On April 1oth, I was interviewed by Radio Woodstock's Jimmy Buff for a local TV show called Kingston Now, which aired on Regional News Network on April 24th. Kingston Now is filmed at 21Seven Media in Kingston.
While I was waiting in the rec room at 21Seven Media, a man walked in and complained about missing half and half in his coffee. Then he asked me if I knew where Jeremy went. I told him I was just waiting to be interviewed for the Kingston Now show. Turns out this friendly gentleman was Richard Remsnyder, the director of Ulster County Tourism. Well, of course, I introduced myself. It was nice to meet you Richard!
Soon, Jimmy Buff walked over to the kitchen area, and motioned me to follow him. This guy can do this in his sleep! He was very nice, just as he is on Radio Woodstock. We spoke for a few minutes before the camera rolled, told me the gist of what he wanted to know about Hudson Valley Good Stuff, and then we rolled! I was a bit nervous, but the coffee shop set helped make me a bit more comfortable. I just tried to imagine that I was just having coffee with the charming Jimmy Buff and the cameras weren't there. (It was not that hard to do!) I was relieved when he told me the interview was only going to last 6 minutes. What could go wrong in 6 minutes? You can follow Kingston Now's YouTube channel to find out what's happening in the Hudson Valley.
Cocktail Party on Friday night at Photosensualis in Woodstock
Mystery writer Arlene Kay and Meg Dellay
Enjoy yummy appetizers from Bistro to Go
Lodro Rinzler and Meggan Watterson have a chuckle
Authors and festival go-ers mingle at Photosensualis
Philippe Petit signs copies of his book "Why Knot?"
A good knot can save your life!
"Wild" by Cheryl Strayed
Joe Donahue and Jackie from the Golden Notebook
Martha Frankel introduces Cheryl Strayed, author of "Wild" and Joe Donahue
Historical Fiction books for sale
Readers buying and browsing
Historical fiction panel signing books
Abbe Aronson, WWF publicity directory schmoozes
Memoir a Go-Go panel
As I sat in the Kleinert/James Art Center waiting for the Woodstock Writers Festival's Historical Fiction panel to start, a woman sitting next to me complained to her friend sitting in the row behind us.
"I'm feeling so tired. I just couldn't sleep last night. I find myself..just too...I don't know too inspired. I couldn't settle down when I came home from last night's panel," she told her friend. The WWF does have a way of energizing you. The weekend blew by me. Here are a few highlights and advice from esteemed authors.
Philippe Petit, author of "Why Knot?" captivated the Woodstock audience with his self-depricating humor, French accent and passion for knots. Joe Donahue, who I have heard on the WAMC radio, but never seen in person, gave a fantastic juicy interview with Cheryl Strayed, author of "Wild" and "Tiny Beautiful Things" and there were a few serious good laughs. Advice gleened from this discussion:
You have to write what you must write!
Own your place in the world and write into it.
Cheryl Strayed says she writes "fearlessy, open-heartedly, with abandonment, and without seeking approval"
Although I don't read or write fiction, I did enjoy the Historical Fiction panel: Charley Rosen, Ann Hood, Tad Richards, and Carey Harrison).
"Don't overburden yourself with too much research. The flight of your imagination won't take off with too much baggage," says Carey Herrison.
"It's what we don't know about our past that makes us write"
I didn't go to the story slam on Thursday night or the breakfast with Abigail Thomas and Bar Scott like I did last year, but I did go to the Friday night cocktail party at Photosensualis, and had fun talking to Fabulous Furniture's Steve Heller, mystery writer Arlene Kay, and met a few Hudson Valley Good Stuff followers too.
If you missed the Woodstock Writers Festival, you can catch all the panels via Webcast via WoodstockWritersFestival.com. It's well worth the small fee to listen to these engaging discussions. I can't wait until the next Woodstock Writers Festival!
High-wire walker Philippe Petit, author of "Why Knot?" and Martha Frankel in front of The Golden Notebook bookstore in Woodstock, NY
Philippe Petit at The Golden Notebook in Woodstock
The 4th Annual Woodstock Writers Festival will take place on April 18th-21st, and Martha Frankel, its executive director is breathless, busy, and glowing. When I ask her what is the greatest challenge with the WWF, she shrugs and smiles at me. "I don't know. I'm in such a good mood today!" Since I moved to Woodstock in 2003, I have known about celebrity writer and author Martha Frankel, and seen her around town at Bread Alone, restaurants, on Twitter, but it feels satisfying to finally sit down and meet her in person at Joshua's Cafe on a Sunday afternoon to talk about the WWF.
