Sarah Laduke

The Roeliff-Jansen Community Library in Hillsdale, New York - and serving Hillsdale and its surrounding communities of Ancram and Copake - is currently home to 15 stunning collage portraits of suffragists created by artist Lynne Perrella.

The Hills of California,” a new play by Jez Butterworth and directed by Sam Mendes, is running on Broadway at The Broadhurst Theatre through December 22.

Empire Training Center for the Arts is a new vocational venture operating out of The Chance Theatre on Main Street in Poughkeepsie, New York.Married co-founders Trish Santini and Frank Butler have drawn on decades of combined arts administration and stagecraft experience to develop a brand-new training blueprint for individuals interested in working in the performing arts from the production side - without attending traditional, and often costly, university programs.

This Sunday, December 8, The Albany Symphony Orchestra will perform its annual holiday celebration “The Magic of Christmas.” The Palace Theatre will be filled with festive holiday music, family fun, and special guests. Later this month, on December 21 and 22, The ASO will perform a world premiere guitar concerto by Nicky Sohn – along with holiday music by Mozart and Vivaldi.

“Yiddish: A Global Culture” is an acclaimed and original permanent exhibition at The Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Massachusetts. It opened in Fall of 2023. The exhibition features hundreds of rare objects, family heirlooms, photographs, music, and videos that illuminate the expansive story of modern Yiddish cultural reach.Lisa Newman is director of publishing and public programs at The Yiddish Book Center. David Mazower is the center’s research bibliographer and editorial director - and is the chief curator and writer of “Yiddish: A Global Culture.”

This week's Book Picks come from Cheryl McKeon from The Book House in Albany, New York and Lily Bartels from Open Door Bookstore in Schenectady, New York.

Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, Massachusetts is the most comprehensively interpreted Shaker site in the world and is the oldest working farm in the Berkshires. The village’s offerings include educational presentations, Baby Animals in the Spring, gallery installations, live performances, and more - including the annual December celebration “Radiant Nights.”Created by artist Joe Wheaton, “Radiant Nights” pairs light projection mapping and music to create a whole new vision of the village and its historic structures.Carrie Holland is Director of Hancock Shaker Village and she joins us to tell us more - along with artist Joe Wheaton.

Will Hermes has been writing about music and culture for nearly 40 years. He writes for Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Pitchfork, and Uncut. He’s a contributor to NPR’s Morning Edition and All Things Considered and he’s the author of “Love Goes To Buildings On Fire: Five Years in New York That Changed Music Forever” and “Lou Reed: The King of New York.” This year, he launched a Substack e-newsletter. Will's 2024 Playlist on Spotify.

A self-described recovering perfectionist, Dr. Shai Butler, author of "Better. Not Perfect-From Hot Mess To Life Success" is leading a movement of women who are learning to give the same grace to themselves that they so freely give to others.

Nadira Simmons is a writer and digital content creator committed to preserving Black history, hip-hop history, and pop culture and finding new ways to tell stories on TV and the internet. She created “The Gumbo, an innovative space in media for the creative excellence and activism of Black women in hip-hop and a safe haven free of politics.Her book “First Things First: Hip-Hop Ladies Who Changed the Game,” published by Twelve, is a celebration of the achievements of women in hip-hop who broke down barriers and broke the mold.