On Tuesday, April 4 at 7:30 p.m., the State Theatre New Jersey welcomes humorist David Sedaris.
Beloved for his personal essays and short stories, Sedaris is the author of Barrel Fever, Holidays on Ice, Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls and Calypso, which was a Washington Post Best Book of the Year. more
“Barns” by Louise Palagyi
During the month of April, the Gourgaud Gallery in Cranbury will host a watercolor exhibit entitled the “Four Seasons” by Louise Palagyi. The show will run from April 3 through April 26 and will be open to the public Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Palagyi is a local artist, gallery board member, and Cranbury resident. more
On Saturday, May 13 at 4 p.m. at Trinity Church in Princeton, Voices Chorale NJ (VCNJ) presents Fields of Gold: Songs in the Key of Hope. The program features music from a range of modern composers, including arrangements of songs by Sting, Dolly Parton, and Carly Simon. In this concert, VCNJ also concludes their rendition of “Folk Songs of the Four Seasons” by Ralph Vaughn Williams with the spring and summer sections of the work. more
The Old Barracks Museum in Trenton is looking for volunteers to help with some spring cleaning on the grounds of the property on Saturday, April 15 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Grab some gloves and a rake and join the other volunteers in prepping for another season of programming at the museum. Those who can offer their trucks for the hauling away of some larger logs and debris are especially needed. There’s plenty to do around the property. Guests should provide their own work gloves and rakes and the Barracks staff will be ready with lots of coffee and donuts. more
Dear Princeton Magazine Readers,
Late in January there was a “meet and greet” event to launch the new “Experience Princeton” program with the tagline, “Discoveries Around Every Corner.” One of the attendees came up to me and mentioned how much he enjoyed my Publisher’s Letter, saying that he read the letter before he explored the rest of the magazine. more
By Anne Levin | Photography by Jeffrey E. Tryon
When Adam Welch has trouble sleeping at night, he goes online and reads old newspapers about the history of Princeton. Any mention he finds of 102 Witherspoon Street — home of the Arts Council of Princeton, of which he has been executive director since September 2020 — is especially gratifying.
“It’s not that I’m obsessed with the past,” the affable Welch says during a conversation in his art-filled office on a rainy morning. “I just want to see where we came from.” more
George Washington (1732-1799) in front of Nassau Hall by Edward Percy Moran. (Wikimedia Commons)
By Wendy Greenberg
Some 240 years ago, on June 30, 1783, Secretary of Congress Charles Thomson described Princeton in a letter to his wife: “With respect to situation, convenience, and pleasure I do not know a more agreeable spot in America.” more
Morning Circle at YingHua International School
By Taylor Smith
The study of foreign language begun at an early age has been shown to set children up with an undoubted advantage in terms of socialization, critical thinking, memory, and listening abilities. Thankfully, within the greater Princeton area, there are many opportunities to expose children, teens, and young adults to summer camps, schools, and coursework related to foreign language and culture that are exciting and enjoyable. A bilingual education from a young age also increases a person’s overall language learning ability, making it easier to study and acquire additional foreign language aptitudes later in life. Broadening of the mind and seeing the world and the people within it in a global fashion is yet another undeniable positive. Some would argue that with the current environmental and political state of the world, teaching the next generation the art of collaboration and contribution is more important than ever. more
By Taylor Smith | Images courtesy of shutterstock.com
When people begin to think of fertility treatments, in vitro fertilization (IVF) most likely comes quickly to mind. That’s because the procedure of fertilizing an egg and sperm outside of the body in a petri dish and then placing it inside the uterus has clinically been practiced since 1978. more
(Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.com)
By Justin Feil
Long before Paul Epply-Schmidt was a repeat national fencing champion, he grew up pretending to fight.
“At the very young level, you did what I did,” said Epply-Schmidt. “Kids play with sticks and trash can lids, and you think you’re a medieval knight or musketeer. Lots of kids play with things that are supposed to be swords.”
Fencing evolved into a sport out of a war form centuries ago and spread from Europe to North America and Asia. The United States is stronger than ever internationally in the sport as it continues to grow in large part due to increasing youth numbers. New Jersey, which has produced many Olympians, is particularly strong nationally. Fencing clubs and the Princeton YMCA offer local training opportunities for beginners to competitive fencers of all ages and backgrounds. more
Photo by Ben Russell, Princeton University
By Ilene Dube
Although a small country (population 5 million), Ireland has produced some of the world’s finest writers, from James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, and Samuel Becket to Iris Murdoch, Seamus Heaney, Edna O’Brien, Colm Tóibín, Elizabeth Bowen, William Trevor … we could be reciting the names of writers for as long as it takes to read Joyce’s Ulysses aloud.
