Letters to the editor: September 19, 2019

Posted

Regarding the article titled “Censored”…

… published in The River Reporter on August 14: We are the artists who performed at RiverFest and caused the controversy. We were not interviewed for the article but wanted to respond nonetheless. In creating the piece in question, we were inspired by a wolf conservation center, feelings of freedom and feelings of restrictions, and the beauty of moving in deep relationship to each other. We are grateful to RiverFest and the DVAA for giving us the opportunity to share our art and reveal where we are in relationship to the politics that concern women’s bodies. And although the article states we are based in Brooklyn, we are actually based in Callicoon, NY, and we are eager for dialogue around these important issues that affect how we act, feel, see and respect each other. We wrote a poem together that articulates some of the themes in the piece that we performed.

The wolf howls
Our souls yearn
The wind on our skin
The call of the wild
I want to remember to find my call
And make it heard many times a day
Wolves are part of the landscape
We are part of the ecosystem
And we are not born with clothes on
A woman’s breast is food
A man’s breast is “neutral”
Why are these bodies indecent?
Just as he loves to feel the ease
So do we long to enjoy
The blissful balance of equality

Barbara Gogan, Hilary Melcher Chapman and Sarah East Johnson
Callicoon, NY

More responses about Lake Huntington News

I’d like to express my support for your community columnist Eileen Hennessey, recently criticized in a personal manner in a regrettable letter. As a working daily columnist for more than 20 years, I know there are no hard and fast “rules” to writing a column. It is essential however, to have a personal voice, one consistent with the column’s intent.

Eileen shares information about community events and does so in a conversational style that conveys her affection for friends and neighbors as well as her love for her community.
Those are all good things as far as I’m concerned.

I hope this unfortunate episode doesn’t deter Eileen from sharing her thoughts and doing so in her own neighborly fashion.

Kevin McDonough
Narrowsburg, NY

A recent letter to the Editor re: the Lake Huntington Column and its writer, Ms. Eileen Hennessey, was the most insidious and demeaning accumulation of words I have seen. We live in a rural area and are concerned with our neighbors, our activities, coming events, community interest items etc. For someone to spew such vitriol about these writings is indeed curious to say the least. However, when the writer stoops so low to spew this vitriol on the columnist, Ms. Hennessey, he makes no friends. All the ‘locals’ known to me appreciate the efforts taken to gather all the info necessary to write this column and extend our kudos to Ms. Hennessey.

Bob De Man
Narrowsburg, NY

I’m writing in support of Eileen Hennessy's weekly Lake Huntington News column. I enjoy her view on the topics she writes about and find humor in her stories. How can a weekly columnist not get personal when writing these local viewpoints every week? They open and share their footsteps of life to us readers. We are all welcome to our opinion and can just easily skip over an author who doesn’t relate to us. For me, most political stories I skip, but the stories that relate to the community I enjoy reading. I enjoy all the writers in this local paper and look forward to the stories they write every week. Thank you Eileen for always sharing, and please continue to place your life with its humor on paper.

Frank Manno
Narrowsburg, NY

Lake Huntington News, Riverfest

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