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The Rural We: Jayne Benjulian

Jayne Benjulian grew up in Westchester, New York, but lived many lives before returning to the East Coast and making a home in the Berkshires. She served as chief speechwriter at Apple, investigator for the public defender in Washington, director of new play development at Magic Theater, lecturer in the

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Intersection Austerlitz: Fashion, Fabrics And Literary Materials

By Madaline Sparks This weekend, in Austerlitz, New York, a passport is your ticket for a day of exploring costume, culture, and the art of hat making. And so much more it's hard to believe it's all happening in such a tiny radius. Nestled in eastern

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The Rural We: Marlene Marshall

Marlene Marshall has been many things during her circuitous career. She is now the proprietor of the elegant and cozy vintage clothing store Discipline Park, just off Warren Street at 25 North 5th Street in Hudson, New York. She is also an accomplished artist and designer, and author of three

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Walk & Roll: Rhinebeck Jams Out At Porchfest

Some of the porches on the festival lineup. By Andrea Pyros If you’ve ever wanted to get up close and personal with Rhinebeck’s lovely historic homes, the first inaugural Rhinebeck Porchfest music festival on Saturday, September 17 is your chance to walk right up to the front steps.

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The Rural We: Simon Winchester

Simon Winchester is the best-selling author of "The Professor and the Madman" and many other nonfiction titles, including his latest, "Pacific," which is coming out in paperback in October. But more important for our purposes, the British writer, journalist and broadcaster, who was awarded an

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The Rural We: David Voorhees

Retired NYU history professor David William Voorhees is the director of both the Jacob Leisler* Institute for the Study of Early New York History and the Jacob Leisler Papers Project, headquartered in Hudson. He’s also managing editor of de Halve Maen (The Half Moon), a quarterly scholarly journal published

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Weekend Of Wheels At Lime Rock (And A Parade, Too)

Photos courtesy Lime Rock Park. By CB Wismar For some, they are exquisite rolling sculptures – the finest representation of the designer’s art. For others, they’re nothing more than a necessity, like electricity and cable TV. Then there’s the group that just finds them a nuisance — members of

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The Rural We: Melvin Collins

Melvin Collins is a resident and homeowner in the Gordon H. Mansfield Veterans Community, Soldier On’s 38-member permanent housing cooperative in Pittsfield, Massachusetts that provides formerly homeless veterans with safe and affordable homes. Collins works full time in the facility’s kitchen, helps out with Soldier On’s

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Hillsdale's Davis and Draves Think Locally and Act Globally

Draves and Davis By Jamie Larson Ken Davis and Kevin Draves run two traditional small-town businesses in Hillsdale, New York: an ice cream parlor and a "lifestyle boutique," but their unique approach and style are anything but ordinary. The couple's artistic taste and community mindedness

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The Rural We: Georgia VanZutphen

Georgia VanZutphen, a former OB/GYN nurse, moved to the Hudson Valley from the Albany area about 10 years ago upon her retirement. “Life reinvented for me revolves around my love for the lakes and the Hudson River Valley,” she says, which led to her involvement in the Hudson-Athens

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Grillsdale: Major Sizzle At A Grilled Food Feast in Hillsdale

By Lisa Green When Joanna Virello moved to Hillsdale, New York from the city, the food publicist knew she wanted to do a food event. “This is God’s country,” she says. “I wanted to shine a spotlight on the town.” That spotlight will shed a glow on not just

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The Rural We: Aaron Thier

Aaron Thier is the author of "The Ghost Apple" and the just-released "Mr. Eternity." He is the recipient of a literature fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, a columnist for "Lucky Peach," and a regular contributor to "The Nation."

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