If non-fiction writers are admitted to the pack, The Irish Times columnist Fintan O’Toole would be among them. He is considered one of the Emerald Isle’s leading public intellectuals. In 2011, The Observer named O’Toole one of “Britain’s top 300 intellectuals.” more
By Stuart Mitchner
In her introduction to the 20th Anniversary Edition of Joyce Carol Oates’s Blonde, literary critic Elaine Showalter calls it her “most ambitious novel,” in which she “uncannily channels” Marilyn Monroe’s “inner voice and demands that the star be given recognition, compassion, and respect.”
If you have ever fallen in love with Norma Jeane and Marilyn, the Girl and the Vision, it’s hard to believe that any mortal writer could produce such a book without exploiting so exploitable a human subject. But here the nature of exploitation is a given, like wind and rain, sun and shadow, and the book becomes a weather event driven by Oates’s gale force prose. There’s even an underground wind of sorts in one of the best-known images of the star, which Oates describes in Blonde and quotes from on her website Celestial Timepiece: “She’s standing with bare legs apart on a New York subway grating. Her blond head is thrown rapturously back as an updraft lifts her full, flaring skirt, exposing white cotton panties.” more
(Photo courtesy of Jackson State University)
By Donald H. Sanborn III
The Princeton Alliance for Collaborative Research and Innovation (PACRI) is being launched to facilitate research collaborations between Princeton University faculty and their peers at historically Black colleges and universities. more
For six weeks, Waldorf School of Princeton will offer exploratory and outdoor-oriented summer camp for ages 4 through 12. Running from June 26 through August 4, camp hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Campers will be divided by groups based on age and will spend the day in play and discovery led by counselors and assistants, all over the age of 18. Staying with these peers and counselors, camp days include activities and projects with the lead teaching artist along with games, creek exploration, crafting, singing, and playing on Waldorf’s 20-acre Princeton campus. Campers will bring snack and a lunch daily from home. more
The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) will celebrate its Alumni Weekend on campus on April 21 and 22. The events begin with a performance by the TCNJ Orchestra at the Mildred and Ernest E. Mayo Concert Hall on Friday night. Come back Saturday for an action-packed day of alumni fun. The $30 Alumni BBQ package includes one drink ticket, T-shirt, and drawstring backpack. There will also be a campus tour of the athletic Hall of Champions, TCNJ’s Art Gallery and BFA Art Senior Exhibition, School of Business Social Hour, and Student/Teacher Reunion. more
Tulips bring more than a powerful pop of vibrancy to your garden. Did you know that this flower has historically been a symbol of wealth and was considered to be as valuable as a diamond during the 17th century?
With this in mind, Dalton Farms is gearing up for the Annual Tulip Festival. This year’s event will run from April 1 through April 23. The “you-pick” tulip opportunity includes the cost of an admissions ticket, as well as the cost of the flowers, which are $10 for 10 tulips, $20 for 20 stems, $30 for 30 stems, or $2 per stem. The tulips are available in a rainbow of colors and make for a magical way to spend a spring afternoon. more
The Trenton Punk Rock Flea Market’s annual Spring Fling shopping experience returns on April 1 and 2 to the Cure Insurance Arena in Trenton. This is the largest and most unique shopping experience in Central New Jersey. Over 500 small businesses, artists, makers, and crafters from nearly 25 states will be present. The 40,000-square-foot-arena will also be occupied by food trucks, live tattooing, live music, celebrity guests, punk rock karaoke, and a huge scavenger hunt filled with prizes. Guests can also sign up for the VIP area, which is limited to 100 people and includes perks and goodies. more
On Saturday, March 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Howell Living History Farm, experience the seasonal joy of lambing day. Will a lamb be born on lambing day? It has happened before, but it’s ultimately up to the schedule and the timing of the ewes. Lambing season lasts for several week and whether you’re at Howell Farm or not, there is much to learn about the practice of lambing in the barn where sheep spend much of their winter. more
Now through April 23, Peddler’s Village presents the 4th Annual PEEPS in the Village, an event that showcases the creative talents of regional residents — and the longstanding allure of the colorful candies. Guests will see more than 100 marshmallow masterpieces carefully crafted with bright bunnies and chicks in inspired, inventive settings. more
