresko (Russell Cooperative Preschool)
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Local Government Update
April 2025
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Local News and Information Ecosystem Panel Discussion
From Little Local Conversations One Year Anniversary Event
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Episode 50
Will Brownsberger (Massachusetts State Senator)
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Watertown Arts & Culture Roundtable
April 2025
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Episode 49
Dave Levine (Whitney Towers)
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Fun & Games Sponsor Episode
Watertown Trivia With Arsenal Financial's Doug Orifice
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Creative Chats
With Guest Jamie Kallestad (Making Art After Parenthood)
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Episode 48
Paula Farina (Farina’s)
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City Update With George Proakis
Hosted by the Watertown Business Coalition
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Local Government Update
March 2025 (Moments, Success Stories, and Jingles From the Past Month)
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![Dan Hogan WCA-TV]()
Episode 47
Dan Hogan (WCA-TV)
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![three young women smiling and giving thumbs up]()
Episode 46
Watertown Youth Coalition Peer Leaders (Jenna Houjazy, Vana Stepanian, Priscilla Samakwrong)
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![Sam Ghilardi Housing for All Watertown]()
Episode 45
Sam Ghilardi (Housing for All Watertown / Sai Life Sciences)
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![Brandon Feldhouse Arsenal Yards]()
Episode 44
Brandon Feldhouse (Arsenal Yards)
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Local Government Update
February 2025
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![Swati Biswas Artsy Way of Life]()
Episode 43
Swati Biswas (Artsy Way of Life)
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![Creative Chats with Liz Helfer]()
Creative Chats With Guest Liz Helfer
Art as Business Vs. Art as Lifestyle
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![Kim Hewitt Director of the Watertown Free Public Library]()
Episode 42
Kim Hewitt (Director of the Watertown Free Public Library)
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![Watertown Police Chief Justin Hanrahan]()
Episode 41
Justin Hanrahan (Watertown Police Chief)
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Little Local Weekly?
A Few Updates and a Message From Matt
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![Woman smiling in front of flowers]()
Episode 40
Bevin Croft (Policy Researcher / World in Watertown)
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![Little Local Weekly January 15th-21st, 2025]()
Little Local Weekly
January 15th-21st, 2025
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![Alyssa Cecchetelli Addgene]()
Episode 39
Alyssa Cecchetelli (Addgene)
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Little Local Weekly
January 8th-14th, 2025
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![Cameron Labrecque Boston Gold Kings]()
Episode 38
Cameron Labrecque (Boston Gold Kings)
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![Sophia Suarez-Friedman Watertown Social Services Resource Specialist Wayside Youth and Family Support Network]()
Episode 37
Sophia Suarez-Friedman (Watertown Social Services Resource Specialist / Wayside Youth & Family Support Network)
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![Matthew Stephens Mount Auburn Cemetery]()
Episode 36
Matthew Stephens (Mount Auburn Cemetery)
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![Nicole Gardner City Councilor]()
Episode 35
Episode 35: Nicole Gardner (Watertown District A City Councilor)
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![Elan Rohde Campolongo Cookie Company]()
Episode 34
Elan Rohde (Campolongo Cookie Company)
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![Arto Vaun Project Save Photograph Archive Musician Poet]()
Episode 33
Arto Vaun (Project Save Photograph Archive / Musician/Poet)
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![George Proakis Watertown City Manager]()
Episode 32
George Proakis (Watertown City Manager)
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![Ernie Thebado Watertown Director of Recreation]()
Episode 31
Ernie Thebado (Watertown Director of Recreation)
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![Steve "Nookie" Postal Revival Cafe + Kitchen]()
Episode 30
Steve "Nookie" Postal (Revival Cafe + Kitchen)
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![Ruth Rappaport Musician]()
Episode 29
Ruth Rappaport (Musician)
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![Erin Rathe Watertown Senior Planner for Economic Development]()
Episode 28
Erin Rathe (Watertown Senior Planner for Economic Development)
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![Ryan Nicholson Watertown Fire Chief]()
Episode 27
Ryan Nicholson (Watertown Fire Chief)
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![Peter Pyne Olespaña]()
Episode 26
Peter Pyne (Olespaña)
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![Sally Young Artist-Activist Edible Watertown]()
Episode 25
Sally Young (Artist-Activist / Edible Watertown)
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![Joel Giacobozzi Watertown High School & Middle School Principal]()
Episode 24
Joel Giacobozzi (Watertown High School & Middle School Principal)
