Speak Out! recent blogs
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By Sparrow 07/06/08
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Pretty Much the Most Important Thing
By Bethany Saltman 06/23/08
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How do I Assess Risks versus Benefits of Treatment Options?- 3
By Puja Thomson 06/16/08
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By Sparrow 05/23/08
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By Sharon Nichols 05/22/08
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Dora Who?: On Raising a Weirdo
By Bethany Saltman 04/25/08
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What is the Sound of No Steps?
By David Aston-Reese 04/21/08
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By Trish Malone 04/04/08
Arts & Culture
Sketches of MonetNo artist epitomizes Impressionism more than Claude Monet. His famous paintings of Paris and the Normandy coast are among painting’s purest celebrations of color and light. | 
Portfolio: Phyllis GalemboGalembo’s latest work presents large-scale color prints of the masquerade, a centuries-old costumed ceremony she witnessed in the African nations of Benin, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria. | 
Disarmed By JazzA world-class player herself, McPartland’s musician’s point of view and calm demeanor easily disarms guests, who play and talk in a manner that would be unlikely in a different setting. |
Dancing to a Different DrummerHis attitude toward dance as an expression of music is a no-no to most European post-moderns, whose emphasis is on conceptual movement over passionate musicality. | 
Days of PlaysNot long after winning her Pulitzer, Parks undertook a project that is bringing her subversive and quirky humor right to the leafy hills of western Massachusetts. | 
Masked AngelSince 1984, Angel’s reverb-laden sound has found its home with six-string kings Los Straitjackets, a quartet whose members, for reasons that remain mysterious, wear Mexican wrestling masks when they perform. |
Lucid Dreaming“Bivouac” takes a witty, somewhat arch approach to art, inventiveness, and imagined survivalism, while “Paths: Real and Imagined” gravitates toward an archetypal/metaphorical reading of its stated theme. | 
Blinded by FrankenscienceThe idea for “Mothers of Invention” began in 2002, after Laura Poe read an article about GMO food “and the crazy, crazy things going on.” | 
The Writing on the WallAs a postwar phenomenon, graffiti parallels the rise of street toughs and gangs. Its present form began in the late sixties, and became known as part of hip hop culture by the mid ‘70s. |
Portfolio: Sarah MecklemSarah Greer Mecklem is an artist whose life and career have always been intricately intertwined with the history and—more importantly—the experience of the Hudson Valley. | 
Shared EnchantmentOn August 24 and 25 from 7 to 11pm (raindate August 26), Arm-of-the-Sea will present its seventh annual “Esopus Creek Puppet Suite” at Tina Chorvas Waterfront Park in Saugerties. | 
Conversation of the BirdsPerhaps science doesn’t take the topic seriously, but David Rothenberg has devoted his career to listening to nature in a musical way. | 
Cassandra in a Party DressMartha Beall Mitchell was known for her coruscating gift of gab. But her unbridled Southern charm barely camouflaged a sly intelligence that was neither expected nor tolerated in Washington wives. |
Food & Drink
Flight to ParisLike something on the Rue Saint Marc in Paris, Brix is decked out in dark woods, a handcrafted zinc bar, Old World-style paintings on the walls, and cozy tables with burgundy linens. | 
Mediterranean OasisThe beauty and distinctiveness of Serevan lies in its historical charm and architectural finesse—living, breathing entities that have been gently cultivated by an Armenian from Tehran, chef and proprietor Serge Madikians. |
Books
The Gospel According to Pinkwater
Daniel Pinkwater’s voice—instantly recognizable to NPR listeners—resonates down the stairwell as he appears, a Hitchcockian silhouette dressed in top-to-toe black with a dusting of pet hair.
Book Review: A Portrait of PiaPia’s story is eminently accessible to young teens. The characters and their dilemmas are drawn with loving detail and the book’s lack of simple resolutions rings of real life. | 
Book Reviews: Way of Water and Welcome to Camden FallsFate, often enough, arrives as a beanball. Down you go, a crumple in the dirt. Then, through the pain and vapors, you see a hissing curveball coming your way. That’s when life gets interesting. | 
Summer Reading Round-up for KidsSusan Krawitz and Nina Shengold offer their picks for picture books, poetry, and young adult titles. |