Poetry Caravan w. Patrick Hammer Jr. & Will Nixon
An evening of poetry with Will Nixon and Patrick Hammer Jr.
Will Nixon's poetry books are Love in the City of Grudges (FootHills Publishing) and My Late Mother as a Ruffed Grouse (FootHills Publishing) as well as the chapbooks When I Had It Made (Pudding House) and The Fish Are Laughing (Pavement Saw). With Michael Perkins he co-authored of Walking Woodstock: Journeys into the Wild Heart of America's Most Famous Small Town (Bushwhack Books), a local bestseller. His work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and listed in Best American Essays 2004
Patrick Hammer, Jr., a resident of Saugerties, was formerly from The Bronx, and Paramus and Fort Lee in New Jersey. He has been on the poetry scene since the mid-70s and was a long-time member and workshop leader for North Jersey’s Bergen Poets. He co-led The Wild Angels writing workshops at Manhattan’s Cathedral of Saint John the Divine for ten years, 2000-2010. During the 1980s he led workshops at the Fort Lee Adult School. For nearly 20 years he led workshops for writing and poetry appreciation at the Fort Lee Senior Activity Center. Hammer is recently co-founder of The Blue Stone Poets and their workshops meeting in the Village of Saugerties. He has 9 books published and appears widely in small literary magazines here and abroad.
Live Music: Masha Sokol
Masha Sokol is a Russian-born singer and songwriter based out of the Catskills/Hudson Valley.
Having spent half her childhood in Russia and half in the United States, she weaves together elements from the music of her two cultures to create a unique tapestry of sound.
Sokol’s haunting vocals and visually-driven lyrics paint a picture of the human experience in an ever-changing world. Her music speaks to a generation touched by themes of loss, transformation, and hope.
Her music has been featured nationally on NPR's Democracy Now! and locally on WJFF's Now & Then. She performs live on stages of all sizes, ranging from small intimate venues such as NYC's Berlin Under A, to music festivals like Sullivan County Music Festival and Beaverjam. On the stage, she performs either solo or with her band, comprised of Simon Efrein on drums and Eamon Lebow on lead electric guitar.
Community Book Swap
Got a book you loved and are ready to pass along? Looking for something new to read without adding to the to-be-read pile at home? Join us for a community book swap.
Bring a gently used book (or two) and trade it for something new-to-you while meeting fellow readers from around the community. (Three books max, please).
Because we’re hosting the event in the shop, there’s a $10 participation fee, which helps support the bookstore and keeps events like this possible.
Tickets can be purchased HERE
Good Work: A Series, with Nikki Volpicelli
Join writers in all genres as they read from works in progress. Signs up are first come first serve, with 7-10 minutes per reader. Guests and readers are encouraged to stick around after the event to shop, have a drink, and discuss work.
Sign up in person or online
*If signups fill up, we’ll add you to the top of the list next month
Author Event: Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, "Parks and Rec"
We’re excited to team up with The Starlite Motel to host a special literary event as part of a new “Star-LIT” series celebrating books, conversation, and community.
On Saturday, April 25, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., the Starlite Motel will host a fireside chat featuring New York Times bestselling author and cultural historian Jennifer Keishin Armstrong in conversation with Kingston Mayor Steve Noble to celebrate the release of her new book, Parks and Rec: The Underdog TV Show That Lit'rally Inspired a Vision for a Better America.
Parks and Rec tells the creation story behind the beloved hit show, steeped in the Obama-era aura of optimism, hope and belief in civic service, lovingly told by Armstrong, and chock full of insight and humor.
The conversation will be followed by a book signing, cocktail hour from Catskills Cocktail Club, with themed food inspired by Parks and Recreation. The ticket price includes food and one cocktail.
Hosted on the grounds of the Starlite Motel in Kerhonkson, the event will be an intimate gathering for guests, providing an opportunity to mingle and delight in the show’s behind-the-scenes stories and enduring appeal. Books may be pre-ordered here, and will also be available for purchase on site, the day-of the event.
