“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
Mary Oliver, The Summer Day
PHOTO BY DONNA MUELLER
Many ponder that question as time marches on. As goals and desires unrealized gnaw at me, I’m taking Oliver’s challenge to heart. On our home page, you will find a genealogy story, a real-life cousin who found me doing research of family lost in the Holocaust! The revelation further inspired me to revisit yellowing documents from my dad’s horrific experiences surviving Auschwitz, and to hopefully undertake translating my grandfather’s manuscript of surviving that horrendous war in hiding, and reuniting with my dad in Israel, after the rest of his family was killed. And about growing up ‘in the shadow’. I may have a memoir in the making if I can do my best to stay focused.
In time for Mother’s and Father’s Day and graduations, enjoy stories about new & expectant families, a second ‘Portraits and Profiles’ column sharing peace-enhancing practices plus a lovely essay about a special mother/daughter bond.
Here too are spotlights on two great County leaders. A cover story by Alexa Troob emphasizes Vedat Gashi’s focus on cooperation and collaboration. Via Deborah Notis’s interview with Westchester County Executive George Latimer, we learn about a hardworking, results-achieving leader! Other stories include ones about a local rock band, The Station Agents, and another, about a humble World War II vet, Sargent Dan Santagata.
A second cover story (by yours truly!) is about a local dad who just happens to also be a two-time Grammy winner and mastering engineer — Joe LaPorta! Joe’s latest Grammy was for Miley Cyrus’s FLOWERS! I had fun learning how LaPorta, and those in his field of expertise, enhance a song’s sound so that its melody really sticks!
I’m particularly excited to present the indomitable Benjamin Cheever’s engaging cover story about the globe-trotting adventures of award-winning documentary team Susan Todd and Andrew Young. We also think you will appreciate a close-up of Pleasantville High School’s beloved Principal Joseph Palumbo. Two articles by Christine Pasqueralle are one about the Briarcliff Manor Library’s Poetry Café, and a second about the much beloved Briarcliff Manor fundraiser – affectionately called Mezzapalooza. Please also don’t miss our update about the upcoming lineup at the ever-beautiful Caramoor, or the breaking news about the Jacob Burns Film Center’s opening of Take 3, a new Wine Bar and Cafe! Here too is an announcement of the lineup of the Pleasantville Music Festival which we are lending a helping hand to this year, too, as a media sponsor.
Plus, as always, there’s ‘much more’. Just take a look!
If I’ve missed anyone or anything, we will surely catch up with you one day, as we love to do!
I’m forever grateful to all our contributors and advertisers — I’d like you to know that advertising revenue remains vital for bringing these independently-produced editions to a wide swath of Northern Westchester ‘and beyond’ (to some 75,000 readers not even counting the internet reach of many thousands more with each publishing cycle), so in our 21st year of publishing that includes some true milestones including a recent 20-year anniversary or Inside Chappaqua, a current 10-year anniversary for Inside Armonk and five-year one for Inside Briarcliff Manor & Pleasantville, please contact us ‘for the first time’ if you have ever contemplated a print plus online (a powerful combo!) sponsorship, or ‘revisit’ us if you have in the past!
We’re still cooking, but make no mistake about it, we need you!
More than ever, in fact, we also appreciate reader support. Another way to help us keep the issues coming is a digital subscription that opens up a decade of content to you (ask us how to unlock a story permanently too, or over the long term): https://www.theinsidepress.com/subscriptions/
It’s truly a privilege producing well regarded magazines in the beautiful hills of Northern Westchester. So, as I retreat to behind-the-scenes projects and pursuits, please know I’m still very much here, and confident that our magazines’ ‘day to day’ responsibilities are in capable hands with associate publisher/editor, Elise Trainor. Elise will be giving you The Inside Scoop each issue.
Here’s wishing you warm, bright days ahead in your own precious lives.
