Hudson Valley Writers Guild Newsletter, April 2016

Steve Berry and his wife, Elizabeth, have traveled the world researching Steve’s many books and saw the effects of dwindling funds dedicated to preserving our heritage. They established the History Matters Foundation to assist communities around the world with historic restoration and preservation. The foundation supports the cost of their travel, and he accepts no appearance fee. They are traveling throughout the month of April, but are kicking off the tour with a pair of events in Albany.

Online ticketing for both events may be found online:

• History Happy Hour – http://conta.cc/1oPaOSB
• Writers Workshop – http://conta.cc/1WRjLFr

Roe Jan Library hosts poetry month open mic April 2 featuring poet Karen Schoemer 
Columbia County poet Karen Schoemer will read from her own work and host an open mic to begin the celebration of poetry month at the Roeliff Jansen Community Library on Saturday, April 2, 5-7 p.m. Schoemer, first place winner of the Hudson Valley Writers Guild 2015 Writing Contest, invites poets and poetry lovers “to share a poem and celebrate their own heritage and poetry’s shared heritage.” Participants can read one or two of their own poems or read poems from a favorite poet.

Karen Schoemer is a poet, author, performer and bookseller. Her poems have appeared in Chronogram, Up the River, Red Barn and Zephyrs. She is the author of Great Pretenders: My Strange Love Affair with ’50s Pop Music (Free Press, 2006), and her music journalism has appeared in many publications, including the New York Times, Rolling Stone and Newsweek. The former book manager for the Spotty Dog in Hudson, she has hosted readings and book events for authors throughout Columbia County and curated Arts Walk Literary for the Columbia County Council on the Arts in 2015. She is the vocalist for the Schoemer Formation, a Catskill-based rock band.

Roeliff Jansen Community Library, which is chartered to serve Ancram, Copake and Hillsdale, is located at 9091 Route 22, approximately one mile south of the light at the Hillsdale intersection of Routes 22 and 23. For information on hours and events, call (518) 325-4101 or visit the library’s website at www.roejanlibrary.org. Follow the library on Twitter: @libraryroe.

Caffè Lena to feature Lisa Wiley and Peter Marcus April 6
On Wednesday, April 6, Caffè Lena will present poetry readings by Lisa Wiley and Peter Marcus. An open reading will follow. Doors open for sign-ups at 7 p.m., and the readings will start at 7:30. The host for the event will be Carol Graser, and the cost is $5. Caffè Lena, 47 Phila Street, Saratoga Springs, (518) 583-0022, www.caffelena.org.

Luncheon and reading with young adult author Linda Miller-Lachman April 9
Friends of the Albany Public Library is proud to sponsor Lyn Miller-Lachman, author of books for young adults, at the “Spring Book & Author Event”:

• Saturday, April 9, 1:30 p.m.
• Albany Public Library, 161 Washington Avenue, Second Floor Meeting Room
• free and open to the Public.

A buffet luncheon will be served at noon at the University Club, 141 Washington Avenue, Albany. Cost for the luncheon: $20. Please RSVP for the luncheon by contacting Gene Damm, (518) 482-7675, or by email gdamm@nycap.rr.com.

Arthur’s poetry open mic to feature Kelly de la Rocha April 13
The next “Arthur’s Poetry Open-Mic and Featured Reader” will be Wednesday, April 13. Here are the details:

• Featured poet: Kelly de la Rocha / Kelly’s quest to help others has lead her to Guatamala; Biloxi, Mississippi​; and​ the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains​, ​as well as close to home, including Schenectady Inner City Ministry’s food pantry. Many of the people she has met while volunteering color her work. Kelly’s love of nature also winds through her poetry​,​ ​which has​ been featured in multiple print and e-publications. She lives with her husband and two children in Glenville​, NY​.
• 7 p.m. sign-up for open mic; 7:30 readings begin
• Hosted by Catherine Norr
• Arthur’s Market & Cafe, 35 N. Ferry Street, Schenectady, NY 12305

Writers Workshop at Tech Valley Center of Gravity announces new schedule starting April 14

• Writers Workshop at Tech Valley Center of Gravity, 30 3rd Street, Troy, NY 12180 (Corner of Broadway)
• Join us more frequently and on our new night: alternating Thursdays
• Upcoming dates: Thursdays, April 14 and 28, 6-9 p.m.
• The schedule:
  • 6-6:30 — Bring fun, healthy food and/or a beverage to share
  • 6:30-8:30 — Co-writing; quiet, focused time (bring ear plugs/buds, etc. if they help you focus)
  • 8:30-9 — Share and respond session, optional.
• Sharing Rules:
  • If you stay at 8:30, stay focused until 9
  • 3-4 sharers, chosen by the evening coordinator
  • Share from what you write at the workshop
  • Be excellent to others as you listen and respond
• Free for TVCOG and TVGS members; $5/session for others.
• Email rhonda@reworkediting.com for info and to RSVP

Public History Conference April 15-17: The Underground Railroad and American Identities
You are invited to “The Underground Railroad and American Identities.” Mark your calendars and plan to attend April 15-17. This 15th annual Public History Conference, organized by Underground Railroad History Project of the Capital Region, Inc., offers an ala carte selection of workshops, cultural performance, art exhibit, bus tour and receptions designed for young and mature alike.

