About I Am Not a Fox A curious creature that looks like a fox but acts like a dog sets out to find where he belongs in this charming tale of self-discovery and friendship perfect for fans of Gaston and Not Quite Narwhal. When Luca first arrives at the dog park, the other dogs turn him away. “You’re not a dog,” they say, “You’re a fox.” But . . . Luca likes to chase cats. He likes to yip at mailmen. And he likes sniff other dogs you-know-where. Still, Luca has to admit, he doesn’t look like the other dogs. So . . . he must be a fox, right? But when Luca finds a trio of foxes in the forest and asks to join them, they don’t think that Luca is a fox at all. After all, Luca acts just like a dog. Luca can’t seem to find anyone quite like him, but then he meets a caring little girl and finds something even better–a friend. In this heartwarming tale, Karina Wolf and Chuck Groenick remind us that you don’t need a label to find just where you belong. “Wolf and Groenink take on the big issue of identity within the context of a gentle urban world, and readers will sense that the thoughtful, earnest protagonist’s question–“Who am I?”–will lead to a wonderful answer: someone who is loved.” —Publishers Weekly “A warmhearted and warm-spirited story of love and acceptance.” —Kirkus Reviews

Excited to make some Jazz with some of his Hudson Valley favorites. Otto Hauser- drums, Jesse Stacken- piano, Justin Keller-saxophone.

Volume is a FREE reading & music series featuring prose, poetry and a short DJ set. Every second Saturday at 7:00 pm at The Spotty. Books are available for purchase and signing. This month's writers include: Kate Leah Hewett is a poet, writer and music promoter based in Hudson NY. She arrived in Hudson from the North of England, where she spent a number of years working with artists and musicians of many genres. Kate doesn’t believe in working in isolation, and feels that collaboration is key in producing work that resonates outside of her own brain. Her writing draws on her own queer experience and the vital influence that the wider queer and creative community has had on her life. Find her at @kateleahhewett on Instagram. Anna Victoria is a photographer and writer living in Hudson, NY. She studied English Literature at the University of Connecticut, and her work has appeared in Chronogram, Long River Review, and existentia. Anna spends more time outside looking for good raindrops than you’d think. Find her work at @annavictoriaphotography on Instagram. Dani French has an MFA in creative fiction from The New School and has been published in Playgirl, Broken Pencil, and others. Dani is the co-founder of both Volume and the long-running Guerrilla Lit Reading Series in NYC. Dani lives in Hudson with her husband and daughters. Geneva Zane received her BA in creative writing from Bard College in 2018, where she received the Lockwood Prize in Creative Writing. Her novel, Stringbean and the Grace of Dog, was a finalist for the 2018 Fence Modern Prize in Prose: Literature Appropriate for Children, and will be published by Pink Narcissus Press in early 2019. She has been published in Chronogram, PCC Inscape, and Hanging Loose magazine. She lives in the Hudson Valley, by the river. Karen Crumley Keats is a writer, performer and visual artist whose work has been presented at the Public Theater, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Jewish Museum, P.S. 122 and elsewhere. Teenage runaway, early revolutionary, artist and mother, Keats is currently an MFA Creative Writing candidate at The Writer’s Foundry of St. Joseph’s College in Brooklyn, NY. Her short story, “The Lucky One,” was chosen by Amy Hempel for the Winter/Spring 2019 issue of The Southampton Review.  

There is no more essential place to show up for people than on the plate. Join local cookbook authors Janet Elsbach and Alana Chernila to discuss Janet’s cookbook, Extra Helping: Recipes for Caring, Connecting, and Building Community One Dish at a Time. Extra Helping is for anyone who wants to respond to the challenge of baby announcements, PTO meal chains, and CaringBridge alerts with compassion and creativity; who wants to send something to a niece overcome by finals week or a neighbor who is grieving; and whose limits of time and other resources leave them feeling more confused than inspired. With recipes tailored to meet many of the dietary modifications that illness and recovery (not to mention modern life) often entail, Extra Helping walks you, the helpful friend, through cooking for people who are dealing with illness, recovery, and loss, or celebrating babies, birthdays, and new homes. Personal stories from the front lines of care, shortcuts for the time-strapped, and sidebars full of tips and embellishments round out a collection of over 70 recipes, aiding readers in developing a style of caregiving all their own. Extra Helping frames a philosophy of support, a personal identity of tending, a creative and unique-to-you style of saying “I am here for you”—one delivery at a time.