Katie DeRosa

We are happy to present the winners of the ‘Milestone’ category in the 2021 Merrimack Valley Magazine Awards.

Foraging — considered Mother Nature’s scavenger hunt — can transform the way you look at everything from your lawn to local hiking trails.

This week on The 495, we’re joined by Marquis Victor, the founding executive director of Elevated Thought, an art and social justice organization based in Lawrence. Mass. He’s also an educator, photographer and poet.

This week, The 495 goes cosmic! We’re joined by Noureddine Melikechi, a member of the Mars Science Laboratory, NASA’s Mars space probe mission. He’s also a physicist, an inventor, an educator, and even an amateur chef.

This week on The 495, we’re joined by artist Paula Estey, owner of Newburyport’s PEG Center for Art & Activism. We’ll discuss how art might help us heal cultural divides

This week on The 495! We’re joined by photographer Karen Jerzyk, whose work was profiled in the January issue of MVM. You can find Jerzyk prints at Hive & Forge in Lowell.

Chocolate fans unite! This week on The 495 we’re talking with yummy food expert and NECC chemistry professor Mike Cross about theobromines, Mayan history, and the time he went undercover as a student to better understand the challenges they face.

Hungry? Join us this week on The 495 as we sit down with restaurateur Caroline Jolliffe, whose just-opened Newburyport restaurant The Joy Nest promises live jazz, boozy cocktails and a classic speakeasy environment.

This week we’ll talk with Kate Cutlip and Jon Santos from Tiny Arms Coffee. Their cafe is set to open at Western Ave. Studios in Lowell. Grab up a cup, sit back and join us live.

Sex. Weed. Revolution. Grilled tuna. Richard Ravin joins us to discuss his wild debut novel, “Nothing to Declare.” Ravin, a Newbury resident, has written for Salon and the San Francisco Examiner, and his work has earned high praise from his fellow writers.

Promotion material for the 2021 Merrimack Valley Magazine Awards.

Rules and regulations for voting in the 2021 Merrimack Valley Magazine Awards.