Racism in America: Where do we go from here?” begins conference proceedings on Friday, April 15. This will be followed by “Moving Between: Intersectional Identities in the Struggle for Justice.” Panelist Ms. Barbara Smith, civil rights activist, scholar and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, will join Ms. Angelica Clarke, executive director of the Social Justice Center in Albany and a leader in the Capital Region’s civil rights activities, to address movements past and present and how embracing a multi-issued approach deepens the impact and effectiveness of our political work. Dr. Janell Hobson, graduate director of Women’s Studies at University at Albany, will moderate.

Saturday topics include

• “Adapting to the Promised Land: Freedom Seekers in Canada”
• “Pivotal Events in the Struggle for Freedom”
• “History Mystery – play it again SharpMinds competition”
• “Disability and Slavery in the Antebellum South”
• “Lott Cary and His Forgotten Legacy”
• and much more.

Featured artists Marcus Kwame Anderson and Daesha Devón Harris will exhibit their work. The Young Abolitionists and the ‘Hutchinson’s Cousins’ will provide engaging, interactive cultural performances. Vendors, exhibitors and delectable culinary fare will round out the experience.

Sunday hosts a bus tour of AfroDutch heritage sites in the Capital Region. As part of the Mapping Slavery Project, initiated in the Netherlands and recently expanded to include New York State’s Hudson River Valley, tour operator and researcher Jennifer Tosch will lead this enriching experience to uncover the voices and stories of the AfroDutch residents who made the Hudson River Valley their home under Dutch colonial rule.

“The Underground Railroad and America Identities” will be hosted by Russell Sage College in Troy, New York.  Co-sponsors include Russell Sage College, New York Council for the Humanities and Rensselaer County Historical Society. Full details are available at www.UndergroundRailroadHistory.org/conference or by calling (518) 432-4432 and requesting a paper registration brochure.

Third Thursday to feature poet Tina Barry April 21
Poet Tina Barry will read from her work at the Social Justice Center, 33 Central Avenue, Albany, on Thursday, April 21 at 7:30 p.m.

Tina Barry’s poems and short stories have appeared in numerous literary magazines and anthologies, including Drunken Boat, Elimae, The NewerYork, Lost in Thought, Flash-Frontier, Boston Literary Magazine and Exposure, an Anthology of Micro-fiction. Mall Flower (Big Table Publishing) is her first book of poems and short fiction. Two poems in Mall Flower were nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and one prose piece was a winner in “The Best Short Fiction 2016” (Queens Ferry Press). A long-time Brooklynite, Barry now lives in upstate New York.

A reading by a local or regional poet is held each Third Thursday at the Social Justice Center. The event includes an open mic for audience members to read. Sign-up starts at 7 p.m., with the reading beginning at 7:30. The host of the readings is Albany poet and photographer Dan Wilcox. The suggested donation is $3, which helps support this and other poetry programs of the Poetry Motel Foundation and the work of the Social Justice Center. For more information about this event, contact Dan Wilcox, (518) 482-0262; e-mail: dwlcx@earthlink.net.

Cara Benson leads “Playing on the Page” poetry workshop at Roe Jan Library April 23
Poet Cara Benson will lead a poetry workshop, “Playing on the Page,” as a part of Roeliff Jansen Community Library’s Poetry Month celebration. The workshop is open to beginning and experienced poets, and it will run from 1-4 p.m., Saturday, April 23. Cara Benson says, “Let’s have some fun with language. We’ll pour it all out, then play with where the words go. Never made a poem before? Not sure what one is? Jump in—the water’s fine! Been loving poetry for decades? You’ll fit right in, too. We’ll read, write, talk and respond to each other’s work with kind attention. We’ll come away with a few new poems.”

Benson is a writer of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, essays and reviews. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Boston Review and Best American Poetry. She is a recipient of a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Literature. She teaches creative writing in the graduate program at Prescott College and takes on students and clients one-on-one privately — or through Grub Street as a manuscript consultant.

The workshop fee is $15, and pre-registration is required. Some scholarships are available. Call the library at (518) 325-4101 to inquire about waiver of fee or to register.

Roeliff Jansen Community Library, which is chartered to serve Ancram, Copake and Hillsdale, is located at 9091 Route 22, approximately one mile south of the light at the Hillsdale intersection of Routes 22 and 23. For information on hours and events, call (518) 325-4101 or visit the library’s website at www.roejanlibrary.org. Follow the library on Twitter: @libraryroe.

On April 24 “Meet the Authors,” WIM’s Third Annual Catskills Book Festival
Writers in the Mountains (WIM) invites you to a literary arts and community event and celebration we call “Meet the Authors,” the third in our series of annual book festivals. This year the event takes place on Sunday, April 24, from noon to 4 p.m. at the Union Grove Distillery in Arkville, NY, an exciting new enterprise in the area. Union Grove is housed in a big old barn-like building featuring comfortable spaces fitted with stainless steel and copper and wood, a roaring fireplace and the percolation of fine spirits — all making for a perfect environment in which to listen to, talk about and think about books and writing.

