Hudson Mohawk Magazine

Ben Miller, a scientist turned comedian, discusses transitioning from science teacher to comedian, how he found his love for comedy, and more. He was interviewed by Hudson Mohawk Magazine correspondent Dulcinia Diggs. To learn more about Ben Miller's journey visit https://www.benmillercomedy.com/

Drag Story Hour, planned to take place at at Bethlehem Public Library on Thursday, July 13, drew a crowd at a recent library Board of Trustees meeting with about fifty speakers on the issue, evenly divided on sides. We hear from one of the speakers in favor of drag story hour, Rev. Molly Dowell Baum, Youth Director at the First Presbyterian Church in Albany. WIth Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.

Drag Story Hour will feature "stories, songs, and fabulousness at a family-friendly and inclusive event with local drag performer Noelle Diamond." Event info: https://bethlehem.librarycalendar.com/event/drag-story-hour

Image from @noelle.diamond on instagram

At 17, Michael "ILLiptical" Sloman began performing Hip Hop and Spoken Word Poetry at Albany High School’s Inkblot poetry slams. Throughout his 20s and early-30s, he was a mainstay in the Capital Region Slam Community, performing with the first-ever Nitty Gritty Slam team at the National Poetry Slam in Charlotte, North Carolina, along with Elizag, D Colin, and Algorhythm.

Now at the age of 38, and living in Yonkers, NY, Michael focuses mostly on filmmaking under the moniker of Kulture Seed Films, writing and directing movies, as well as teaching high school students to tap into their own creativity.

Sloman says, "When inspired by wisdom, nature, or the happenstances of life, a poem shall be written, and it’s only a matter of time before the Poet spits again."

ILLiptical performed his poem "Vegan Knowledge" at the Getting Down to the Brass Tacks spoken word event on March 29, 2018, at The Low Beat.

In our conversation, we talk about where that poem came from, the power of poetry, transitioning to screenwriting, and more.

Retired National Weather Service meteorologist Hugh Johnson spoke with Brea Barthel and Alisha Washington about the a once-every-thousand-years flood, smoke, heat, rain, and the difference between flood watch and flood warning.

Today, on the Hudson Mohawk Magazine:

We begin with Mark Dunlea exploring the extreme and devastating weather with Pete Sikora, Climate and Inequality Campaigns Director at New York Communities for Change.

Then, Sina Basila Hickey talks with Waterfall Unity Alliance members about the significance of returning Mohawk to their ancestral homelands.

Later on, Brea Barthel gets recommendations on four beach or rainy-day reads from Laurie Dreyer of Troy Public Library.

After that, back to Sina for an interview with artist-in-residence Isidora Fernandez who is giving the workshop “Forensic River” at the Sanctuary’s NATURE Lab in Troy this Wednesday, July 12th.

Finally, we turn again to the extreme weather and other topics with retired National Weather Service meteorologist Hugh Johnson.

Waterfall Unity Festival is celebrating its second year, taking place in Skóhare / Schoharie Valley July 28-30. Members of Waterfall Unity Alliance (Kawenniiosta Jock, Liv Watyana'li:yo Bigtree, Sandra Owén:nakon Deer-Standup, and Bethany Yarrow) spoke with HMM producer Sina Basila Hickey about the origins of WUA and the rematriation and return to ancestral homelands for the Kanien’kehá:ka / Mohawk.

Learn more: https://www.waterfallunityalliance.org/

Looking for a beach or rainy-day read? Laurie Dreyer, branch manager at Troy Public Library's Lansingburgh branch, has four recently released books to recommend. "Happy Place" (Emily Henry, 2023) is a best-selling rom-com of a recently split couple at a week-long gathering of friends pretending that they are still together. "The Stolen Coast" (Dwyer Murphy, 2023) is, in Laurie's words, a "sunny noir" mystery set in coastal Onset, MA, about a possible large diamond heist. "Summer Reading" (Jenn McKinlay, 2023), a novel set on Martha's Vineyard, features a dyslexic lead character, and the print editions are in a "dyslexia-friendly" font. "Honey, Baby, Mine: A Mother and Daughter Talk Life, Death, Love (And Banana Pudding)" is based on a series of walk-and-talks of actor Laura Dern and her mother, actor Diane Ladd (2023). For more details on the books, visit www.thetroylibrary.org. To find other libraries in New York State, see https://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/libs/#Find. Produced by Brea Barthel for Hudson Mohawk Magazine. (image credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Aaron Marquis brings the Circus to the Capital Region this summer with The Contemporary Circus and Immersive Arts Center (CCIAC). Hudson Mohawk Magazine's Andrea Cunliffe speaks with Aaron about this summer's programs including kids camps, artists opportunities, pop-up performances, and a circus dining experience. They also talk about the family-friendly main event "The RAINBOW is Enuf," -- a reimaging of legendary playwright Ntozake Shange’s "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf," expressed through the lens of the modern circus.

Circus in Prospect Park is this August. Visit the CCIAC.US website.

In response to the hazardous air conditions from wildfire in Canada and the devastating impact of the once-in-a-1000-year flooding in the lower Hudson Valley, Pete Sikora, Climate and Inequality Campaigns Director at New York Communities for Change, wrote: “The devastating storms that have flooded multiple counties across the state are the direct result of climate collapse, rapidly intensifying due to the inaction of our elected representatives. By failing to act at the scale of the crisis, Governor Hochul and her administration bear responsibility for the flooding and resulting casualties and destruction that have left millions of New Yorkers vulnerable." Pete talks with Mark Dunlea for the Hudson Mohawk Magazine.

In the week after Freedom Fest 2023, H Bosh Jr asks the Sanctuary's Executive Director Kristen KP Holler about having her first season of programming behind her, about the campaign to pay off the Sanctuary's mortgage, and what's ahead.