I'm aslo excited because I'm going to meet Philippe Petit, the French tight-rope walker, who famously went for a high-wire walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center on August 7, 1974. (In the documentary Man on Wire, Petit recounts his impossible coup. I have wanted to meet him since finding out that he lives in the area, and then seeing Man on Wire). The movie will inspire and amaze you. I highly recommend it. Petit is going to be discussing his soon-to-be released book "Why Knot?" at the WWF, teaching festival go-ers how to tie knots.
"I’m thrilled about Philippe!" says Frankel. When she found out that her friend Philippe Petit was coming out with a book ("Why Knot?") on April 17, she asked him if he would like to be the opening keynote speaker for the festival. He said yes, but insisted that Martha
Frankel be his conversation moderator. "He doesn't need me. He is so charasmatic! His new book is about knots, but it is about knots like Moby Dick is about fishing, you know. It is more than that. He is going to be teaching
people how to tie knots, and our joke is that I wear sneakers with no laces, and boots that have zippers on them. Philippe swears that by the end of the night, I will be able to tie my shoelaces," says Frankel.
For the first time, the Woodstock Writers Festival will be available via webcasting this year so you can attend virtually from anywhere in the world. The roster of speakers has shrunk from the 52 writers she had last year, and this pleases Frankel. "One of the things we are learning is how many people we can
actually have. This year we have 36 is a nice number," says Frankel, who directs the coordination of guest lodging and dining.
I ask her "What don't people know about the WWF?"
"That it is for readers. It is not for writers. If I had
to do it all over, I would rename it the Woodstock Readers Festival. People say to me sometimes, 'I’m not coming, I’m not a
writer.' If you’re a reader and almost everybody is, you'll to get to meet an author
that wrote a book that changed your life at a lecture. We are also having these cocktail parties (at Photosensualsis Art Gallery) on Friday and Saturday that you can buy tickets to," says Frankel.
What else should readers (and writers) check out? There will be writing workshops which will tend to sell out quickly that are taking place at beautiful homes in the Woodstock area thanks to residents graciously offering their homes for this occasion. There will be exciting new panels including a Comedy panel, ("Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Woodstock") with staff writers from Letterman, The Colbert Show, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon discussing comedy writing from 2:00-3:330pm on Saturday, April 20th. "The best comedy happening right now is happening at 11:30 pm,"says Frankel.
There is the Spirituality panel, with Elizabeth Lesser, Lodro Rinzler, and Meggan Watterson discussing spiritual writing and consciousness. The Memoir-a-Go-Go panel, which I always look forward to will have Andre Dubus III, Christa Parravani, and James Lasdun. Cheryl Strayed, author of the memoir "Wild", which was Oprah's 2.0 pick and "Tiny Beautiful Things" will be talking with WAMC's Joe Donahue moderating on April 20th at 7:30pm. Priscilla Gilman, author of "The Anti-Romantic Child" and former poetry professor at Yale and Vassar will be moderating the Poetry Panel with Eamon Grennan and Maureen N. McLane at 4:00 pm on April 20th.
As I was finishing my interview at Joshua's Cafe in Woodstock, Frankel and I left to meet Philippe Petit at The Golden Notebook at 3:30pm. (Petit is very punctual, and has an extraordinary attention to detail as you can imagine!). He was at The Golden Notebook at 3:30pm sharp. I was a bit starstruck when I met him. As Frankel says about being his friend, "Just thinking that he is the man who did THAT!" It just blows my mind. I had to get over my jitters for the photo opportunity. Petit wanted to make sure I had the optimal lighting for my photos, and studied me carefully as I fumbled with my iPhone and camera. (I hope he is satisfied with the photos).
I can't wait to see him give the keynote presentation at the Woodstock Writers Festival on Friday, April 19th. Tickets are still available at this time. Visit WoodstockWriters.com to see the entire schedule of events, buy tickets, and purchase your Webcasting picks. Happy reading, writing & revelry as the WWF slogan goes!
