Author Dr. Conrad Vispo To Speak At The New Lebanon Library
Dr. Conrad Vispo will discuss his book “The Nature of the Place — A History of Living with the Land in Columbia County, NY” at the New Lebanon Library on Thursday, February 12, at 7 pm. The reading will be followed by Q & A and signing.
The book, which is a culmination of over five years of hard work, extends an exciting invitation to explore the rich heritage and nature of Columbia County. It describes local forest, field, soil and waters both from the perspective of the diversity and beauty of their inherent nature and also in terms of the way the human head and hand has, for better or worse, left its mark.
Dr. Vispo is a wildlife ecologist with the Farmscape Ecology Project, a research and outreach branch of Hawthorne Valley Association. He received a Ph.D. in wildlife ecology, specializing in nutritional ecology, at the University of Wisconsin. He studied the ecology and management of a tropical freshwater fishery with the Wildlife Conservation Society and Venezuela’s Fundacion La Salle for several years before co-founding Hawthorne Valley’s Farmscape Ecology Program. With that program he has been exploring the role of agriculture in providing habitat for native species and the importance of native (or at least wild) species in providing ecological services to farms. He was born and raised in Canaan.
All are welcome at this free event.
Folk Duo Divinitress Performs At New Lebanon Library’s Valentine Dance
Local acoustic folk duo Divinitress will be performing at the New Lebanon Library on Valentine’s Eve – Friday, February 13, from 7 to 9 pm. The duo will be performing a program of romantic music. Dancing will be encouraged and light refreshments will be served.
Divinitress consists of singer-guitarist Tistrya Grace, who has spent ten years performing at coffee houses and festivals, and versatile Berkshire singer-songwriter Erin Laundry. They play a combination of original songs along with popular covers. Their blend of harmonies and acoustic instruments give the duo a unique and uplifting sound.
This event is free and open to the public, although donations for the performers are welcome.
Father and Son Author Team To Speak At The New Lebanon Library
Local authors Michael and Diego Mongue will appear at the New Lebanon Library on Monday, February 16 at 2 pm, to talk about their quarterly comic book series, Awesome Robot Science Fiction Action Comix. The talk will be followed by Q& A and discussion, after which Michael and Diego will sign copies of the book.
Awesome Robot started as letters left in Diego’s school lunches. Messages of encouragement like, “Have a great day at school” or “Eat your lunch and work hard” soon morphed into stranger missives, such as “Don’t eat cake from the cafeteria garbage pail.” These notes were accompanied by illustrations that eventually became the Awesome Robot series, the story of Dennis the Robot and his anthropomorphic misadventures. The story and renderings marry the musings of a prepubescent boy and the satirical commentaries of his outsider artist father.
Michael Mongue is an artist residing in Williamstown, MA. His work has been shown at the Left Bank Gallery in Bennington, the Arts and Crafts Guild in Dalton, the Flatiron Gallery in North Adams, the Amsterdam Whitney Gallery in New York City, the Deborah Davis Fine Art Gallery in Hudson, and the Firehouse Cafe in Adams. He is the author of M.Mongue: Acrylic Paintings from a Berkshire Artist, as well as the Awesome Robot series which he writes with his son. Diego, aged 12, is in the seventh grade.
All are welcome at this free event, which is most appropriate for school aged children although interested patrons of all ages are welcome.
New Lebanon Library To Host Tom Abdow Concert
New England folk-rock singer and songwriter Tom Abdow will perform an acoustic concert of folk, country and rock music at 6:30 pm on Friday, February 20, at the New Lebanon Library. All are welcome and the event is free, although donations for the performer are appreciated.
Abdow has performed at various venues throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic areas. He has opened shows for Jonathan Edwards, Steve Forbert, Aztec Two-Step, and the Vassar Clements Band.
The New Lebanon Library is located at 550 State Route 20, New Lebanon, NY, just north of the yellow blinking light. For further information on any of these programs, contact the Library at (518) 794-8844.