Fwd: Third annual Kennedy reading raises $1,605 for local food pantry

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Dan Wilcox

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Nov 12, 2025, 9:47:05 AMNov 12

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Check out the events at Page Hall on Friday --

DWx

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: New York State Writers Institute <wri...@albany.edu>
Date: Tue, Nov 11, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Subject: Third annual Kennedy reading raises $1,605 for local food pantry
To: <dwl...@gmail.com>

Last week's marathon reading of William Kennedy’s 1975 novel Legs was one for the books, a 12-hour event at the Albany Distilling Co. Bar and Bottle Shop packed with unforgettable moments.

See photos from the event and a video of Mr. Kennedy reading from Legs.

Best of all, the event raised $1,605 for the food pantry at Sacred Heart of Jesus Roman Catholic Church, which was Kennedy’s childhood parish in Albany's

North End.

Notably, we're posting this item on the same day that the New York Times is reporting that during the government shutdown, booksellers are collecting food for Americans who receive federal aid to buy groceries.

(Photo captions: Albany Distilling proprietor John Curtin hands the check to Mike Conners, food pantry volunteer and Sacred Heart parishioner. State Senator Patricia Fahy sits with William Kennedy and holds her newly-inscribed copy of Legs.)

We invite you to join us on Friday for a pair of conversations on politics, polarization, and the principles upholding our American society.

“Rethinking American Politics”

5:30 p.m. Friday, November 14
A conversation about finding common ground in an age of polarization.

Panelists:

•		Lydia Polgreen - Opinion columnist for the New York Times
•		Zephyr Teachout - attorney, author, political candidate, and professor of law specializing in democracy and antitrust at Fordham University

Moderator: Paul Grondahl, Opalka Endowed Director, NYS Writers Institute

"Standing on Principles"

7 p.m. Friday, November 14

A discussion about reviving the foundational principles of American society — both moral and legal.

Panelists:

•		Ayad Akhtar - novelist and Pulitzer-winning playwright whose work frequently explores Muslim American experience.
•		Chris Gibson - former Republican congressman and author of the new book, The Spirit of Philadelphia: A Call to Recover the Founding Principles (2025).

Moderator: Dan Clark, Albany Times Union Capitol Bureau reporter and author of the Capitol Confidential newsletter.

Telling the Truth 2025

5:30 and 7 p.m. Friday, November 14

Page Hall - Downtown UAlbany Campus

135 Western Avenue, Albany NY 12203

Free and open to the public.

No registration required.

Free parking. See map.

Join us for an evening of thoughtful dialogue and civic engagement as we explore how to move forward together in a divided time.

More event information: www.nyswritersinstitute.org/tellingthetruth2025

Major support and funding provided by the Professor Ben-Ami Lipetz NYSWI Fund.

Ghostly comic book arrives in Albany

We'll be back at Albany Distilling Co. on Thursday, Nov. 13, to celebrate the launch of Awakened Spirit, an original comic book that brings Albany’s ghostly past to life, featuring local landmarks, legends, and a spectral sidekick.

Set during the Prohibition era, the comic tells the tale of a woman who discovers that her newly purchased home at 75 Livingston Ave. — the modern-day address of the Albany Distilling Co. bar — is occupied by a dapper, skeletal ghost.

“There’s a strong connection to both the historical aspect of Albany and the literary history of Albany,” co-creator Ron Marz told the Albany Times Union.

To coincide with the launch, Albany Distilling has created a new coffee vodka named, you guessed it, "Awakened Spirits." The launch of both book and bottle will take place at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13, at the distillery, 75 Livingston Avenue in Albany.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 518-949-2472.