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From the Times Union: Kennedy deconstructs 'Legs' for brain-injured readers
Thank you to the Albany Times Union for giving us permission to reprint this story, originally published in the paper on December 7. “I...
NYS Writers Institute
Dec 13, 20225 min read


Video: Gregory Maguire, author of "Wicked," interviewed by Paul Grondahl
Just a pair of UAlbany alumni sitting down for a conversation... Editor's note: This video conversation was first published April 29,...
NYS Writers Institute
Jun 9, 20221 min read


114 years after putting an African man on display in its Monkey House, zoo issues apology
Paul Grondahl discusses this breaking news story with two-time Writers Institute guest Pamela Newkirk, author of Spectacle: The...
NYS Writers Institute
Jul 31, 20202 min read


Video interview: Dennis Mahoney, author of "Ghostlove"
NYS Writers Institute Director Paul Grondahl talks with author Dennis Mahoney, whose newest novel Ghostlove recently received a positive...
NYS Writers Institute
Jun 16, 20201 min read


Times Union Editor Casey Seiler: "A remarkable week"
NYS Writers Institute Director Paul Grondahl talked with Times Union (Hearst Newspapers) Editor and Vice President Casey Seiler last...
NYS Writers Institute
Jun 10, 20201 min read


Soul singer/songwriter Bryan "Professor Buggy Jive" Thomas
In today's post, Paul Grondahl interviews soul singer/songwriter Bryan "Professor Buggy Jive" Thomas. (Editor's note: The interview was...
NYS Writers Institute
Jun 8, 20201 min read


"March On!" with Lucy and Grace Lang
In this new #indiebookstoreboost post, WAMC Northeast Public Radio's Joe Donahue and NYS Writers Institute Director Paul Grondahl talk...
NYS Writers Institute
Jun 4, 20201 min read


Alice Green & Leon Van Dyke: Fighting injustice and racism since the 1960s
"Have we really had any change here in this country?" Dr. Alice Green In today's post, NYS Writers Institute Director Paul Grondahl talks...
NYS Writers Institute
Jun 3, 20201 min read


Catching up with writer and UAlbany alumnus Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Acclaimed fiction writer and UAlbany alumnus Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah talks about his mother's struggle with COVID-19 and the...
NYS Writers Institute
May 28, 20201 min read


A conversation with Writers Institute founder and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist William Kennedy
Over the course of one hour, ten minutes and a couple glasses of wine, Writers Institute Director Paul Grondahl enjoyed a leisurely...
NYS Writers Institute
May 27, 20201 min read


NYS Writers Hall of Fame induction ceremony postponed to 2021
After discussion among its leadership and a commitment to protecting the health and safety of everyone involved during the coronavirus...
NYS Writers Institute
May 26, 20205 min read


Madeline Miller, international bestselling author of "Circe" and "The Song of Achilles"
A conversation with Madeline Miller, international bestselling author of Circe and The Song of Achilles, about re-imaging mythology and...
NYS Writers Institute
May 20, 20202 min read


Words of advice for the Class of 2020
Recognizing that commencement ceremonies for colleges -- and high schools -- have been cancelled across the country, we asked a selection...
NYS Writers Institute
May 18, 202011 min read


Poetry in the age of coronavirus, with NYS Poet Alicia Ostriker
NYS Poet Alicia Ostriker talks with NYS Writers Institute Director Paul Grondahl about poetry in the age of coronavirus and her own...
NYS Writers Institute
May 15, 20201 min read


How are college students coping in a time of pandemic?
University at Albany Distinguished Professor Dr. Jeffrey Berman helps students express, discuss grief, trauma and loss in his English...
NYS Writers Institute
May 6, 20201 min read


"Living in the Long Emergency" interview with James Howard Kunstler
An #indiebookstoreboost post to support independent bookstores in the Capital Region during the time of coronavirus An...
NYS Writers Institute
May 1, 20202 min read


Joining forces to support the Capital Region’s indie bookstores with #IndieBookstoreBoost
#IndieBookstoreBoost Independent bookstores are communal gathering places that are central to a vibrant village, town or city. They are...
NYS Writers Institute
Apr 28, 20202 min read

Talking Teddy with novelist Jerome Charyn
We were disappointed these COVID-19 protocols forced us to postpone the April 2 Writers Institute event with Jerome Charyn, author of...
NYS Writers Institute
Apr 8, 20202 min read

Catching up with sportswriter Rick Reilly
We emailed Rick Reilly to find out what he's up to since he visited us in February. One of America’s preeminent sportswriters, Rick was...
NYS Writers Institute
Apr 6, 20202 min read


Dispatches from 'solitary confinement' in a local nursing home
Donald Black, 97-year-old World War II vet and Writers Institute contributor, contemplates the coronavirus pandemic in isolation in a...
NYS Writers Institute
Mar 26, 20205 min read
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