Arts

Poet Merrill Douglas talks about her work on the latest Off the Page

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Off The Page from WSKG · Off The Page – Poet Merrill Douglas

Merrill Douglas is a freelance editor and a poet. Her poems are ‘beautifully gritty,’ and explore the realities of life in ways that are both just a little bit icky, but also capture the life in the smallest detail. Her poems have appeared in the Baltimore Review, Tar River Poetry, Stone Canoe and more. Her chapbook, published by Finishing Line Press, is called Parking Meters Into Mermaids. Merrill joins host Crystal Sarakas to talk about her writing process and to read some of her work.

books

What stories are your students telling? Share with WSKG Youth Voices.

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How do your students tell their stories? Whether they’re writing or recording we want to know – and help spread their messages! Registration is open for local students to enter original work to WSKG’s Youth Voices programs. Deadline to enter for all three contests is 5/27/22. Click on the projects below for more information. Rod Serling Film Festival | Open to K-12 students across the U.S.!

Uncategorized

A story of addiction, recovery and songwriting in Mary Gauthier’s “Saved By A Song”

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Off The Page from WSKG · Off the Page – Mary Gauthier

Mary Gauthier was twelve years old when she was given her Aunt Jenny’s old guitar and taught herself to play with a Mel Bay basic guitar workbook. Music offered her a window to a world where others felt the way she did. Songs became lifelines to her, and she longed to write her own, one day. Then, for a decade, while struggling with addiction, Gauthier put her dream away and her call to songwriting faded. It wasn’t until she got sober and went to an open mic with a friend did she realize that she not only still wanted to write songs, she needed to.

Uncategorized

Jurassic Park meets Dungeons and Dragons in Carrie Vaughn’s Questland

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When an eccentric billionaire loses control of his island resort-slash-theme park, literature professor Addie Cox is an unlikely choice to help fix the situation. But it’s no ordinary theme park: this is pure wizardry come to life, with unicorns, talking rabbits – and murder. The book is called Questland, a mad mashup of Jurassic Park and Dungeons and Dragons. Bestselling author Carrie Vaughn nerds out with host Crystal Sarakas about all things geek on the latest episode of Off the Page.

Books

Local Young Writers Honored

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Thank you to all of the young writers who shared work with us during the 2021 Student Writing Challenge. Congratulations to the following students who are receiving honors. You can watch our awards ceremony here. Materials for the 2022 contest are available here! FICTION

Best Fiction, Grades K-1
‘Look Where Your Keys Go’ by Audriann G., Vestal, NY

Best Fiction, Grades 2-3
‘My Fractured Fairy Tale’ by Cameron W., Vestal, NY

Best Fiction, Grades 4-5
‘Haunted Manor’ by Grayden E., Conklin, NY

Best Fiction, Grades 6-8
‘The Discontented Man’ by Heyan C., Vestal, NY

Best Fiction, Grades 9-12
‘The Siege of the Sea’ by Daisy D., Binghamton, NY

Honorable Mention, Grades 9-12
‘Heaven or Hell, that is the Question’ by Emma P., Owego, NY 

PERSONAL ESSAY/NON-FICTION

Best Personal Essay/Non-Fiction, Grades K-1
‘About Children’ by Zelda S., Vestal, NY

Best Personal Essay/Non-Fiction, Grades 2-3
‘Wolf Connection’ by Amina S., Binghamton, NY

Honorable Mention, Grades 2-3
‘Personal Narrative’ by Zoey R., Lodi, NY

Best Personal Essay/Non-Fiction, Grades 4-5
‘The Cat and the Coconut’ by Maya S., Vestal, NY

Best Personal Essay/Non-Fiction, Grades 9-12
‘Screaming for Those that Can’t’ by Erin R., Binghamton, NY

POETRY

Best Poetry, Grades 2-3
‘Art’ by Moussia S., Vestal, NY

Honorable Mention, Grades 2-3
‘Ducks’ by Shterny C., Vestal, NY

Best Poetry, Grades 4-5
‘Freedom’ by Mushky C., Vestal, NY

Honorable Mention, Grades 4-5
‘Death Poem’ by Aviva K., Vestal, NY

Best Poetry, Grades 6-8
‘The Wall’ by Faris S., Vestal, NY

Best Poetry, Grades 9-12
‘Real-ationship’ by Lily B., Binghamton, NY

Honorable Mention, Grades 9-12
‘Women’ by Lydia C., Apalachin, NY

TEXT WITH VISUALS
(GRAPHIC NOVEL, ILLUSTRATED WORK, PICTURE BOOK)

Best Text with Visuals, Grades K-1
‘How to Brush Your Teeth’ by Anastasia G., Binghamton, NY

Best Text with Visuals, Grades 4-5
‘The Lone Hero’ by Bilal K., Vestal, NY

Best Text with Visuals, Grades 6-8
‘The Queen Called Evil’ by Imogen K. and Hannah J., Binghamton, NY

Thank you to Mary Ann Karre, Lonna Pierce, Sarah Reid, Sara-Jo Sites, Sandy Stiles, the George F. Johnson Memorial Library, Jenny Gordon, Rachel Rissberger, Nikki Waskie-Laura, the School Librarian Association of the Southern Tier EAST, and the WSKG Education Advisory Committee.

