The Roundtable

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are:Jackie Berry - Lecturer of Cognitive Sciences at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and former Fulbright US Scholar to Egypt.Terry Gipson - Preceptor in Public Speaking for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University.Anna Markowitz - Executive Director of Communities for Local Power and former White House Advance Lead.Mike Spain - Former Times Union Associate Editor.

This week's Book Picks comes from Kira Wizner from Merritt Bookstore in Millbrook, NY and Lily Bartels from Open Door Bookstore in Schenectady, NY for our selections this week.

Nearly 50 years after 'Star Wars' first transported moviegoers to a galaxy far, far away, the film - and its music - remain unmistakable. On Friday, August 21st at 7:30, 'Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert' comes to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are:Chris Gibson is a writer and analyst. He recently retired from the presidency of Siena College and was a former NY Congressman. His new book is “The Spirit of Philadelphia.”· Larissa Phillips is the founder and director of the Volunteer Literacy Project. She is also a columnist for The Free Press and a Greene County resident.· Catherine Tan is an Associate Professor in the department of sociology at Vassar College. Her research is on health, wellness, and medical knowledge.

Louise Nealon made a remarkable debut with ‘Snowflake,’ the award-winning novel that introduced readers to her sharp, funny, and deeply compassionate portrait of contemporary rural Ireland. The County Kildare writer returns with their second novel, ‘Everything That Is Beautiful,’ a story that explores the complicated bonds of family, friendship, memory, and forgiveness.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are:·The Reverend Peter Cook - Principal, Faith in the Public Square and Co-Principal of The Religious Nationalisms Project.·Stephen Haff - is an educator who teaches drama and humanities at Poughkeepsie Day School in Poughkeepsie·Judy Patrick - Former Vice President for Editorial Development at the New York Press Association and a longtime editor of the Daily Gazette·Mark Wittman - Investment Banker on Wall St.

Virginia Eubanks is an investigative journalist, author, and professor at the University at Albany, whose is author of acclaimed book Automating Inequality Acclaimed How Technology Can Deepen Poverty and Injustice. Her new book, 'A Guide to Open Water Life Saving Lessons on Love, Care and Survival' turns the lens on her own life. After her partner was brutally attacked near their Troy, New York home, Eubanks became his caregiver as they navigated trauma.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Stuart Rice Honorary Chair at the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS) and Faculty Associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University Fran Berman, a senior fellow and faculty member in the Center for the Advancement of Public Action at Bennington College. She is the President of Beyond Plastics and former EPA Regional Administrator. Judith is co-author of the book 'The Problem with Plastic' Judith Enck, a full professor in the History Department at John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY) Allison Kavey, and Diplomat in Residence at Bard College. She retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in 2025 after over 30 years in public service. Her last post was ambassador to the SE Asian country, Timor-Leste Donna Welton.

Music journalist and author Tony Fletcher has spent decades chronicling rock and roll and the culture surrounding it. His new book 'POW, When UK Went Pop, 1980 to 1984,' turns the lens on his own youth, a coming-of-age story, set against a wildly creative moment in British music. Fletcher recalls life as a teenage journalist and aspiring musician navigating the record business, love.Sex and the hard lessons of growing up while trying to land his own band a record deal. This Sunday at 2PM, Fletcher brings 'Pow' to the Orpheum Theater in Saugerties, NY for reading, conversation, and videos from the era. It is a great pleasure to welcome Tony Fletcher to the round table this morning.

Sitarist Partha Bose brings the sounds of Indian classical music to Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs this Sunday. Bose began playing music as a child in Calcutta and has since built an international career, performing across five continents and introducing audiences around the world to the beauty and improvisation of Indian music.His concerts combine centuries old musical traditions with the spontaneity and energy of a live conversation between musicians and audiences. Sunday show is part of Caffe Lena's Global Voices series, which brings music and traditions from around the world to Saratoga and does so this Sunday, August 16th at 7 p.m.