Joe Donahue

  The New York State Brewers Association, I Love NY, and Empire State Development will present a beer festival at the Desmond Hotel in Albany, NY on Saturday, March 7th from 4 to 8pm.

40 New York breweries from across the state will feature their wares and local restaurants and food purveyors will be providing samples.

We are joined now by Paul Leone, Executive Director of the New York State Brewers Association; Jeremy Cowan, owner of Shmaltz Brewing in Clifton Park, and John Carr, owner of Adirondack Brewery.

  The Odyssey Bookshop is hosting the book launch for Ellen Meeropol's new novel this coming Tuesday in South Hadley, MA. The new novel is called: On Hurricane Island.

Told over the five days approaching the anniversary of 9/11, by varying voices on both extremes of the political divide, the novel is both a fast-paced political thriller and a literary examination of the sociopolitical storm facing our society.

How far should government go in the name of protecting our national security? What happens when governmental powers of surveillance and extra-legal interrogation are expanded? How free are we?

  We are very happy to continue our regular feature – Ideas Matter: Checking in with the Public Humanities. Today we check in with the Vermont Humanities Council and a speaker in their First Wednesdays lecture series. Haviland Smith, Former CIA Chief of Counterterrorism, will be talking about "Dealing with Foreign Terrorism" in Montpelier, Vermont on Wednesday, March 4.

He will examine the history of foreign terrorism directed against US interests, our policy for dealing with it, and how we might do better. He joins us along with Sylvia Plumb, Vermont Humanities Director of Communications.

  For the countless individuals seeking to maximize their health and who consider vitamins to be the keys to well-being, Catherine Price's new book: Vitamania offers some context by looking into the roots of America's ongoing nutritional confusion.

Price traveled to vitamin manufacturers and food laboratories and military testing kitchens—and dove into the history of nutritional science. Vitamania explores the history, science, hype, and future of nutrition.

  The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond.

Today's panelists are WAMC’s Alan Chartock, SUNY at Albany journalism professor and investigative journalist, Rosemary Armao, and WAMC newsman, Ray Graf.

Topics include: Jihadi John; potential sale of New York’s Daily News; FCC Okays Net Neutrality, Congressional Republicans against legalized marijuana in D.C.

  Acclaimed biographer James McGrath Morris latest book, Eye on the Struggle: Ethel Payne, the First Lady of the Black Press, brings into focus the riveting life of one of the most significant yet least known figures of the civil rights era—pioneering journalist Ethel Payne, the “First Lady of the Black Press."

A self-proclaimed “instrument of change” for her people, Payne broke new ground as the Washington correspondent for the Chicago Defender. She publicly prodded President Dwight D. Eisenhower to support desegregation, and her reporting on legislative and judicial civil rights battles enlightened and activated black readers across the nation. In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson recognized Payne’s seminal role by presenting her with a pen used in signing the Civil Rights Act. In 1972, she became the first female African American radio and television commentator on a national network, working for CBS. Her story mirrors the evolution of our own modern society.

  This year’s month-long Berkshire Festival of Women Writers kicks of on Sunday, March 1st.

Berkshire Festival of Women Writers a collaborative, multi-venue event sponsored by Bard College at Simon’s Rock with many local partners, celebrated during March – which is of course Women’s History Month. This is the festivals Fifth Anniversary Season and includes an exciting line-up of readings, lectures, workshops, performances and screenings by women writers from the Berkshire region.

Dr. Jennifer Browdy is the Founding Director of the festival and she joins us.

  This month, the Toledo Museum of Art debuts the first exhibition that focuses solely on the wondrous artist books and works on paper by renowned German-born artist Werner Pfeiffer. Nearly 200 one-of-a-kind and limited edition artist books, dimensional prints, collages and experimental works will be shown in Drawn, Cut & Layered: The Art of Werner Pfeiffer. Some of the works will be seen publicly for the first time.

  Why are we mentioning an exhibition at a museum in Ohio, you ask? Because Werner Pfeiffer is a resident of Red Hook and we couldn’t let those Toledo-ans have all the fun.

Pfeiffer's interest in paper and books was born of his early years in Germany during and after World War II, when paper was limited and books were censored. The artist joins us to talk about his work and career.

  Shawn Stone, the Arts Editor of Metroland, lets us know what is coming to area stages and screens this week.

  For more than fifty years, The Second City comedy theater in Chicago has been a training ground for some of the best comic minds in the industry—including John Belushi, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Mike Myers, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, and Tina Fey.

But it also provides one-of-a-kind leadership training to cutting-edge companies, nonprofits, and public sector organizations—all aimed at increasing creativity, collaboration, and teamwork.

Yes, And: How Improvisation Reverses "No, But" Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration--Lessons from The Second City is a new book by Kelly Leonard and Tom Yorton.