The event will serve as The Common Good’s headlining event for this year’s Independent Bookstore Day, a nationwide celebration of independent bookstores and the communities that support them.
Tickets and reservations can be made HERE
Music for Humanity, Free Concert Series - Kurt Henry
Beginning on Friday March 13th Music for Humanity will present a free concert on the second Friday of the month at The Common Good in Ellenville, featuring the finest musicians in the Hudson Valley & beyond.
This first one will feature Kurt Henry and Cheryl Lambert. Kurt, a great singer/songwriter/guitarist has accompanied acclaimed artists Rick Danko and Chuck Berry. He has also opened for the following legendary groups: Procal Harem, The Byrds, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Asleep at the Wheel, David Bromberg, John Sebastian and more.
This is a Free Event. Tips/donations are accepted. If you can’t afford anything please come and enjoy the music… you will.
Find out more about Kurt & Cheryl: https://www.kurthenry.com/
Mend & Stitch Circle
Share and learn mending techniques, like patching and sewing, to give your clothes a longer life with simple, creative repairs.
Bring your craft projects—knitting, crocheting, embroidery, or anything else—and enjoy creating with others.
Open to everyone, no matter your experience or skill level.
O+ Information & Participation Session
Curious to learn more about bringing the O+ Music and Art Festival to Ellenville or ready to step up and take a role in making it happen? Come on by!
Author Event: Shannon McKenna Schmidt, "You Can't Catch Us”
Join us at the start of Women’s History Month for a conversation with Shannon McKenna Schmidt, author of You Can’t Catch Us, Lady Bird Johnson’s Trailblazing 1964 Campaign Train and the Women Who Rode with Her. McKenna Schmidt will be in conversation with Matthew Goldman, owner of The Common Good.
Book will be available for purchase and signing after the event.
Fantasy Book Club Meetup
Come hang, meet friends, talk great books, drink great drinks!
Good Work: A Series, with Nikki Volpicelli
Join writers in all genres as they read from works in progress. Signs up are first come first serve, with 7-10 minutes per reader. Guests and readers are encouraged to stick around after the event to shop, have a drink, and discuss work.
Sign up in person or online
*If signups fill up, we’ll add you to the top of the list next month
Ulster Literacy Association Volunteer Tutor Information Session
Looking for a meaningful volunteer opportunity?
Become an Ulster Literacy Tutor!
Help an adult with reading, writing and English language proficiency and share your love of reading and language with a neighbor today!
Come out to this info session to learn more, or call: (845) 331-6837, or Email: teresa@ulsterliteracy.org
Hudson Valley Documentary Club
Join us at DocuClub HV for a night of documentary screenings of works-in-progress (trailers, samples, and rough cuts) for feedback. Food and drink available for purchase.
Live Music: Chill Sound
Kevin and Steve play your favorite songs from the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s!
Environmental History Book Review & Discussion w. Andrew Faust
Permaculture expert and educator, Andrew Faust reads excerpts from The Burning Earth: 500 Year s of Environmental History written by Yale professor Sunil Amrith, and leads a discussion (which just may lead to a new eco-focused book club!)
Faust describes the work as “an erudite and articulate, spanning from early agrarian societies and the transition from Nomadic lifestyles to sedentary more rice and grain based agriculture. The book dives in depth into China, India and Russian histories with a powerful writing style that carries us all the way into contemporary times. Sunil Amrith observes sweeping and insightful patterns of history , tying together vast swaths of time and ecological relationships, distilling them to poignant and important connections.
Please listen as we go from early civilizations to colonialism, sugar, WW I - tanks vs. horses, WW II - chemicals and industrialization, wrapping with the green revolution, India and modern global food issues and ideas.
For a head start, preview this podcast episode Faust recorded.
Don't Lego My Heart: A Couple's Valentine's Build
Build LEGO® roses together in our cozy bookstore/bar, enjoy cocktail specials 🍸 and food 🍴, and skip the boring flowers this year 😉
Choose from two sessions: 6:00–7:30 PM or 8:00–9:30 PM.
