“Stories tell you what’s important to people.” - AJ Schenkman

Thanks to Jennifer Santiago and Jenny Leifer of The Valley Girls podcast, I was introduced to a writer and public school teacher A.J. Schenkman. He writes a lot about area history and has published multiple books including “Patriots and Spies,” Wicked Ulster County,” “Washington’s Headquarters in Newburgh” and most recently the beautiful illustrated children’s book “Franklin’s Trees.”

As you’ll hear on this episode of Cidiot®, A.J.’s brand of writing and teaching is “History Made Seamless,” which means making history accessible. We talk about how he got into writing about history, Eleanor wanting a place of her own away from mother-in-law, witness trees, stories from the FDR National Historic Site, elk, and A.J.’s new illustrated book: “Franklin’s Trees.”

“A good book will transform you through time,” he promises so excited to share this conversation and a slew of stories about FDR, Eleanor, trees, and more.

Links to highlights from this episode:

• Franklin’s Trees, by A.J. Schenkman (Muddy Boots publishing)
• A.J. Schenkman's blog “History Made Seamless”
• Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site
• Val-Kill, Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site
• Historic Huguenot Street (New Paltz)
• A.J. on Literary Hudson Valley (YouTube)
• Cidiot Episode 29: Eleanor Was Right

Thanks to the Valley Girls Podcast and their new show, Literary Hudson Valley.

Cidiot® is the award-winning podcast about moving to the Hudson Valley, produced and hosted by Mat Zucker. This episode was brilliantly edited by Isaac Rostan. Please rate & review the show at Cidiot.com, join the mailing list, and get in touch about what you like—and what you’d like to hear about. And come visit.

Cidiot® 2024. All Rights Reserved.

Hudson, New York is still a new place for me, so this episode Cidiot tries to take a short cut to getting to know why the way things are.

I find the best way to do this is through people who’ve been here for years and who reflect the way things are and maybe even shape them.

Meet Mark Allen, a film-maker, a writer, a radio host, and yes, a former go-go boy. Mark and I both grew up in the 70s and 80s, though I was not a go-go boy nor featured in Paper Magazine. He is prolific and provocative and is generous and hilarious sharing what he sees. We talk about Hudson’s culture, about video, dinner parties, the waves of gays, advice for cidiots—and of course the back alleys of Hudson.

Links highlighted in episode:

• About Mark Allen

• Mark Allen’s YouTube channel

• “Are Hudson’s Sidewalks Safe for NYC Tourists” (Youtube):
• Time & Space Limited, Hudson:
• Wax museum, Lake George

Cidiot® is the award-winning podcast about moving to the Hudson Valley. Please rate & review the show at Cidiot.com, join the mailing list, and get in touch about what you like—and what you’d like to hear about. And come visit.

Cidiot® 2024. All Rights Reserved.

Carole Osterink writes The Gossips of Rivertown, a blog that is news and commentary (and takes its name from a novel by a Hudson writer). It’s a must-read for all of us who live here. This episode tune into Carole’s story, how she chooses what to cover, if she considers herself a journalist andtr advise if you want to start a hyperlocal news sources like it in your town.

I hope you have something like it where you live. And I hope it’s written by someone like Carole.

Hyperlocal newspapers & blogs (pls send in more!):

• A Little Beacon Blog (Beacon)
• Croton History & Mysteries (Croton)
• The Daily Catch (Red Hook and Rhinebeck)
• Daily Freeman (Ulster, Green & No. Dutchess Counties)
• The Gardiner Gazette (Gardiner):
• The Gossips of Rivertown (Hudson)
• The Highlands Current (Philipstown, Cold Spring, Garrison)
• The Hudson Valley Pilot (Rhinebeck)
• Hudson Valley One (Ulster County)
• Hudson Valley Post
• IMBY (several counties)
• Kingston Wire (Kingston)
• Mid-Hudson News
• Ossining History on the Run (Ossining)
• Tgazette (Taghkanic)

Plus, Mat is recently interviewed on the Rhinebeck Scoop podcast about Cidiot.

There also are many good visitor and travel blogs to the Hudson Valley but that’s a separate list. Let me know if I should put one together.

Cidiot® is the award-winning podcast about moving to the Hudson Valley. Please rate & review the show at Cidiot.com, join the mailing list, and get in touch about what you like—and what you’d like to hear about. And come visit.

Cidiot® 2024. All Rights Reserved.