Arts

Pop-Up Bookstores Become Indie Lit’s Guide To Survival

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ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – The rise of big-box bookstore chains like Barnes & Noble, Borders, and Waldenbooks battered independent bookstores in the 1990s. Indies have since been rendered an endangered species by Amazon. Most that remain, at least in the city, specialize in used books, first editions, and hard-to-find titles. CLICK HERE.

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events

Sarah Vowell Speaker Series Live-stream

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Acclaimed author to offer her unique take on changing literary and information landscape on eve of National Library Week. PBS Books and U-M Penny Stamps Speaker Series present the livestream Thursday, April 4, at 5:10 p.m.

Education

For the Love of Lit: Free Virtual Professional Learning Series for Teachers

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Teachers! Join us as we bring the Great American Read to your classroom. 

This four-part virtual professional learning series is designed for English Language Arts teachers, created FOR educators BY educators. With an emphasis on fun, engaging, accessible, and free tools for classrooms, this series will highlight techniques for engaging learners through essential communication skills, and present ideas for enhancing teaching practice through activities, projects, passion, and a connection to literature. PBS will provide a certificate of attendance for each one hour virtual professional learning event. For the Love of Lit: Inspiring Young Authors, with NaNoWriMo founder Chris Baty
October 17 @ 7-8pm ET

Designed by educators, this virtual professional learning experience will introduce a number of teaching models and strategies to enhance your practice. How can you inspire your students to be passionate writers and engaged readers?

Books
amy dickinson

Celebrate ‘The Great American Read’ with Amy Dickinson in Owego, NY

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You’re invited to a special event celebrating the hit PBS series The Great American Read! Amy Dickinson

Join us on Wednesday, October 10th for a one-hour screening of upcoming episode ‘Other Worlds’, mingle with literary-minded guests, and hear remarks from author and Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me panelist Amy Dickinson. Partner organizations including Riverow Bookshop, Tioga Arts Council, Family Reading Partnership of Owego-Apalachin, and School Librarians of the Southern Tier East. This event takes place at Ti-Ahwaga Performing Arts Center, 42 Delphine Street Owego, NY. Doors open at 6:00pm.

#GreatReadPBS

‘The Great American Read’ Comes to the Sherburne Public Library

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Join WSKG at the Sherburne Public Library on Thursday, August 23, 2018 for a special screening of The Great American read. Vote on-site for your favorite book, enjoy the library’s collections, and help yourself to refreshments. The library is located at 2 East State Street Sherburne, NY, and the event beings at 6:00pm. https://youtu.be/MRCF_qIPvnM

#GreatReadPBS

 

 

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news

Summer Reads 2018

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To celebrate summer’s splendor, we share our summer reading list. This is a collection of books you can sink into, spend some extra time with, pages and passages waiting to be pored over unhurriedly. These are stories and topics meant to savor.

books

Two Months Left to Enter Local PBS KIDS Writers Contest

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This contest is designed to promote the advancement of children’s reading skills through hands-on, active learning. It encourages children in grades K-3 in communities across the country to celebrate the power of creating stories and illustrations by submitting their own original pieces.  The contest extends the powerful tradition and annual success of the national “Reading Rainbow Young Writers and Illustrators Contest.” In 2014, the WSKG Youth Writers Contest launched in an effort to offer older students a unique writing opportunity, too!  This local contest is open to students in grades 4, 5, and 6. PBS KIDS Writers Contest (K-3) Entry Form
PBS KIDS Writers Contest K-3 Rules
WSKG Youth Writers Contest Entry Form & Rules

Submissions must be postmarked by April 30, 2018 and mailed to:

PBS Kids Writers Contest
c/o WSKG Public Media
Attn: J. Stapleton-Durham
601 Gates Road
Vestal, New York 13850

Questions ? Contact jstapleton@wskg.org

Arts

Peter Burford's 'Wines of the Finger Lakes' Tells the Story of the Local Wine Industry

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Peter Burford’s book ‘Wines of the Finger Lakes’ is a treasure trove of information about this major industry. It tells of the industry’s unlikely beginnings when an Episcopal clergyman took a charge in Hammondsport and was unable to find a source for sacramental wine.  We hear about the meaning of ‘terroir’ and why the terroir of the Finger Lakes is especially welcoming to viticulture, and how the industry survived Prohibition. https://wskg.org/audio/winesmix.mp3

 

 

Photo credit: Finger Lakes Grape Program via Flickr

Arts

Author Therese Walsh Talks About The Writing Craft (Don't Underestimate The Importance Of Coffee)

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Therese Walsh is the author of The Moon Sisters, The Last Will of Moira Leahy, and the forthcoming Author In Progress. She’s also the co-founder of WRITER UNBOXED, a website focusing on the craft and business of writing fiction. She spoke with Crystal Sarakas about writing rituals, the relationship between writers and their readers, and who inspires her.  

