Featured Contributors

Jeffrey Shapiro was born and raised in Newburgh. In 1981, he graduated from SUNY Albany with a BA in political science and history. In 1984, he received a JD from the Rutgers-Camden School of Law. He spent 12 years in private practice before moving into government law, first as Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Newburgh, and, since 2001, as a senior attorney with the New York State Department of Labor. (The views expressed in Jeff’s review of Three Men in a Room by Seymour Lachman, which appears here, do not reflect those of the Department of Labor or the State of New York.)

Jason Broome operates Diablo Dulce Records, an independent label that champions sounds of the avant-garde, including those of his own bands, Tulula, the Westport Sunrise Sessions, and Gilding the Lily. He tours Europe and the US and writes, records, and produces in the Hudson Valley and beyond. Music from the Diablo Dulce catalog has infected radio playlists around the world and found many a home on film and TV soundtracks. Jason’s musical efforts have also raised money for non-violence advocacy group Wheels of Justice, the Middle East Children’s Alliance, and the Coalition on Homelessness. He is a strong advocate for justice in Palestine and likes to walk his dogs in the woods. He lives in Ellenville. Jason’s review of The Easy Tease’s new CD is here.
During her four-year tenure as a graphic designer and then associate editor with Ulster Publishing’s Kingston Times, Teal Hutton quite literally and eagerly leaped into her adventures as a freelance writer with an assignment for which there were no other takers: a first-person account of a first-timer’s skydive. She lives in Kingston with her two dogs, who enjoy the company of cats, and a cat, who loathes the presence of dogs. Teal recently joined Luminary Publishing’s production department as a graphic designer, and in this issue previews an appearance and book signing by Annie Leibovitz, and an upcoming Albany performance by Savion Glover.
Roy Gumpel has been a photographer for 35 years. He studied at Pratt Institute and School of Visual Arts before taking a job as a fashion photographer’s assistant. Roy began getting his own photo assignments around 1980 and has been shooting a wide range of imagery since, from fashion and portrait work to architecture, still lifes, magazine stories, and annual reports. He is now working on finishing up a short black-and-white film project titled Night of the Living Jews…Not Just Another Hasidic Zombie Movie. Roy is also working on a photo book documenting the Accord Speedway. His photos of seasonal brews appear here.