The Hudson Children's Book Festival, the largest book festival in New York State, strives to create, sustain, and nurture a culture of literacy in partnership with our community and schools. This free, public event fosters a love of reading as families meet and greet world-class creators of books for children of all ages.

An all-day event. Independent Bookstore Day (IBD) is an opportunity for indie bookstores (Like us, Hudson City Books, Oblong, Chatham Books) and others across the country to drive traffic to their stores and increase sales by offering  merchandise created specifically for IBD. Independent Bookstore Day is an excellent way to get new customers into our store and celebrate indie bookselling! We will have book and merchandise giveaways, literary karayoke (where people who love books can read their famous passages to others), and happy hour specials. See you there!

Dana Sipos is an ethereal Canadian folkist who beguiles and charms, weaving fragments of stories, myths and dreams into nuanced songs that map heart and country and the spaces between. Matt Heckler is an American singer-songwriter who hails from the suburbs of Chicago. Matt began his solo career playing the local coffee house circuit. From 2004 to 2009, he played bass for punk band Statements Lost. When he isn’t performing solo, he plays guitar for indie rock band Dangerpaw

In the 21st century, for men and women, gay or straight, the landscape of masculinity has changed. David Sampliner, director of the Netflix documentary, My Own Man, and Chris Tarry, author of the short story collection, How To Carry Bigfoot Home, talk about the challenges of being a partner, a dad, and a good (enough) man. Open questions, open discussion, more conversation than presentation.

Chris Brokaw was born in New York City and raised in the outlying suburbs. He attended Oberlin College, where he took exactly two music-related classes: Multi-track Recording and Steel Drumming. In 1986 he moved to Boston, Massachusetts; and in 2011 relocated to Seattle, Washington. Chris is perhaps best known for his work as the drummer in CODEINE and the guitarist in COME, who made several albums in the 1990′s for the labels Sub Pop and Matador that are considered landmarks in American independent rock music. Since 2001, Chris has focused primarily on his work as a solo artist, making numerous albums of vocal and instrumental music. This has ranged from full on rock (“Red Cities”, “Incredible Love”) to explorations of the 6-string and 12-string acoustic guitars (“Canaris”, “VDSQ Solo Acoustic Volume 3″) to the experimental and abstract (“Tundra”, “Gracias, Ghost of the Future”). Throughout, Chris has maintained an active solo touring schedule in the US, UK, Europe, Canada, Australia and Russia. PETER AARON (Chrome Cranks) will perform a solo set to open the night.

Folk Y'All is oldtimey American party music from New London, CT. Crowd shoutin' traditionals and foot stompin' originals. "Northhamptonish" Mail Myself to Thoreau is "everyone's favorite moxiecore bluegrass band"  

Kath Bloom is a legend of folk, country, blues and avant-garde music. She has been making records since the late 70s, and has had her music featured in the movie Before Sunrise by Richard Linklater. “Linda Draper has an absolutely captivating voice. It has a steady, tender quality that draws you in, pressing your ears to the speaker, to listen carefully to the quiet lyrics she slips into her simple acoustic arrangements.” - Punk Planet

Jonah Parzen-Johnson’s music combines extended saxophone with analog synthesizer to make unedited, un-looped, lofi experimental folk music. I've been performing solo since 2012, and have toured over 30,000 miles across the US and Canada. Highlights include shows at The Stone and Zebulon in NYC, The Velvet Lounge in Chicago, and bills with, Steve Lehman, Matana Roberts, Vinny Golia, and Brian Chase among others. My 2 solo releases have received nods from publications including the The New York Times, Vice Magazine, All About Jazz, Chicago Examiner, Philadelphia City Paper, Chicago Reader, eMusic, New York City Jazz Record and TimeOut NY, among others. A new duo from Seth Chrisman and Nathan McLaughlin. Seth Chrisman is a musician and multimedia artist based in the Hudson Valley, New York. His work explores texture, repetition, and scale, while being heavily rooted in concepts of place. Experimental techniques, field recordings, found sounds, and radio static are woven together to create undulating and centrifugal sonic environments. Hudson resident Nathan McLaughlin explores the reel to reel not just a source of effect and texture, but as it's own instrument. Focusing on the sounds of the banjo as a companion to the reel to reel, studies are carried out in the philosophical spirit of Bill Dixon and his idea of going to the center. His debut LP was released by Senufo Editions with other releases available via Desire Path Recordings, Soft Abuse, Digitalis, and more. "McLaughlin is exploring not just space, empty or occupied, but how we interact with these spaces and how they evolve over time. Expertly assembled tonal compositions scratch and claw their way to the surface so they can be captured and finally exist. Each vignette is the sonic equivalent of the most important place in the mundane landscape." —Brad Rose for Experimedia