Items tagged with 'NYS Writers Institute'
The New York State Writers Institute is getting two large gifts for its future
Many of the walls in the offices of the NYS Writers Institute in the Science Library on UAlbany's uptown campus are covered with posters touting appearances from the history of the visiting writers series. It's a remarkable a list of well-known and notable authors.
The New York State Writers Institute announced this week that it's received two large financial contributions from UAlbany alumni that will allow it to continue and expand its events.
Gregory Maguire -- the author of Wicked, an Albany native, and 1976 UAlbany grad -- is giving the institute $500,000. The The Maguire Family Endowment will support the institute's hosting of writers. And it says the gift will also allow it to grow the Albany Book Festival.
Marc Guggenheim -- a screenwriter, author, co-creator of the TV show Green Arrow, and 1992 UAlbany grad -- has pledged $100,000 to the NYSWI Classic Film Series endowment.
The Writers Institute is one of the area's most prominent and important cultural institutions. And it's been going through some big changes over the past year.
Paul Grondahl took over as director, and with assistant director Mark Koplik they've been working to widen the field of writers brought in as part the popular visiting writers series. The institute staged the first Albany Book Festival, which included a ton of high-profile authors and drew thousands of people. The institute also honored William Kennedy, who founded the institute with money from his MacArthur "genius" grant, for his 90th birthday. It also made day-to-day changes, like launching a new website.
And, as Grondahl told us earlier this year, part of laying the groundwork for these transitions and the future of the institute is finding the funding to keep it all afloat. These gifts sounds like an important step toward that goal.
Earlier: Here's how the NYS Writers Institute gets all those great authors to visit
More Than Words: The Photography of Newsman Bob Paley
Bob Paley was an award-winning photographer for the Knickerbocker News for almost three decades, capturing both historical moments and the little details of everyday life.
There's a new documentary this year about his work: More Than Words: The Photography of Newsman Bob Paley. And the NYS Writers Institute will be showing it at UAlbany November 16. Blurbage:
For more than a decade [Paley] also earned national renown as a stringer for the Time-Life stable of magazines with Times Union colleague, John Maguire. Often with a single photo, he captured the mood, moment and meaning of the forces that rocked mid-20th century America.
In this new documentary, Paley's daughter Mary presents the startling and beautiful images of his singular career.
MORE THAN WORDS (co-directed by Mary Paley and Jon Russell Cring) tells the story of how a small city in upstate New York coped with the powerful forces that were unleashed as America came of age in the years following World War II. The film is truly a newspaper story; a tribute to the tireless crusaders of America's fact-based media.
Mary Paley will be at the screening for a panel discussion following. (You might remember that Mary Paley co-directed The Neighborhood That Disappeared, about the Empire State Plaza.)
It's Friday, November 16 in Page Hall on the downtown campus (135 Western Ave). It's free.
The old Knickerbocker News
The Fulton History trove of old upstate newspapers includes the Knickerbocker News, so you can browse through old pages of the paper and see some of Paley's work. (The image quality is, admittedly, not great.) In just a few minutes, you can come across photos of the Empire State Plaza construction, George Wallace's visit to Albany (and the resulting protests) in 1968, and fun photos of the day.
NYS Writers Institute visiting writers fall 2018
The fall lineup for the NYS Writers Institute visiting writers series is out. And it is again full of high-profile authors, actors, artists, and other creators talking talking about all sorts of topics.
The visiting writers series is in addition to the Albany Book Festival September 28-29 at UAlbany, which has its own stacked lineup of authors.
Here's a scan of the upcoming visiting writers schedule, which starts off the first week of September...
Colson Whitehead is the next New York State Author, Alicia Ostriker the next State Poet
Colson Whitehead and Alicia Ostriker
The next New York State Author will be Colson Whitehead, and the next State Poet will be Alicia Ostriker.