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![Tyler Cote Watertown Community Engagement Specialist]()
Episode 23
Tyler Cote (Watertown Community Engagement Specialist)
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![Stephanie Venizelos Watertown Community Wellness Program Manager]()
Episode 22
Stephanie Venizelos (Watertown Community Wellness Program Manager)
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![Christian Dallas Dallas Insurance Agency Watertown Rotary Club]()
Episode 21
Christian Dallas (Dallas Insurance Agency / Watertown Rotary Club)
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![Gideon Schreiber Watertown Director of Planning and Zoning]()
Episode 20
Gideon Schreiber (Watertown Director of Planning and Zoning)
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![Steve Owens Massachussets State Representative]()
Episode 19
Steve Owens (Massachussets State Representative)
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![Tia Tilson Watertown Community Foundation]()
Episode 18
Tia Tilson (Watertown Community Foundation)
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![Julie Fei-Fan Balzer Painter Printmaker Collage Artist]()
Episode 17
Julie Fei-Fan Balzer (Painter/Printmaker/Collage Artist)
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![Darren Farrington Mosesian Center for the Arts]()
Episode 16
Darren Farrington (Mosesian Center for the Arts)
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![Kristen Kenny Artist Arts Organizer]()
Episode 15
Kristen Kenny (Artist / Arts Organizer)
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![Ariel Nathanson Finances for Feminists]()
Episode 14
Ariel Nathanson (Finances for Feminists)
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![Amelia Young Hatch Makerspace]()
Episode 13
Amelia Young (Hatch Makerspace)
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![Liz Padula Artemis Yoga]()
Episode 12
Liz Padula (Artemis Yoga)
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![Andrea Santopietro WCA-TV]()
Episode 11
Andrea Santopietro (WCA-TV)
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![Bob Airasian Real Estate Broker Watertown Business Coalition]()
Episode 10
Bob Airasian (Real Estate Broker / Watertown Business Coalition)
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![Archy LaSalle Activist Photographer]()
Episode 9
Archy LaSalle (Activist / Photographer)
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![Charlie Breitrose Watertown News]()
Episode 8
Charlie Breitrose (Watertown News)
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![Liz Helfer Watertown Public Arts and Culture Planner Sculptor]()
Episode 7
Liz Helfer (Watertown Public Arts and Culture Planner / Sculptor)
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![Nicole Kootz Bright Strings Studio]()
Episode 6
Nicole Kootz (Bright Strings Studio)
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![Allie Fry Watertown Free Public Library]()
Episode 5
Allie Fry (Watertown Free Public Library)
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![Merle Kummer CoLAB]()
Episode 4
Merle Kummer (CoLAB)
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![Gavin Kleespies Gore Place]()
Episode 3
Gavin Kleespies (Gore Place)
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![Jan Taylor Get Lively]()
Episode 2
Jan Taylor (Get Lively)
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![Doug Orifice Arsenal Financial Watertown Business Coalition]()
Episode 1
Doug Orifice (Arsenal Financial / Watertown Business Coalition)
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Watertown Cultural Council & Mass Cultural Council
Hi there!
I’m Matt Hanna, the creator, producer, host, event organizer, driving force of Little Local Conversations. I deeply believe in the power of conversation to connect a community.
I’ve been a Watertown resident since 2010 and I’ve always enjoyed living here. Over the years in the city I’ve gotten married, had a kid, been a stay-at-home parent, sheltered in place, worked, and volunteered and I’ve experienced the city in all the ways those different life stages and points of view have brought me. Through those experiences I started to truly appreciate how wonderfully unique Watertown is and especially how many amazing people have shaped and are shaping the city, in big ways for everyone to see, and in smaller, but no less important ways within smaller communities.
I got to know some of these people at events and other brief encounters, but I wanted to really get to know what made them tick, what experiences had made them the type of people that would take on all these projects and ideas and dreams that they did, and sometimes I just wanted to know more about what exactly it is that they actually do. So I set out to start a podcast to find that all out from the people I had met or had heard about and to share it with anyone who wants to listen so that they can get to know Watertown and its people a little better too.
In the second year of the podcast, I expanded into hosting regular live podcast events. Bringing the community face-to-face for discussion and just some good ol’ in-person connection is now a vital part of the project. Different formats such as the local government updates, arts and culture roundtable episodes, and event highlights have added in lighthearted but informative ways to stay up-to-date with things going on in the city as well. Keep an eye out for even more as I’m always cooking up new ideas.
I hope you’ll join me in discovering how amazing Watertown is! I’m frequently out and about so feel free to come up and say hi if you see me around the city!