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The Roundtable

The 43rd Season of the NYS Writer's Institute kicks off on 9/2

By Joe Donahue
Published August 31, 2026 at 11:12 AM EDT
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The 43rd season of the NYS Writers Institute kicks off Wednesday with a conversation with singer/songwriter Natalie Merchant. The 9thannual Albany Book Festival is Sept. 26 and a great lineup with dozens of literary events, films, etc.

We get a preview now with Paul Grondahl, the Opalka Endowed Director at the NYS Writers Institute.

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The Roundtable NYS writers instituteNew York State Writers InstituteUAlbany
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Joe Donahue
Joe talks to people on the radio for a living. In addition to countless impressive human "gets" - he has talked to a lot of Muppets. Joe grew up in Philadelphia, has been on the area airwaves for more than 25 years and currently lives in Washington County, NY with his wife, Kelly, and their dog, Brady. And yes, he reads every single book.
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