Photo by Rachel Burdick

 

Arts

'Tumbling Turner Sisters' Author Reads From Her Book Thursday Night In Binghamton

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Juliette Fay is the author of four novels, including the recently released novel The Tumbling Turner Sisters:
In 1919, the Turner sisters and their parents are barely scraping by. Their father is a low-paid boot-stitcher in Johnson City, New York, and the family is always one paycheck away from eviction. When their father’s hand is crushed and he can no longer work, their irrepressible mother decides that the vaudeville stage is their best—and only—chance for survival. With so much at stake, teenagers Gert, Winnie, and Kit, and recent widow Nell take to the road, and soon find a new kind of freedom in the company of performers who are as diverse as their acts. There is a seamier side to the business, however, and the young women face dangers and turns of fate they never could have anticipated.

Arts

For Your To-Read List: New Books By Fantasy Author Joshua Palmatier

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Joshua Palmatier is the author of several fantasy novels, and the co-founder of the small press Zombies Need Brains. He’s also about to have a very busy summer, with several books being released over the next couple of weeks, and another Kickstarter happening in August to fund three new anthologies from his small press. Erenthrall is a city powered by the mystical ley lines that thread through the world.  The ley is used to light the streets, heat homes, and power the transportation throughout the city and to the rest of the world beyond.  Kara is a Wielder, someone who can manipulate the ley and repair the lines when necessary.  Allan is a Dog, part of the brutal guard that keeps the ley under the strict control of the Baron and his Primes.  Both of their lives will be forever changed when a terrorist group called the Kormanley begins to attack the ley lines in an attempt to break the Baron’s stranglehold on the ley and bring them back into their natural alignment. The first book in the series is Shattering the Ley. The second book, Threading the Needle, will be released on July 5.

Arts

Spring Writes Celebrates The Written Word – And The Writers Who Write Them

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The Spring Writes Literary Festival takes place April 28-May 1 at locations throughout Ithaca. More than 90 writers will present panels, workshops, readings, and more. The event is free and open to the public. Highlights from the weekend include:

Friday:

Reading and Workshop on Speculative Fiction, Poetry Open Mic, Literary Jeopardy

Saturday:

Beyond the Bechtel Test, Workshop: Comedy Writing, Reading: Jewish Noir

Sunday:

Discussion on Genre Publishing, Discussion on Developing Characters, Reading by Razi Rumi

 

Click here for the full schedule and festival details. 

Arts

It's that most wonderful time of the year … for terror

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Horror writer Kevin Lucia talks about his latest works, the horror industry today, and about what scares him. (Hint – it’s not the monsters he writes about.) Lucia will read from his works Through A Mirror Darkly and Things Slip Through on Friday, October 30th at Barnes & Noble, Vestal, NY.

Arts

Explore the weird west with Silver on the Road

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When Isobel turns sixteen years of age, she must choose what she’s going to do with her life. For her, that choice is to become the Devil’s own hand. Gabriel is just passing through Flood, but chooses to become Isobel’s mentor on her first journey on the road. Together, they toss a coin into the crossroads and set out to discover that the powers that are gathering are not just a threat to a green rider and her teacher, but to the entire territory the Devil rules. Laura Anne Gilman talks with Crystal Sarakas about Silver on the Road, her latest novel.

Education

American Graduate Champion | Family Reading Partnership of Owego-Apalachin

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Family Reading Partnership of Owego-Apalachin is recognized as a local American Graduate Champion. This organization has created a culture of literacy that encourages and supports families as they read and learn together! Learn more from the coalition’s President, Kristin Barton, in this video. https://youtu.be/qFr9wzkpzn4

Who’s the champion in your life? Follow the American Graduate movement!

Arts

Local Small Press To Publish Two New Anthologies

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The local small press, Zombies Need Brains, was founded by author Joshua Palmatier. The small press is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to fund its next two anthologies. In this interview, Palmatier talks about the work behind running a successful campaign, and why he’s dedicated to offering unknown authors a chance to submit their work to the anthology. https://wskg.org/audio/PALMATIERFINAL.mp3