Their selection was announced this week -- and they'll be inaugurated at the opening of the Albany Book Festival at UAlbany Friday, September 28 at 7:30 pm. Both writers will be reading at the event, which is free and open to the public.
Colson Whitehead is, of course, a famous novelist whose most recent work -- The Underground Railroad -- won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize.
Alicia Suskin Ostriker is a poet and poetry critic. Bio blurbage: "Alicia Ostriker, the author of sixteen volumes of poetry, is one of the most acclaimed poets, as well as one of the most influential poetry critics of her generation. Joyce Carol Oates asserts that her 'iconoclastic expression, whether in prose or poetry, is essential to understanding our American selves.' Ostriker's work explores motherhood, womanhood, social justice, Jewish identity and-- in the words of poet Joan Larkin-- 'takes on nothing less than what it feels like to be alive.'"
The first Albany Book Festival will be at UAlbany this fall and the lineup is stacked with notable authors
The lineup includes Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, food writer/Splendid Table host Francis Lam, and Harvard professor Annette Gordon-Reed who won the Pulitzer Prize (and a bunch of other awards) for The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family.
The New York State Writers Institute has the first Albany Book Festival set for September 29 on the UAlbany campus. And holy moly is the lineup stacked.
Among the authors who will be there: Doris Kearns Goodwin, Gregory Maguire, Mark Kurlansky, Francis Lam, Michael W. Twitty, Annette Gordon-Reed, Walter Mosley, Laura Lippman, Khizr Khan. (A fuller lineup is below.)
Festival blurbage:
A message from NYS Writers Institute Director Paul Grondahl:
"The Albany Book Festival is a new initiative for us and we ask you to join us in creating something truly amazing that elevates UAlbany and our capital city for years to come." ...
Bookstores, publishers, literary organizations, and vendors of book-related merchandise will fill numerous display tables and close to 100 local authors will also participate, signing and selling copies of their books.
The book festival will be Saturday, September 29 from 10 am to 4 pm in the new section of the UAlbany campus center on the uptown campus. It's free and open to the public.
NYS Summer Writers Institute 2018
Actor/playwright/essayist Wallace Shawn will be part of a panel discussion titled "Fears & Night Thoughts" with Francine Prose and Binnie Kirschenbaum. / photo: Jared Rodriguez
The New York State Summer Writers Institute has returned to Skidmore for the summer, and that means the a big slate of free public readings for the next the month.
As usual, the lineup is full of names you'll recognize, such as Russell Banks, Claire Messud, Mary Gaitskill, Rick Moody, Robert Pinsky, Joyce Carol Oates, and William Kennedy. The readings are on Skidmore's campus and are free and open to the public.
This year's schedule also includes two weekend panel discussions.
So, let's have a look...
William Kennedy and Hunter S. Thompson
That clip embedded above is William Kennedy talking with Hunter S. Thompson in 1997 when Thompson was in town for the NYS Writers Institute.
It's basically a recall of an exchange of letter between the two when Kennedy was running a new English-language newspaper in Puerto Rico and Thompson applied for a job as a sports editor. At one point there's mention of using a bronze plaque in a rather indelicate way. (Spoiler: They ended up becoming friends.)
More NYSWI videos
The NYS Writers Institute has a huge archive of audio and video from visiting writers, and it's been posting clips to its Youtube channel -- both from recent appearances and from the past.
Earlier: Here's how the NYS Writers Institute gets all those great authors to visit
NYS Writers Institute: Trolley
Check it out: The NYS Writers Institute has started a new online journal called Trolley. It's a magazine of "of essay, opinion, literature, culture, and politics." Further blurbage:
Trolley began with an idea from author William Kennedy, who envisioned an online literary journal published free of charge in which each issue's words and images related to a single theme. Kennedy shared his idea with Writers Institute Director Paul Grondahl, who decided the inaugural issue theme would converge on the issues of truth, fake news, and journalism. Those themes were central to the Institute's two-day "Telling the Truth in a Post-Truth World" symposium held in October, 2017.
