CityMaking Salon Series
Steven Higashide, author of Better Buses, Better Cities reading from his book while riding Newburgh’s public bus. Photo by Betty Bastidas, June 23, 2022.
In Summer and Fall 2022 The Fullerton hosted the City Making Talk Series. Each talk featured a local author who has written on topics relevant to the City of Newburgh. Lots of discussion then followed. Authors and topics were selected with input from Newburgh’s citizen-led boards and committees. The talks were hosted at non-traditional sites throughout the city.
Changes to Newburgh impact all residents. This salon was about gathering people who represent and reflect Newburgh’s demographics. It was not limited to architects, planners, and preservationists. The timing for these salon discussions was important. Over the past decade, Newburgh has seen a rapid change in neighborhood character, culture, and demographics. But, since the pandemic, the change has accelerated even more dramatically.
This series built upon The Fullerton’s audience that has grown from past Humanities New York-funded projects like the Barbershop Conversations in 2019, the Audre Lorde Reading Group in 2020, and Frederick Douglass in Newburgh 150th Anniversary in 2020.
This program was made possible with funding from Humanities New York.
DATES
Thursday, November 3, 2022 at 5pm at Newburgh Art Supply. Featuring Kavita Das, local author of Craft and Conscience. Writers are witnesses and scribes to society’s conscience but writing about social issues in the twenty-first century requires a new, sharper toolkit. Kavita Das guides writers to take on nuanced perspectives and embrace intentionality through a social justice lens. She challenges writers to unpack their motivations for writing about an issue and to understand that “writing, irrespective of genre or outlet, is an act of political writing,” regardless of intention. Please join us at 5pm for a writing exercise followed by readings from Kavita and a community discussion.
Thursday, October 27, 2022 at 5pm at 115 Broadway. Featuring Mindy Thompson Fullilove, author of Main Street: How a City's Heart Connects Us All. Fullilove discovered the power of city centers to “help us name and solve our problems.” In an era of compounding crises including racial injustice, climate change, and COVID-19, the ability to rely on the power of community is more important than ever. However, Fullilove describes how a pattern of disinvestment in inner-city neighborhoods has left Main Streets across the U.S. in disrepair, weakening our cities and leaving us vulnerable to catastrophe. Please join us at 5pm for a tour of the Broadway, followed by readings from Mindy at 6pm and a community discussion.
Thursday, August 25, 2022 at 5pm at Downing Park Urban Farm. Featuring Melissa Checker, author of The Sustainability Myth: Environmental Gentrification and the Politics of Justice, in partnership with the Newburgh Urban Farm and Food Initiative. Please join us at 5pm for a tour of the farm, followed by readings from Melissa and a community discussion.
Thursday, June 23, 2022 at 6pm at Wireworks 109 S William St, Newburgh, NY. Our first event will feature local author Steven Higashide, expert on urban transit and author of Better Buses, Better Cities. Steven’s work synthesizes the need for improved public transit with its effect on the environment, human rights, participation in democracy, and accessibility to jobs and healthcare. Discussion will be led by the Newburgh Transportation Advisory Committee. Interested in joining us for a ride on Newburgh’s bus? Join us at the corner of Broadway and Liberty at 5pm.
