the view at Hancock Shaker Village on Tuesday
Welcome to another issue of The Jiffy, a newsletter sharing documentary stories about upstate New York!
This week, I spent some time at the serene Hancock Shaker Village in western Massachusetts (blanketed in the snow, making it extra serene), hanging out in the 1830 Brick Dwelling to interview Kathleen Lynch about Mother Ann Lee.
It was INCREDIBLY FUN and fascinating, and I can’t wait to share it with you on an upcoming podcast episode all about Ann Lee in January.
Speaking of podcasts, Olivia Muenter and I recently announced a new limited series called, “Little Pod,” all about the existential questions that arise while living and working as a novelist. She’s got a new book coming soon, “Little One,” out in February, and instead of stressing out about its impending release into the public realm, she’s focusing her energies on asking friends, novelists, experts, family members, former teachers, and others to learn about this life of letters she’s built for herself! I’m helping produce “Little Pod,” out in January, so we’ll keep you posted on that project as it comes along.
OK, on to this issue:
As an independent documentary creator, it can be a lonely road in the algorithmic wilderness.
But this year, I joined Project C, a community of creator journalists who share resources, wins, workshops, rants, and raves, around our collective experience building sustainable businesses, and I have become a loud, proud, vocal evangelist of this group.
Through their resources, I’ve expanded my network and learned skills that are important to running this project as a business that supports my household.
This year, Liz Kelly Nelson and Blair Hickman launched a new online course with the Knight Center at the University of Texas at Austin about how to think like an entrepreneur-journalist, and in that group, I was lucky to meet classmate Dylan Tupper Rupert.
Dylan is a music critic, writer, and documentarian who has produced shows for KCRW, founded shows such as “Bandsplain” and “Music Person,” and told me she recently produced a three-part series for “Music Person” about the music communities throughout the Hudson Valley.
Dylan offered to share the first episode in this series with us on The Jiffy podcast channel, and I immediately said yes! “Music Person” is one of my favorite new shows to debut this year, and if you enjoy slow, meditative, transportive, absorbing documentary adventures, I think you’ll like her approach.
It’s also my first “feed drop” on my podcast, so I’d love to know what you think. Feel free to reply to this email and let me know.
I’m sponsoring my own newsletter this week, because I want to ask you for something, and obviously that would be money. The truth is, it’s expensive to produce the documentary podcasts, videos, photography, this newsletter – I pay platform fees, podcast and visual editing tools, gasoline (tons of gallons of gasoline to drive across this area) every month.
And I absolutely love doing it. But it also needs to be financially viable. So if you’ve found this work to be informative, or if it’s helped you see the Hudson Valley in new ways, please consider joining a paid subscription.
Your gift supports my mission of sharing stories about rural America through the lens of upstate New York.
And if you’re already a paying subscriber but would like to support in other ways, I’ve set up a donation page.
AND if you run a business and would like to sponsor this newsletter or some of my other channels, please respond to this email.
I’m truly thankful that you’re here and read, watch, and share the stories of the Hudson Valley.
interesting events that look fun and are happening soon!!
Curated by Brian Wallis, Everyday Culture: Seven Projects by Documentary Arts is currently on view at CPW in Kingston: seven major projects from Documentary Arts examines aspects of everyday, yet marginalized culture: traditional artisan skills, tattooing, blues music, and community photography. On view through Sun., Jan. 11, 2026. (Info here)
If you need some incredible food but feel like everything has closed for the holidays, fear not: Zinnia’s Dinette will be open “every day until March 1. This includes Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, etc. Come 💋💋💋” (Info here)
The Queer and Trans Connection Network will host a queer sober non-demoniational “totally normal Wednesday night” Christmas Eve potluck gathering (“doing it potlock style again cuz literally why not!?”) at the Athens Cultural Center. Wed., 12/24, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. (Info here)
Holiday Hours for Rough Draft Bar & Books (our helpful Cozy Map Guides) are as follows: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day except Wed., Dec. 24 (8 a.m. to 6 p.m.); Thurs., Dec. 25, closed; Mon., 12/29, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Wed., 12/31, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thurs., 1/1, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Info here)
Rivertown Lodge will host a five-course dinner for their “Dine and Dance” New Year’s Eve event. Tickets include dinner (featuring blue fin tuna, seared scallop, venison tenderloin, and more), open bar, and dance party. Wed., Dec. 31, 8:45 p.m. (Info here)
I’m working on something with NYUp.com about the many (and often contentious) definitions of what constitutes as “upstate New York.” Let me know: What do you think is “upstate,” and why? What’s your rationale for this, and why/why isn’t this a serious question??
Your thoughts could be used in this project!
Reply to this email and let me know, or shoot me a DM on Instagram: @jamescave
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