The name Trolley was selected as an homage to Kennedy's 1984 collection of his journalism, Riding the Yellow Trolley Car.
The institute has been making a push in recent years to widen the field of writers and work that it highlights via programs such as the very popular visiting writers series. And it'd be great to see this new project extend that effort as it moves forward.
Also: We're kind of hoping there's eventually an issue where the theme itself is trolleys.
Earlier: Here's how the NYS Writers Institute gets all those great authors to visit
Here's how the NYS Writers Institute gets all those great authors to visit
Many of the walls in the offices of the NYS Writers Institute in the Science Library on UAlbany's uptown campus are covered with posters touting appearances from the history of the visiting writers series. It's a remarkable a list of well-known and notable authors.
Each spring and fall the New York State Writers Institute releases the lineup for its visiting writers series and pretty much without fail we have this thought while looking it over: "Holy moly, how'd they manage to get all these people?"
This is an important moment for the institute. It has a new director -- longtime Times Union journalist Paul Grondahl started last year. The great author William Kennedy, who founded the institute with money from his MacArthur "genius" grant, is celebrating his 90th birthday this month. And the institute is facing competition from other orgs for both events and attention.
So we figured this would be an interesting time to drop by the institute on the UAlbany campus to talk about how they put together those impressive lineups -- and what's in store for the future...
NYS Writers Institute visiting writers spring 2018
The spring lineup for the NYS Writers Institute visiting writers series is out. And it is once again jammed with high-profile authors, discussions, and film screenings.
Here's a quick-scan overview of the schedule...
"Telling the Truth in a Post-truth World" series at UAlbany
HuffPost editor in chief (and former TU reporter) Lydia Polgreen is one of the panelists for the symposium. / photo via Lydia Polgreen Facebook
Tucked into the new schedule of fall events for the New York State Writers Institute is mention of a series of events -- including a big gathering at UAlbany's downtown campus October 13-14 -- called "Telling the Truth in a Post-truth World." Blurbage:
What is truth in an era that has been called post-truth?
What does it mean that Oxford Dictionaries declared "post-truth" its international word of the year in 2016? Or that Time magazine recently asked on its cover: "Is Truth Dead?"
The New York State Writers Institute presents a series of events, culminating in a two-day conference featuring acclaimed journalists, authors, historians, and First Amendment scholars, who will share their views on issues including "fake news;" Constitutional protections for a free press; information overload; the shifting roles of social media; hacking and cybersecurity; and more.
The October 13-14 symposium slate includes a bunch of discussions featuring high-profile journalists, media thinkers, and academics. Among them: Lydia Polgreen, Bob Schieffer, Bill Keller, Amy Goodman, Tim Wu, Harry Rosenfeld, Maria Hinojosa, Jeff Jarvis, and Gilbert King.
And October 12, author/journalist/radio host Kurt Andersen will be on the uptown campus for a conversation. Admission for that talk is $30 and includes a copy of Andersen's new book, Fantasyland.
Here's the panel lineup for the symposium...
NYS Writers Institute visiting writers fall 2017
Rapper, comedian, actress -- and UAlbany alum -- Awkwafina opens the new season August 31.
The fall lineup for the NYS Writers Institute visiting writers series is out. And holy moly, is it packed with events featuring high-profile authors, writers, filmmakers, and journalists.
Here's a quick overview of the schedule...
NYS Summer Writers Institute 2017
Former US poet laureate Robert Pinsky is back this summer.
The schedule for this summer's New York State Writers Institute's free public readings series in Saratoga Springs is out.
And, as usual, the lineup is full of names you'll recognize, such as Robert Pinsky, Margo Jefferson, Joyce Carol Oates, Rick Moody, and William Kennedy.
The readings are on Skidmore's campus and are free and open to the public.
Let's have a look...
