TEN REASONS TO LOVE THE CATSKILLS

By Simona David 1. AIR AND WATER QUALITY The Catskill Park, situated a hundred miles north-northwest of New York City, is known as America’s First Wilderness, because of its role in the environmental conservation movement. The New York State Legislature established the park in April 1904 to recognize and protect this magnificent mountainous area, which is part of the Appalachian plateau, and is dated back … Continue reading TEN REASONS TO LOVE THE CATSKILLS

Newly Opened Arts Inn Participates in the AMR Open Art Studios Tour This Weekend

Arts Inn opened earlier this year as a bed and breakfast and events venue, and defines itself “as a place to restore, renew and connect.” The owners, Randy Leer and Heidi Stonier, have had family connections to the area since the 1940s when Kitty Leer, the matriarch, arrived in Fleischmanns with her parents as refugees from WWII; the family opened an eatery, and bed and … Continue reading Newly Opened Arts Inn Participates in the AMR Open Art Studios Tour This Weekend

Humans of the Catskills: Joseph Piasek

Journey to the Catskills: We came here initially to visit my lovely wife Jane’s sister in Margaretville (whose wonderfully funky farmhouse went up in a flurry of flames and gunfire) – that was halfway between our home in Stamford (CT) and Syracuse (NY) where my son was attending college. When we discovered there was no radio station here, we gathered up the support to start … Continue reading Humans of the Catskills: Joseph Piasek

FICTION WRITING WITH THADDEUS RUTKOWSKI

WEEKEND INTENSIVE Writers in the Mountains (WIM) presents Fiction Writing with Thaddeus Rutkowski, a weekend intensive held online Saturday and Sunday, July 9 – 10, 2022, from to 1 to 4 pm. Once you register and pay, you will be given instructions on how to join the class. Everyone has a story to tell. Your story may be true or it may be fictional, but … Continue reading FICTION WRITING WITH THADDEUS RUTKOWSKI

Humans of the Catskills: Kevin Moore

Journey to the Catskills: Most New Yorkers get tired of the city at some point and need some relief. I chose Central Catskills not knowing a soul because I always like the remoteness, high altitude and what seemed to me like ancestral Scottish weather. But I realized later, it looks like the Ozarks, where my grandparents lived, and I often visited as a child. I … Continue reading Humans of the Catskills: Kevin Moore

Jay Gould, Financier and Railroad Magnate, Featured at New York Adventure Club  

New York Adventure Club recently hosted a presentation by architect and historian Gary Lawrence titled “The Gilded Age Mansions of the Jay Gould Family, Railroad Dynasty” which explores the intricacies of the Gould family life and the lavish mansions that they owned as one of the richest and most powerful families in America. Jay (né Jason) Gould was born in Roxbury, NY in 1836. He … Continue reading Jay Gould, Financier and Railroad Magnate, Featured at New York Adventure Club  

In Memoriam – Peter Yamaoka

Artist Peter Yamaoka studied at Rhode Island School of Design and the Royal College of Art in London. Initially trained as a painter, later in his career he specialized in printmaking. He met his wife Gerda Van Leeuwen, also an artist, in the 1980s while vacationing in Provincetown, Ma. While in New York City, Peter and Gerda ran a company that published limited edition fine … Continue reading In Memoriam – Peter Yamaoka

When Space Speaks – Creative Writing Workshop with Sarah Blakley-Cartwright 

Writers in the Mountains (WIM) presents When Space Speaks with Sarah Blakley-Cartwright, a three-hour intensive workshop, Tuesday, September 21, 2021 from 1 to 4 p.m. Once they register and pay, participants will be given instructions on how to join the class. In this class, students will explore vignette, ellipses, and space breaks, as we interpret the unsaid and sharpen our ear for silence. We will look at how the elliptical form can provide exhilarating leaps of … Continue reading When Space Speaks – Creative Writing Workshop with Sarah Blakley-Cartwright