“I Have a Dream” Speech Writing

Join the United Way of the Dutchess-Orange Region as we write our own “I Have a Dream” speeches via zoom.

Preregistration required. Email kconstable@uwdor.org or call 845-471-1900 ext. 3106.

Letter Writing Party

Join the United Way of the Dutchess-Orange Region in sending notes of encouragement to socially isolated seniors in our community.

Preregistration required. Email kconstable@uwdor.org or call 845-471-1900 ext. 3106.

Letter Writing Party

Join the United Way of the Dutchess-Orange Region in sending notes of encouragement to socially isolated seniors in our community.

Preregistration required. Email kconstable@uwdor.org or call 845-471-1900 ext. 3106.

Writer’s Lab (remote)

The Hudson Valley Performing Arts Lab “Writer’s Lab” provides a space for experienced and aspiring writers to set goals, read and workshop their work, and provide support to one another. By attending the bi-weekly playwriting workshops, you have the opportunity to stretch your writing muscles and to share your work with other writers and actors. Working in isolation can be very productive, but getting in the habit of hearing your work read out loud and receiving feedback in a supportive environment is just as important as the writing itself.

Sharing, of course, is optional – but encouraged! For the smoothest sharing process, we recommend emailing your writing – 10 pages maximum – to info@hvpal.org before the start of the Lab.

Register here!

How to Save Local News (remote)

Join the River Newsroom for a roundtable discussion on new models of journalism and reimagining existing publications.

Register here!

About this event:
It’s been a tough decade-plus for local media. Since 2008, US newsroom employment has fallen by 26 percent, a crisis that accelerated last year, when publications had to reduce their already meager staffs. One study estimates that journalism layoffs more than doubled in 2020, and dozens of outlets have ceased publication entirely since the start of the pandemic.

These cutbacks are hitting local media hardest. Here in the Hudson Valley and Catskills, the past few years have seen the shuttering of several longtime local newsweeklies and layoffs at larger daily papers. At the same time, the need for reliable local reporting has never been more clear—nor more urgent. Into the void of local news has flowed partisan hyperbole, unverified social media posts, and harmful disinformation. The ever-evolving COVID-19 pandemic, the perilous threats posed by climate change, the reinvigorated struggle for social and racial equity: all of these are huge stories playing out on the community level.

Fortunately, there is a lot of energy being put toward ensuring local journalism remains alive and well. And that’s happening here, as well. In this roundtable discussion, we’ll talk with journalists and publishers who are working on new models of journalism, or reimagining existing publications to ensure they remain vital to their readers.

Speakers include:

  • Tim Bruno, general manager, WJFF Radio Catskill
  • Chip Rowe, editor, The Highlands Current
  • Alex Shiffer, publisher, Kingston Wire
  • Genia Wickwire, associate publisher, Ulster Publishing

Register here!