The daylong event welcomes all writers and readers, artists and audience and community members from every walk to brave the mud and chill of early spring and enjoy a warm gathering of successful and fascinating writers, illustrators, editors, educators, booksellers and publishers from Syracuse to New York City and points between and beyond. This year’s keynote speaker is Rosie Schaap, author of the celebrated memoir Drinking with Men, as well as the “Drink” column for The New York Times magazine. Rosie has been a bartender, a fortuneteller, a librarian at a paranormal society, an English teacher, an editor, a preacher, a community organizer and a manager of homeless shelters.

Come by to shop for books directly from their authors, hear readings and peer-to-peer discussions, join in an enticing raffle (books are the prize, of course) and vote in the “Best Book Cover Contest.”

The program is as follows:

• 12:30 — Poetry reading led by poet Sharon Israel.
• 1:30 — Group discussion on the latest news and trends in publishing.
  • Leslie T. Sharpe, a retired professor from Columbia University who also worked for Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and teaches for Writers in the Mountains and MediaBistro.com, will talk about traditional publishing.
  • Writer and consultant Simona David will touch on independent publishing.
  • Poet, painter and educator Anique Taylor will address getting published in literary journals.
  • Lillian Browne, editor-in-chief of The Reporter and editor of the Catskill Country Magazine, will share thoughts about her experience with the news media and travel magazine publishing.
• 2 p.m. — Rosie Schaap will deliver the keynote address.
• 2:30 — Carrie Bradley Neves, writer, musician, and editor (with a specialization in cookbooks), will talk about new ingredients in the cookbook scene during the “foodie” era. Other illustrated book authors will be in the spotlight.
• 3:30 — The raffle, with a prize of 10 selected book titles, will be awarded (come early, tickets are limited!), and the winner of the Best Cover Contest will be announced.

Throughout the day, participating authors will read from their works and share their stories with the audience. Admission is free. For more information, visitwritersinthemountains.org or e-mail writersinthemountains@gmail.com. Writers in the Mountains is a 501 (c) (3) not-for–profit organization with a mission to provide a nurturing environment for the practice, appreciation, and sharing of creative writing.

Sequestrum writing award deadline April 30
A note from the editors at Sequestrum: “We’re all writers at Sequestrum and respect the vital role local and regional organizations play for writers in all stages of their careers. We’d appreciate if you could pass this note along to any writers who might be interested in contributing to the journal. Deadline: April 30 – Editor’s Reprint Award (2016-Spring-Issue-6). Submissions will close on April 30 for the second annual Editor’s Reprint Award, in which $200 will be awarded to one piece of previously-published fiction or nonfiction (plus runner-up prizes). Winners and finalists last year included writing from literary giants, such as The Atlantic and Tin House, as well as work from smaller presses, defunct journals and everything in-between. Simultaneous and multiple submissions allowed. The Reprint Award is a chance for writers to nominate their own work for a second breath of life – a rare thing today. Editor’s Reprint Award guidelines are here: http://www.sequestrum.org/contests. Find publications, send submissions, and keep updated on everything we’re doing at www.sequestrum.org. Onward, Sequestrum.”

Announcing the 2016 Fence Show Call for Entries
The Arts Center of the Capital Region is pleased to announce the call for entries for the 2016 Fence Show, our annual members’ exhibition. All members of The Arts Center of the Capital Region are invited to enter and be a part of the tradition of our largest and longest running exhibition.

The Fence Show is an annual opportunity for all Arts Center members to display their artwork in our galleries. Works include paintings, drawing, photography, fiber arts, stained glass and sculpture. There is a separate category that welcomes submissions from young artists in grades K-12. Now in its 51st year, the Fence Show got its name when members’ artwork was exhibited on the iron fence surrounding Washington Park in Troy, the original location of the Arts Center. Today, the exhibition typically features approximately 500 pieces, displayed salon style (floor-to-ceiling) in our galleries. All levels of skill and ability are represented, from novice to professional.

Artwork drop-off will be from May 1-4. For more information about the exhibit and drop-off dates, visit artscenteronline.org/fence-show.

Roe Jan Library hosts short-prose open mic May 14
Fiction, non-fiction and memoir writers are invited to read their work at a short-prose open mic at Roeliff Jansen Community Library on Saturday, May 14, 4-6 p.m. Non-writers and writers who do not choose to read are invited to enjoy and be inspired by the work of local talent. Writers must keep readings to a maximum of seven minutes in length. No pre-registration is necessary. For further information, contact Regina Colangelo at reginac18@verizon.net or (914) 954-3494.

Roeliff Jansen Community Library, which is chartered to serve Ancram, Copake and Hillsdale, is located at 9091 Route 22, approximately one mile south of the light at the Hillsdale intersection of Routes 22 and 23. For information on hours and events, call (518) 325-4101 or visit the library’s website at www.roejanlibrary.org. Follow the library on Twitter: @libraryroe.