*Saturday, June 28 @ 2 pm*

Lyn Burnstine is a Poughkeepsie resident and author of three books, all published since she was in her late sixties. Her latest book is an anecdotal memoir entitled Second Verse: Second Chorus. It includes essays and poetry that chronicle her growing-up years in the rural Midwest, her delight in nature, family, friends and music, as well as commentary on the many challenges and joys of growing older in our times.

For a time, Lyn was a columnist for the Mid-Hudson Senior Gazette; currently, she is actively involved in the Hudson Valley Folk Guild’s Friends of Fiddler’s Green, she leads a writing workshop at St. Simeon’s in Poughkeepsie, and exhibits her landscape photography at various places in the area. As a professional folk singer of nearly 40 years’ duration, her presentation of literary readings are interspersed with musical offerings.

…also on Sat. June 28 @ 6 pm

Do you know the difference between burning one and Burning Man? Do you chuckle to yourself when the clock strikes 4:20? Are you convinced that the movie Dazed and Confused deserved an Oscar? If you answered “Dude!” to any of these questions, then Pot Culture is the book for you.

For those in the know, it’s the stoner bible. For novices, it’s Pot 101. Either way, Pot Culture encapsulates the history, lifestyle, and language of a subculture that, with every generation, is constantly redefining itself. From exhaustive lists of stoner-friendly movies, music, and television shows to detailed explanations of various stoner tools to celebrity-authored how-tos, and an A–Z compendium of slang words and terms, it’s the ultimate encyclopedia of pot.

Written by former High Times editors Shirley Halperin (now a senior writer at Entertainment Weekly) and Steve Bloom (publisher of CelebStoner.com), and featuring contributions by a host of celebrity stoners, including Melissa Etheridge, Maroon 5’s Adam Levine, Redman, Steve-O, and America’s Next Top Model’s Adrianne Curry, Pot Culture provides the answers to everything you ever wanted to know about pot but were too stoned to ask.

Frances Dunwell, who has worked for 30 years to conserve the Hudson and its cultural heritage, tells the story of the magical river that has been central to New York’s power and to the history of the United

States. Beginning with the Native Americans, Dunwell follows the river through the centuries, describing the painters—like Thomas Cole—who found in the river inspiration for great art, and the Civilian Conservation Corps’s work to build recreational facilities during the Great Depression. Dunwell will discuss how the Hudson River impacts our community, the transformative role of the Hudson in American history and culture past and present; how its unique geography, scenic beauty, and a wealth of entrepreneurial spirit produce innovative changes for local communities, the state, and the world.

Local author and teacher Joseph Cavano (Thursday, June 12 @ 6pm)

mixes past and present in his newest novel: Half-Past Nowhere; which is patterned after (among others) Hemingway’s In Our Time. It too traces the life of a young hero as he moves from innocence to experience. Most of the stories are set in and around Kingston, New Paltz and the Catskill Mountains. Two of them, “Phineas Rising” and “Mountain Men” have already been honored as finalists in a short-story contest sponsored by Glimmer Train. Immerse yourself in this coming of age tale of a boy discovering love, heartache, apathy and self.

May Pang, Lennon’s girlfriend from 1973 to 1975 (Friday, June 20 @ 6 pm) at Muddy Cup coffee house,

discovered these never-before-seen images in a shoe-box in her closet. Her photos show Lennon in a variety of settings: at work, at play, at home, and away. They show a playful Lennon, a casual, unguarded Lennon; they’re the kind of photos one lover takes of another. Each photograph is an intimate glimpse into a fascinating time in John Lennon’s life, and we welcome May Pang, at Muddy Cup Coffee House, for a presentation and discussion on the late icon.

Please join us for what promises to be exciting events at Inquiring Minds Bookstore

6 Church Street, in the heart of New Paltz (845-255-8300)