Spots are limited and reservations close February 11—reserve yours today.
Mend & Stitch Circle
Share and learn mending techniques, like patching and sewing, to give your clothes a longer life with simple, creative repairs.
Bring your craft projects—knitting, crocheting, embroidery, or anything else—and enjoy creating with others.
Open to everyone, no matter your experience or skill level.
Board Game Night
Join us for a fun-filled board game night at The Common Good, where gamers of all ages are welcome to play, connect, and enjoy great company. Bring your favorite game, or discover new ones while indulging in drinks and bites from our bar! If you can beat Ellie at Scrabble, you win a free drink!
Live Music: Marianne Osiel
We are delighted to welcome singer/songwriter Marianne Osiel back to the TCG stage. Osiel crafts melodic, roots-inspired songs, and her energetic and emotive performances are not to be missed.
"Marianne has a gift for very original songwriting combined with a beautiful voice - Dave Sancious, Keyboardist (Eric Clapton)
Mend & Stitch Circle
Share and learn mending techniques, like patching and sewing, to give your clothes a longer life with simple, creative repairs.
Bring your craft projects—knitting, crocheting, embroidery, or anything else—and enjoy creating with others.
Open to everyone, no matter your experience or skill level.
Diamond Art Workshop
Join for a relaxing Diamond Art Workshop led by Murial Pagliaroni. Create your own sparkling masterpiece—no experience needed, just bring your creativity! ✨ This free event is open to all, so come craft & unwind.
Live Music: Route One & Tim Dayon
Route One (Mikal Federici & Anna Savchuk) is a singer/songwriter duo formed in 2024, in Asheville, North Carolina. Following the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the pair moved north, resettling in Warwick, N.Y. With scores of clever and catchy original music, along with handfuls of complementary covers, Route One touches on notes of folk, pop, rock and blues, combining the standard musical forms into a package that is all their own. Between sweet, mellifluous harmonies, shadowy minor-key pieces, or charging rock progressions, Route One explores the range of the American musical idiom, with lyrical content that does just the same. The clean, unburdened two-piece arrangement between Federici & Savchuk gives listeners a chance to connect with both the duo and the songs they deliver, making for intimate performances audiences are sure to remember.
Tim Dayon makes singer songwriter music
Amanda's Parlor w. Amanda Jerry & Guests
Spend your Saturday holiday shopping in a cozy, old-fashioned “parlor” atmosphere inside The Common Good, where Amanda Jerry plays creatively arranged covers—old-timey and new. Each week she’ll welcome special guests, turning holiday gift-hunting into a festive little escape :)
Fiction Book Club Meetup
See you from 5-6! All book club members get 10% off book club picks, as well as ANY merchandise bought the day of the meetup!
Books, Bar, & the Big Screen: Classic Movie Wednesday
Every other Wednesday, we dim the lights and roll the reels. Join us for Classic Movie Night at The Common Good — an evening of copyright-free cinema, cocktails, and community. (Books still for sale:)
Quiet Reading Hour
Quiet Reading events will take place at the bookstore from 5:00-7:00 starting Wednesday, November 12th and will repeat on November 19th and December 10th and 17th.
Bring your own book or come early and buy one at the bookstore. We quietly read for one hour. Afterward join us for an hour of socializing, eating, drinking, meeting new people and making new friends.
Meet Santa!
Join us Dec 14 from 12–2pm for a Santa visit complete with photos, candy canes, and all the cozy cheer. Stick around for festive drinks, holiday browsing, and giftable reads for everyone on your list.
Amanda's Parlor w. Amanda Jerry & Guests
Spend your Saturday holiday shopping in a cozy, old-fashioned “parlor” atmosphere inside The Common Good, where Amanda Jerry plays creatively arranged covers—old-timey and new. Each week she’ll welcome special guests, turning holiday gift-hunting into a festive little escape :)