This Thursday and Friday, April 17 and 18, EMPAC at RPI in Troy, New York presents the Ephemeral Organ Festival. The presentations this week feature a series of residencies, performances, and talks by artists whose works explore dance and movement as a means of experiencing memory, history, and Black lived experience. Tara Aisha Willis is Curator of Theater & Dance at EMPAC and she joins us to tell us more.

The International Center of the Capital Region will present a free public forum featuring a talk entitled "The Role of Diplomacy in Rebuilding Security in Europe" tonight from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. at the Hudson Valley Community College Bulmer Telecommunications Center in Troy, New York. An open discussion will follow the presentation by Zachary Paikin, the Deputy Director of the Quincy Institute Better Order Project.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Dean of the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity at the University at Albany Bob Griffin, Executive Director of The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York Nic Rangel, and Investment Banker on Wall Street Mark Wittman.

This week's Book Picks come from Mike Hare of Northshire Bookstore in Saratoga, NY and Manchester, VT.

Bestselling Author Amity Gaige will talk about her new novel, “Heartwood,” at Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley, Massachusetts tonight at 7 p.m.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Former radio talk show host and TV news anchor, professional speaker and speaking coach, and member of the Albany County Legislature representing parts of Guilderland and Colonie, NY Mark Grimm, Vice President for Editorial Development at the New York Press Association Judy Patrick, and Former Times Union Associate Editor Mike Spain.

New York Rep. Paul Tonko, a Democrat from the 20th district, speaks with WAMC's Ian Pickus on the Congressional Corner. This conversation was held April 14.

The Hudson Valley's own Robert Burke Warren and pianist Dennis Yerry present an evening of multi-Grammy/Oscar/Emmy-award-winning songwriter Randy Newman at The Local in Saugerties, New York on Friday, April 18 at 8 p.m.

Shelley Fraser Mickle is an award-winning author and former storyteller for NPR’s “Morning Edition.” Her new book is “Itching to Love: The Story of a Dog” where she tells us about her decade long relationship with Buddy the mutt next-door who adopted her as his person.

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, Lecturer in the Department of Africana, Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies at the UAlbany Jennifer Burns, Senior Fellow at the Bard Center for Civic Engagement Jim Ketterer, and Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute Robert Pondiscio.