Artscene With Erika Funke

Bonnie Culver, co-founder & writer, Robert Mooney, Kaylie Jones,Christine Gelineau, writers & faculty members, andDavid Hicks, writer & CW director, speaking about the Maslow FamilyGraduate Program in Creative Writing at Wilkes University inWilkes-Barre as it marks its 20th anniversary. Also featuredfrom the archives, J. Michael Lennon, co-founder, writer & faculty member,and novelist Barbara J. Taylor.www.wilkes.edu/

Dr. Artress Bethany White, award-winning author and AssociateProfessor of English at East Stroudsburg University, speakingabout her new collection, "Black Doe of the Anthropocene: Poems,"issued by the University Press of Kentucky in June 2025.The collection is available online and regionally at theEnd Bookstore in Allentown and Carroll & Carroll Booksellersin Stroudsburg. For more information:www.artressbethanywhite.com/

Camille Dantone, Director of Education, and Nancy Ariza, Collections Managerat the Everhart Museum in Scranton, speaking about Peg McDade, masterfiber artist and educator and the exhibition titled, "Artwoven by Hand: The Workof Peg McDade (1937-2025)" that will run from June 19 through November 30,2025, with a free opening reception on June 19th from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. Thereception will be a celebration of her life and legacy. The Everhart Museum islocated at 1901 Mulberry Street in Scranton, at Nay Aug Park.www.everhart-museum.org/

Michael Gilmartin, Lackawanna Historical Society Board President;Sarah Piccini, LHS Assistant Director, & Pat Atkins, homeownerfrom the Abingtons, speaking about the House Tour of theAbingtons presented by the Lackawanna Historical Society onSunday, June 22, 2025, from 10 am to 4 pm. It is a self-guided tourand tickets are available in advance or at the Waverly Community House,1115 N. Abington Road in Waverly on the day of the tour.www.lackawannahistory.org/

Conor Kelly O'Brien, Co-Founder/Executive Director of theScranton Fringe Festival, speaking about the new culturalexchange with the Balina Arts Centre in County Mayo inIreland. Balina is Scranton's sister city, and in October 2025,after the first staging of "Ulysses of Scranton" as part of the2025 Scranton Fringe Festival--October 2, 3, & 4th at theRitz Theater--Scranton Fringe will present the productionat the Balina Arts Centre at the end of the month.Scranton Fringe 2025 will run from September 25th through October 5that various locations in the city, and for information: www.scrantonfringe.org/Tickets for "Ulysses of Scranton" are available now.

Artist Jeff George of Honesdale, speaking about his workin connection with his solo show titled, "Dent,"at the Wayne County Arts Alliance Gallery, now throughSunday, June 15, 2025. There will be an artist Q & Asession and closing reception at the gallery at959 Main Street in Honesdale, PA on Sunday. For information:www.waynecountyartsalliance.org/ and to viewGeorge's work you can check @jeffgeorgedesigncoon Instagram.

David Hunisch, director, and Seth Golden, actor, speaking aboutthe next production in the Diva Theater season: "Mothers andSons" by Terrence McNally, running June 13 throughJune 22, 2025, at the Olde Brick Theatre, 126 W. MarketStreet in Scranton. There will be a talkback after theSunday matinee on June 15th.For reservations: 570-209-7766www.facebook.com/DivaTheaterScranton/

Yolie Canales, director; and Jodi Tahsler, actor, speaking about the Hamilton-GibsonProductions presentation of the musical, "How I Became a Pirate," with an all-femalecast. The show will run from Thursday, June 19 through June 22, 2025, at the WarehouseTheatre, 3 Central Avenue, in Wellsboro. The performances begin at 7:00 on Thursday,Friday & Saturday, with a Sunday matinee at 2:30. The production is a project of theHamilton-Gibson Women's Project and is a family-friendly musical.www.hamiltongibson.org/

Matthew Rupcich, Music Director & Conductor of theArcadia Chorale, speaking about Summer Sing 2025to be held June 20 & 21 at Covenant PresbyterianChurch in Scranton. Regional singers are invited toa mini-choral festival where they will join the ArcadiaChorale in preparing and performing Aaron Copland's"Old American Songs" and "The Promise of Living"from The Tender Land. Student scholarshipsare available. For information about theevent and registration: www.arcadiachorale.org/

Brian Keeler & Jan Lokuta, members of the committeefor the 2025 Susquehanna Summer Solstice Festival,speaking about the event that will be held at the historicFrench Azilum site in Bradford County from June 16ththrough June 22nd. There will be plein air artists onhand in a competition that will begin June 16th.The concerts will take place Friday, Saturday &Sunday, with a guitar workshop by StephaneWrembel (heard in the opening clip) on Friday at2:00 pm and then a concert with his trio that night at 8:00.There will be talks, poetry, nature walksand much more music. WVIA's George Grahamwill serve as MC on Sunday. For moreinformation: www.susquehannasolstice.com/