Paul Grondahl is the next director of the NYS Writers Institute
Paul Grondahl is set to become the director of the New York State Writers Institute at UAlbany, the org announced Friday.
His last day at the Times Union is February 17 -- though he tells Amy Biancolli (in the TU) he'll continue to contribute columns as time allows. He's worked at the paper for more than three decades and for much of that time has been one of this area's premiere journalists. It's the end of an era. A lot of people are going to miss regularly reading his work.
From a NYS Writers Institute press release:
William Kennedy, Founder and Executive Director of the Writers Institute said "Paul is a great choice for director of the Writers Institute for a lot of reasons. Above all, he's a serious writer. He's very savvy about literature and writers, and as a journalist, he's nonpareil - maybe the best we've had in this town in 30 years or more. He's written two well-received biographies of major political figures on our local stage - Teddy Roosevelt, and Erastus Corning, the singular mayor of Albany for 42 years. Paul also got his masters in English at UAlbany and he's covered many of the major writers who have visited the Institute."
It's hard to imagine finding someone better for the job.
The only downside is that Paul Grondahl can't write a profile of Paul Grondahl as leaves the TU.
Earlier: NYS Writers Institute visiting writers spring 2017
photo via Paul Grondahl Twitter
NYS Writers Institute visiting writers spring 2017
The spring lineup for the NYS Writers Institute visiting writers series is out. And is the case each season, it includes notable, award-winning writers and events.
Here's the full lineup, compressed and expanded...
30th anniversary screening of Ironweed with William Kennedy
It looks like the whole film is on Youtube courtesy of Paramount Pictures. It's embedded above.
The NYS Writers Institute's classic film series wraps up its fall season December 9 with a screening of Ironweed at UAlbany. It is, of course, the film adapted from the William Kennedy novel. Kennedy will be at the screening to talk about the story and answer questions ahead of time with Marion Roach.
Film blurbage:
Adapted for the screen by William Kennedy from his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, IRONWEED tells the tale of Francis Phelan, a drifter who returns to his home city of Albany to make peace with a past that haunts him. Filmed at several Albany locations, it brought international attention to the Capital Region and earned Oscar nominations for both Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep.
The event starts Friday, December 9 at 6:30 pm withe Kennedy talk and Q&A. The screening is at 7 pm. It's in Page Hall on the downtown UAlbany campus. It's free.
NYS Writers Institute visiting writers fall 2016
The fall lineup for the NYS Writers Institute visiting writers series is out. And, as usual, it includes notable, award-winning writers and events.
Here's the full lineup, compressed and expanded...
NYS Summer Writers Institute 2016
Margo Jefferson -- whose memoir Negroland won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Autobiography last year -- is one of the authors on this year's schedule. / photo: Michael Lionstar
The schedule for this summer's New York State Writers Institute's free public readings series in Saratoga Springs is out. And as usual, the lineup is full of names you'll recognize, such as Rick Moody, Claire Messud, Robert Pinsky, Joyce Carol Oates, and William Kennedy.
The readings are on Skidmore's campus and are free and open to the public.
Without further ado...
NYS Writers Institute visiting writers spring 2016
The spring lineup for the NYS Writers Institute visiting writers series is out. And, as usual, it's full of notable, award-winning writers and events for which to look ahead.
Here's the full lineup, compressed and expanded...
Mark Bittman at UAlbany this Thursday
Just a reminder that popular food writer Mark Bittman will be at UAlbany Thursday (October 22) as part of the NYS Writers Institute visiting writers series. The event is at 7:30 pm in Page Hall on the downtown campus.
Bittman be talking about his new book A Bone to Pick. Blurbage:
Bittman's latest book complies his most memorable and entertaining New York Times columns into a single volume for the first time. Bittman's columns help readers decipher arcane policy, unpack scientific studies, and scrutinize corporate greed when it comes to defining what "eating well" truly means. A Bone to Pick is an essential resource for every reader eager to understand both the complexities of the American food system and the many opportunities that exist to improve it.
