Next, an update on the Thevenin family civil rights lawsuit. On Tuesday, March 9, oral arguments were held at the Second Circuit Court of Appeals as the City of Troy tried to stop the Thevenin suit from moving to a juried trial. Professor Emerita at Albany Law School Laurie Shanks joined Hudson Mohawk Magazine producer Elizabeth Press to explain the significance of this update.

Troy's Appeal of Thevenin Civil Rights Lawsuit Explained by Laurie Shanks

As our audience probably knows by now, one of our producers Meghan Marohn was reported missing from Lee, Massachusetts on March 29, 2022, This past weekend her body was found. Since today Meg would have turned 43, we decided to collect some memories from her people near and far. Hudson Mohawk Magazine producer Elizabeth Press put together this piece.

A Tribute to Meghan Marohn on her Birthday

Hudson Mohawk Magazine launched on September 11, 2017 with the conscious goal of creating a community radio platform to nurture diverse voices in the Capital Region in response to increasing assaults on our civil liberties. Sina Basila Hickey asked Steve Pierce, co-founder of the Sanctuary for Independent Media about the evolution of this program on its 5th year anniversary.

This photo is from the very first HMM show on 9-11-17

Hudson Mohawk Magazine is 5 Years Old; an Interview with Steve Pierce

Originally airing June 20, 2025 on WOOC-LP, Troy and WOOS-LP Schenectady and mediasanctuary.org.

No More Genre Show: 06-20-2025

Thom Francis introduces us to Bob Sharkey, a local poet and short fiction writer. He is a board member of the Hudson Valley Writers Guild serving in many capacities over the years. Bob and his family run the annual Stephen A. DiBiase Poetry Prize contest, named after Bob’s best childhood friend. Bob read his poem  "After ODing on Peanut M&Ms during Game 6" that local poet and photographer Dan Wilcox described as “a funny piece on what a white nationalist world would look like,” at the Poets Speak Loud open mic on November 27, 2017. In their conversation, they discuss that poem, the local open mic scene, and more. 

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Bob Sharkey is the editor of the Stephen A. DiBiase Poetry Prize contest which is sponsored by his family. They decided to name the contest afterBob’s best childhood friend. They grew up together in the Libbytown section of Portland, Maine. They liked to explore the fields, wooded areas, and marshes in the area between their homes on Wood Street and the Fore River. Stephen was like a big brother to Bob. Stephen went to Vietnam as an Army photographer. After he returned, he urged his friend Bob to avoid Vietnam at all costs and Stephen and his family helped Bob obtain conscientious objector status. In 1973, Stephen drowned in shallow water off the coast near Bath, Maine.

The contest was designed by Bob to be unlike other contests and avoid some of the things that discouraged him from submitting to them. There are no entry fees. The $2,500 or so prize money is spread out among the top entrants with a modest first place prize award of $500. There are no line or page limits and the contest gladly reads all forms of poetry and is open to all subjects and topics or none. Published or unpublished work is welcome. There are no age limits and we typically receive many submissions by younger poets, some who have won prizes or recognition.

Talking Writing, Open Mics, and Contests with Bob Sharkey (Revisited)

Hudson Mohawk Magazine correspondent Andrea Cunliffe speaks with artist Kevin Clark about his new mural in Troy.

Kevin Clark Interview On Troy Mural

Two weeks after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis by a white police officer and one day after Troy's largest protest for Black Lives, WOOC Correspondent Elizabeth Press spoke to activist and author Barbara Smith about the significance of these protests.

Barbara Smith's Analysis of Protests for Black Lives

Joan Kelsey's guitar songs are kind. They're considerate, but they're also spur-of-the-moment. The Troy singer sums it up this way: "top of head, bottom of heart." On November 6th, Joan released a new album of songs called House of Mercy. HMM reporter Ben Seretan spoke with Joan about the record, the region, and how they've kind of enjoyed lockdown on a back patio earlier this week in an interview featuring a live performance.

To hear the album, please visit:
https://joankelsey.bandcamp.com/album/house-of-mercy-2

Joan Kelsey - Interview & Performance

COVID-19 revealed the fragility of the US food supply and exacerbated the food insecurity tens of millions of Americans stuggle with every day. But what is the ideology that accepts hunger in the richest country on Earth? How did junk food become so widespread? What does a better food culture look like? This is part one of a two-part conversation with food justice activist and author of “The New Bread Basket” Amy Halloran, and the nationally recognized photojournalist Brenda Ann Kenneally, whose photoessay “America at Hunger’s Edge” appeared in the New York Times this September. Reported by HMM Correspondent Miles Mikofsky.

Pictured: "Jaheim buying a corndog at the Dude With the Food", by Brenda Ann Kenneally via https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/09/02/magazine/food-insecurity-hunger-us.html

See also: https://www.alittlecreativeclass.org and https://www.upstategirls.org

What Food Means pt. 1 with Amy Halloran and Brenda Ann Kenneally

Adrian Hill provides a brief overview of the United Tenants of Albany, including what services they provide and how you can get involved!

United Tenants of Albany- an overview of services with Adrian Hill

HMM Producer Elena McGrath talks to Tacos La Capital owner Yair de la Rosa about his new Troy location, the importance of food in building community, his background in Mexico City, and opening a business during a pandemic.

Yair de la Rosa Opens Tacos La Capital

Hudson Mohawk Magazine is a local volunteer-produced news hour that provides sanctuary for the discussion of a wide range of topics, scaling from the global to the hyper-local. The show is broadcasted from The Sanctuary for Independent Media on WOOC 105.3 FM.

Thanks to listeners like you, the Sanctuary is able to use art and participatory action to promote social and environmental justice and freedom of creative expression.