Acclaimed Authors Jo Ann Beard & Mary-Beth Hughes at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park

Breaking news to your phone. US mobile only. No password required.

Broadway + NYC

Broadway

Off-Broadway

Off-Off Broadway

Cabaret

Dance

Opera

Classical Music

West End / UK

International

Canada

Australia / New Zealand

Europe

Asia

Latin America

Africa / Middle East

Entertainment

Ctrl + K to open · Esc to close

Join celebrated writers Jo Ann Beard and Mary-Beth Hughes for an evening of readings and conversation exploring artistic inspiration and literary kinship.

Most Popular

Get all the top news & discounts for Central New York & beyond. No password required.

Kaatsbaan Cultural Park will present What Inspires: Readings and Conversation with Jo Ann Beard and Mary-Beth Hughes on Friday, October 9 at 7PM. Join celebrated writers Jo Ann Beard and Mary-Beth Hughes for an evening of readings and conversation exploring artistic inspiration and literary kinship.

Get all the top news & discounts for Central New York & beyond.

Please join us for a reception in our Lobby Gallery following the conversation. Presented in partnership with A Public Space and as part of their Weekend Writers'Retreat , an annual long weekend of writing, reading, and conversation, hosted by Kaatsbaan.

Jo Ann Beard's books include the essay collections The Boys of My Youth and Festival Days, which was a New York Times Notable Book and Boston Globe Best Book of the Year; and the novel In Zanesville (all Little, Brown). The Collected Works of Jo Ann Beard was published last year by Serpent's Tail. The recipient of a Whiting Award and an American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Literature, she teaches writing at Sarah Lawrence College.

Mary-Beth Hughes is the author of two novels, Wavemaker II and The Loved Ones; a story collection, Double Happiness; and, most recently, The Ocean House, a novel in stories (all Grove). She has been a DeWitt-Wallace/Reader's Digest Fellow at MacDowell, the Director's Guest at Civitella Ranieri, and a guest at Yaddo. She has taught creative writing at Pratt Institute, NYU, Skidmore College, Bennington College Writing Seminars, and A Public Space.

Nominate your favorite local productions and performers before the deadline on October 31, 2026.

Whether you've got past experience writing about theater or just starting, the BroadwayWorld Community offers a unique opportunity to become a champion for your local arts community, helping raise awareness of local offerings and adding another local voice to the conversation at a time arts coverage is shrinking in the press across the continent. Join us and become a pivotal part of the movement that celebrates and promotes the arts in the digital age.

Exclusive: THE SOUND OF MUSIC Tour Star Cayleigh Capaldi Performs the Title Song

Photos: First Look At HAIRSPRAY Performing At OFC Creations Theatre

Video: Syracuse Stage Debuts First Look at COME FROM AWAY

Tangent Theatre to Present THE COUNTRY GIRL at Village Hall

Also text me

When are you seeing ?

Get an Alert Each Time Chloe Rabinowitz Writes

BroadwayWorld TV

Breaking Broadway news and show discounts. No password required.

Breaking Broadway news on your phone. US mobile numbers only.

POPULAR

Sign up for announcements and exclusive discounts on tickets to your favorite shows!

© 2026 — Copyright Wisdom Digital Media , all rights reserved. Privacy Policy

Episode

_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/central-new-york/article/WHAT-INSPIRES-READINGS-AND-CONVERSATION-is-Coming-to-Kaatsbaan-Cultural-Park-20261002)._