Spotty Dog – Books & Ale

Saturday, November 15th 7:00pm

Sci-Fi Author Sam J. Miller

In Conversation with Andy Marino discussing Sam's most recent book, Red Star Hustle. Free.

One of Lit Hub’s most anticipated science fiction books of 2025, Red Star Hustle has published as part of the launch of Saga’s new “Doubles” line, an homage to old-school pulp paperbacks that would publish two short novels or novellas together, back to back. The reverse of Red Star Hustle features Apprehension by four-time Hugo Award winner Mary Robinette Kowal.

In the book, Aran, a happy-go-lucky high-class escort, is on the run after he’s framed for the assassination of his famous filmmaker client. The last thing he needs is to fall for the studly and noble clone of a murderous puppet monarch while he’s trying to stay one step ahead of an ace bounty hunter, who is trying to keep a fatal secret from her toxic boss/mom, which means she can’t stop to worry about a little thing like whether her target might actually be innocent. Set within a universe of epic mech battles, and billions of human-made wormholes that make traveling to a distant star as easy as walking through a door or scheduling car service. The book is a crisscross of heartbreak, addiction struggles, queer messiness, and resisting evil empires, coming together in a space-hopping fight with the whole damn galaxy.

” . . . . both stories have been told in a way that is fast and punchy, full of action and intrigue.”– ” Grimdark Magazine

Andy Mariono, whose most recent book The Swarm was described as “Relentless, brutal, and brilliant. An apocalyptic tour de force” by Craig DiLouie, author of How to Make a Horror Movie and Survive, will be on hand to chat with Sam about craft, books, and various monsters. Andy was born in upstate New York, spent half his life in New York City, and now lives in the Hudson Valley. He is the author of the horror novels The Swarm, It Rides a Pale Horse, and The Seven Visitations of Sydney Burgess. He also writes historical fiction for young readers, most recently Escape From Alcatraz.

Sam J. Miller‘s books have been called “must reads” and “bests of the year” by USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, and O: The Oprah Magazine, among others, and have been translated into nine languages. They’ve also been banned in Florida, and stolen by AI. His work has won the Nebula, Locus, Shirley Jackson, and Subjective Chaos Kind of Awards, as well as the hopefully-soon-to-be-renamed John W. Campbell Memorial Award. He’s also the last in a long line of butchers. Sam lives in New York City, and at samjmiller.com

Saturday, November 22nd 7:00pm

That Time of Year

A quarterly-ish reading series around a theme. Tonight's theme: Guts. Free.

KIMBERLY ALIDIO
has published five books of poetry and poetic prose; the most recent is Traceable Relation (Fonograf Editions), and Teeter (Nightboat Books, winner of the 2022 Nightboat Poetry Prize and the 2024 Lambda Literary Award). Her recent essays and short-form publications include: Shared Discernments, with Rebecca Teich (1080 Press), A Teaching Summer (Spiral Editions), and “On Being Porous” in e-flux. While teaching history and writing for Bard Prison Initiative and Bard’s Masters of Arts in Teaching, she regularly mentors and leads workshops in literary prose and poetry for arts organizations such as The Poetry Project, Poets House, and Kundiman.

CHRISTINE SHAN SHAN HOU
is a poet and collage artist whose publications include A Promise (b l u s h, 2025) Playdate (White Columns, 2022), The Joy and Terror are Both in the Swallowing (After Hours Editions, 2021), and Community Garden for Lonely Girls (Gramma Poetry, 2017) amongst others. Their artwork has been exhibited at White Columns and various galleries in New York City.

ARIANA REINES
is an award-winning poet, Obie-winning playwright, performing artist, translator, and founder of Invisible College. Her recent books include A Sand Book (Tin House, 2020) winner of the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award, Wave of Blood (Divided Publishing, 2025), and The Rose (Graywolf, 2025).

Books are available for purchase and signing. Signed books make wonderful gifts!.

Created and Hosted by Andrea Kleine.

This event is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts and Poets & Writers.

Tuesday, December 2nd 7:00pm

Tamra Adler: Book Release Party for her new book, Feast on Your Life!

in Conversation with Shaina Loew-Banayan. Free.

From the award-winning author of An Everlasting Meal comes a record of daily delights from inside the kitchen and just outside it; designed to help you find joy every day. Come help us celebrate the release of Feast on Your Life while Tamar is back in the US!

“Delight in food, in eating, in cooking, in serving, in recognizing our luck when we feel full is available to all of us,” says writer Tamar Adler. Adler found relief and ease in spending a year recording instances of such delight. Her hope is that her observations might do the same for you.

Each captivating entry is a celebration of simple pleasures. From the pleasure of picking sun-warmed cherries to the comfort of a perfectly cooked meal, Adler’s reflections range from short, lyrical musings—a series of phrases, a list of words, a quick poem—to longer, thought-provoking meditations. All in all, they represent the kitchen (and adjacent) happinesses of one year.

Step into a world where cooking becomes a meditative, soothing retreat. Adler brings her signature warmth and poetic charm to this daily devotional of sorts. Her writing, brimming with zest and wisdom, has earned comparisons to food legends like MFK Fisher and Laurie Colwin—a testament to her ability to weave storytelling and culinary insights. But Adler doesn’t just write about food—she transforms how we see it. With her gentle guidance, even the most routine kitchen tasks become opportunities for reflection. Her voice is like a trusted friend’s—knowledgeable, comforting, and endlessly inspiring.

Feast on Your Life is the perfect holiday gift or addition to your own library. Adler’s reflections help you see the magic in everyday meals and embrace the art of cooking with a renewed sense of peace, helping you find greater happiness and mindfulness the kitchen.

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TAMAR ADLER
is the James Beard and IACP Award–winning author of An Everlasting Meal; Something Old, Something New; and the bestselling The Everlasting Meal Cookbook. She is a contributing editor at Vogue and has been a New York Times Magazine columnist. She has cooked at Chez Panisse. Formerly a resident of Hudson, she now lives in Madrid, Spain.

Tamar will be joined in conversation with:

SHAINA LOEW-BANYAN
chef and owner of Cafe Mutton (here in Hudson) and the author of Elegy for an Appetite. Shaina lives in Austerlitz and raises wise chickens.