Celebrating Community
Slovo House – Unfinished Novel (2021) / Thursday, August 18: In the 1930’s Kharkiv, an ambitious young poet happily settles in at the new luxury “Slovo” House, built specifically for artists. He is part of a generation of creative Ukrainians, who do not realize the high price they will pay for their success under the totalitarian regime. Toloka (2020) / […]
In 2009, the Red Hook Art Project (RHAP,) a non-profit was founded in order to provide free visual art and music classes, as well as academic and stress management instruction to children in the neighborhood. Now, thirteen years later, RHAP is going strong and is opening up a new building on the corner of Van Brunt St. and Pioneer Street, […]
I opened an old friend’s email the other day. It read, “That was a time it was…wasn’t it?” Attached was a copy of the Brooklyn DA’s felony complaint against David Berkowitz, sworn to by Detective John Falotico, dated August 11, 1977. Back then, I was a Brooklyn probation officer again. My first go-round ended on July 1 of 1975, when […]
Once all part of the socialist Yugoslavia, countries in the Balkans are so different from one another that you feel the changes instantly as you travel through them. I did just that this summer, crossing the border between Italy and Slovenia, then headed to Croatia and eventually down to Bosnia-Herzegovina. The more southward you go, the poorer those countries are, […]
Why did the reporter get ice cream? Because she needed the inside scoop! There’s nothing more satisfying than having that first spoonful or lick of your favorite flavored ice cream on a hot summer day. The Red Hook Star-Revue experienced that firsthand during New York City’s most recent heat wave during a trip to Malai Ice Cream (268 Smith Street). […]
Nightlife and New York City are almost synonymous. People from all over the world come to America’s most populous city to jump-start their dreams or establish careers —- Jacq (Jacqueline) Frances was no different. Known as Jacq the Stripper, Jacq traveled to New York City, transformed into a nightlife guru and stripper, then worked with Jeniffer Lopez and Keke Palmer […]
The story of the independent music artist is usually marked with challenges and hopes of eventually ‘making it big’ and signing a record contract with a major label. For rapper J.R. Clark, his path as an independent artist has brought challenges, but also success without a major label deal. Here’s how J.R. Clark found stability and success as an independent […]
Since Italy opened up after the pandemic, newspapers are full of interviews with prominent entrepreneurs and restaurateurs claiming a shortage of young people willing to work and their over-expectation of salary, vacations and days off. This wave of criticism towards Gen Z has tended to portray the latter as a bunch of slackers and idlers, who prefer to benefit from […]
On May 12, Brooklyn Music School (126 St. Felix Street) presented a new concert titled “New Music in New York,” featuring new original pieces of contemporary music that focus on peace and the environment—including “Dissolve, O my Heart” by Missy Mazzoli, “Peace” by Jessie Montgomery, and “Lyrica Nova, Op.59 No.3” by Ukrainian composer Sergei Bortkiewicz (1877-1952). The concert also marked […]
Red Hook’s Community Justice Center has been an important part of the neighborhood since opening on Visitation Place in 2000. I had the opportunity to get a tour of the Center and speak to Judge Alex Calabrese, attorney Edna McGoldrick, and Director of Housing and Civil Justice, Ross Joy. I got to witness some of the housing court cases that […]