Hi friends,

This month’s update is not about me! I’m using this newsletter to spread the word about some excellent local(ish) opportunities and projects I’d like you to know about, if you’re looking to spread some cheer (and maybe even make a donation or two?) this holiday season.

This past Sunday night, I gathered with a dozen volunteers with the Beacon Prison Books Project to stuff 1000 envelopes with personalized letters to each incarcerated person who requested a book from us during the year, updating them on the project and sending our well wishes. The BPBP is doing incredibly meaningful work; you can learn more about them here.

I’m also very proud of the Backpack Program at Common Ground Farm, which sends home a bag full of food (pantry items, snacks, and produce) with food insecure students in the Beacon City School District every weekend, when school meals are of course not available. The number of students served by this program has risen drastically, from about 50 a couple years ago to about 70 now. Learn more here.

OK, this one is kind of about me. Stanza Books here in Beacon, NY is publishing an anthology of local writers—and the profits will benefit our local library! It’s only available at Stanza, so if you do happen to be passing through town, please consider stopping by and grabbing a copy. At the moment, preorders are open, and you can read more about the anthology here.

Finally, this one is for the writers: applications are open for the Hortus Arboretum Winter Residency for Literary Artists. I did this residency two years ago and it was phenomenal: a beautiful cottage in the woods, all to yourself! Since doing the residency, I’ve published a novel and had a poetry collection accepted for publication. Coincidence? I think not! You can learn more and apply here.

Finally, I just finished reading Ian McEwan’s new novel, What We Can Know, and I really enjoyed it. I don’t love everything of his that I’ve read, but if you liked his novel Atonement, you should check this one out too.

Be well, try to stay warm out there,

Kristen