Bittman has written a bunch of cookbooks -- notably, How to Cook Everything. And until recently he had been regularly columnist and writer for the New York Times, in recent years focusing on food policy. This past September he announced he was leaving his regular column at the paper to "take a central role in a year-old food company."
photo via Mark Bittman's website
NYS Writers Institute visiting writers fall 2015
The fall lineup for the NYS Writers Institute visiting writers series is out. And, as usual, it's full of notable, award-winning writers and names you'll recognize.
Here's the full lineup, compressed and expanded...
NYS Summer Writers Institute 2015
Claire Messud is on the authors who's part of this year's series. / photo via Claire Messud FB
This summer's schedule for the New York State Writers Institute's public readings series in Saratoga Springs is out. And as usual, the lineup is full of names you'll recognize, such as Michael Ondaajte, Claire Messud, Joyce Carol Oates, and William Kennedy.
The readings are on Skidmore's campus and are free and open to the public.
Let's get to it...
NYS Writers Institute visiting writers spring 2015
The spring lineup for the NYS Writers Institute visiting writers series is out. And, as we've all come to expect, it includes both authors you'll recognize and authors you'll probably soon recognize.
Here's the full lineup, compressed and expanded...
NYS Writers Institute visiting writers fall 2014
The fall lineup for the NYS Writers Institute visiting writers series is out. And, as usual, it's full of notable, award-winning writers and names you'll recognize.
Here's the full lineup, compressed and expanded...
NYS Writers Institute visiting writers fall 2013
The fall lineup for the NYS Writers Institute visiting writers series is out. And, as we've all come to expect, it's full of notable, award-winning writers and names you'll recognize.
A handful that caught our eye on first pass this time around: Jonathan Lethem, Lydia Davis, Bill Bryson, Roxana Saberi, and William Kennedy.
Here's the full lineup...
Marguerite Holloway and The Measure of Manhattan at the State Museum
Sounds interesting: Marguerite Holloway, author of The Measure of Manhattan, will be at the State Museum Thursday evening as part of the NYS Writers Institute visiting writers series.
The Measure of Manhattan is a biography of John Randel, Jr, an Albany native who laid out the street grid for Manhattan. Blurbage:
Born and raised in Albany, renowned for his brilliance, Randel was also infamous in his own day for eccentricity, egotism, and a knack for making enemies. He was a significant pioneer of the art and science of surveying, as well as an engineer who created surveying devices, designed an early elevated subway, laid out a controversial alternative route for the Erie Canal, and sounded the Hudson River from Albany to New York City in order to make maps and aid navigation. One of the many delights of Holloway's book is that it also reveals, for modern readers, the original landscape of Manhattan in its natural state before it was "tamed" by Randel's grid.
Holloway is a science journalist and heads up the science and environmental journalism program at Columbia.
The talk starts at 8 pm on Thursday (April 11) in the State Museum's Clark Auditorium. It's free.
NYS Writers Institute spring 2013
The spring lineup for the NYS Writers Institute visiting writers series is out. As usual, it's full of notable/interesting/award-winning writers.
A handful of the names that caught our eye on first pass: George Saunders, Marilynne Robinson, Gail Collins, Manil Suri, and Eric Drexler.
Here's the full lineup...
NYS Writers Institute fall 2012
A few of the recent books from a few of the writers on this fall's slate.
The fall lineup for the NYS Writers Institute visiting writers series is out. As usual, it's full of notable/interesting/award-winning writers.
A handful of the names that caught our eye on first pass: Junot Diaz, James Mann, J. M. Coetzee, David Quammen, Steveny Levy, J. Hoberman, and newly-designated State Author Alison Lurie and State Poet Marie Howe.
Here's the full lineup...
... said KGB about Drawing: What's something that brought you joy this year?