Edwin Torres is an accomplished poet who has published more than 15 poetry volumes. During the 1990s he was a member of the The Nuyorican Poets Café, a creative meeting place and cultural institution for the vibrant community of Puerto Rican artists living in New York City. This episode alternates between interview and readings. 

Pastor Perez is a co-chair of Beacon’s police reform committee. He talks about the work being done to transform how the force operates. His committee has recommended replacing some traditional enforcement tactics with alternatives like community outreach, mental health intervention and restorative justice. 

Jennifer Clair is Beacon's foremost expert on food and cooking and the founder of Home Cooking New York, a culinary school founded in New York City. She is the author of a cookbook and has held many jobs in food-related media. In this episode: shopping for food in Beacon, why Jen would never open a restaurant, and how home cooks can overcome burnout. 

Sember Weinman is the executive director of Common Ground Farm, which oversees the Beacon farmer’s market. The market is moving to a much bigger location at the DMV parking lot, capable of supporting far more vendors. She talks about the change and the coming season at common ground farm.

Dogwood owner and city councilman George Mansfield was the last guest we had in studio before Covid shut everything down. He’s reopening the bar this week and comes back on the podcast to talk about it. He also dishes on city business and what the summer might look like in Beacon.

After being shot, Richie left his career as a corrections officer to become a gardener. He worked his way up in the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation to become director of the Citywide Nursery. While there he cared for the Survivor Tree, a Callery pear that was crushed (but not killed) in the 9/11 terror attacks. In Beacon, he founded the Sargent-Downing Garden. 

Since she was 18, Tina Brown has foster parented children and teens. Over the years she has cared for more than 100 kids including her two biological children.  

In this special 50th episode of Beaconites, we examine the proposal to build a new gas-burning power plant across the river at the 70-year-old Danskammer facility. Guests include  Bill Reid, CEO of Danskammer Energy; Hayley Carlock, director of environmental advocacy and legal affairs at Scenic Hudson; and Emily Ellison and Harvey Weiss, two residents of the hamlet of Chelsea. 

Paloma Wake is running for an at-large seat on the City Council and has been endorsed by the Beacon Democrats and Working Families party. In this episode she talks about her work with Beacon4BlackLives, Mutual Aid Beacon, Beacon’s Human Relations Commission and other organizations, and she shares her ideas for meeting the basic needs of people living in Beacon. Contact Paloma at [email protected] 

Chief Frost, a 37-year veteran of the Beacon Police Department, talks about policing reforms, the role of race in policing and his enforcement priorities. New city administrator Chris White discusses business currently before the city and his plans for 2021 and beyond.