Cody Mead, founding director/conductor of the Bloomsburg Singers, speaking about thegroup's spring concert, "Garden of Voices," taking place on Saturday, June 7, 2025, at 7:00 pm, at the First Presbyterian Church of Bloomsburg, 345 Market Street.The program will feature music of Dowland, Eric Whitacre, Brahms and more.Admission is free. For more information: www.bloomsburgsingers. org/

Penny Lutz, Director of the Gallery at Penn College in Williamsport; Textile Artists Meredith Eachus Armstrong and Peggy Blei Hracho, speaking about the current exhibition, "Five Artists: Explorations & Conversations" featuring Meredith Eachus Armstrong, Elizabeth Z. Bennett, Jean E. Downing, Peggy Blei Hracho & Cecilia J. Rusnak.The show runs from June 4 to July 24, 2025, in the Gallery in Madigan Library.There will be an Artists' Reception on Sunday, June 8, from 2:00 to 4:30 with aGallery Talk at 3:00. For information: www.pct.edu/gallery

M. Moses Andrade, Basso & Pastor; and Brian Farrell,pianist, opera producer/director & music educator,speaking about the upcoming concert of Opera,Art Song & Spirituals on Sunday, June 8, 2025, at3:00 pm, at the First Presbyterian Church,97 S. Franklin Street in downtown Wilkes-Barre.Admission is free and there will be a receptionto follow. www.fpc-wb.org/There is a livestream option available.

Dr. Catherine Richmond-Cullen, Director of the PA Council on theArts Partnership Program at the Northeastern Intermediate Unit,and Frank Blasi, Executive Director of Broadway Theater Leagueof Northeastern PA, speaking about the Lyceum, a year-roundarts education program in the visual & performing arts in Scranton,in anticipation of the Summer 2025 session, opening on July 21 and runningthrough August 1. For more information: www.broadwaynepa.com/

Catheal Weiser, Kelly Spitler and Valerie Peters,members of the Bald Eagle Art League andcommittee members for the annual Way'sGarden Art Show that will take place onSunday, June 8, 2025, in Way's Gardenin Williamsport from 10 am to 4 pm.In addition to the exhibit itself, therewill be live music, an awards presentation,children's activities and more. The exhibitis being held in conjunction with LycomingArts as it celebrates the 25th anniversaryof First Friday, and the Art League will havea booth as part of the activities on Friday,June 6th. For more information:www.bealartleague.weebly.com/www.lycomingarts.org/

AJ Jump and Mike Slusser, members of theWilkes-Barre Cavalcade of Jazz committee, speaking about the second annual event to be held June 6, 7 &8, 2025. Bassist Endea Owens and The Cookoutwill headline the event on Saturday, June 7th at6:30 in the Chandelier Lobby of the F.M. Kirby Centeron Public Square. The Opening Ceremonytakes place on Friday at 5:00 at the Kirby Centerfeaturing the Marko Marcinko Latin JazzQuintet. Admission is free.There will be a Jazz Walk on Friday eveningwith another headliner at the River StreetJazz Cafe at 9pm--Jazz trumpeter CindyBradley. There will be a jazz brunch onSunday with the Joe Boga Trad Jazz Trio, and more livejazz over the weekend.For information: www.wilkesbarrecavalcadeofjazz.org/

K.K. Gordon, playwright, and Art Walsh, director,speaking about the play, For the Least of Them,centering on the "Labor Priest," Msgr. John J. Curran.There will be a performance on Sunday, June 1, 2025,at 2:00 pm in Courtroom No. 3 of the LackawannaCounty Courthouse in Scranton, presented by theLackawanna Historical Society.For information: www.lackawannahistory.org/

Marjorie Maddox and Jerry Wemple, coeditors of Keystone Poetry: Contemporary Poetson Pennsylvania issued by Penn State University Press, speaking about the collection and reading from its pages. There will be a reading on Sunday, June 1, 2025, at the LycomingArts Gallery in Williamsport at 1:00 pm and many others to come.For more information: www.psupress.org/

Dr. Carl Frankel, President of the HAL Board; MichaelDelmonico, Board Member, & Summer Whitley,Coordinator of AYE14, speaking about Art YouthExpo14 that will be held Friday, May 30th andSaturday, May 31, 2025 at the Hayden Family Centerfor the Arts, 31 W. Broad Street in Hazleton.Friday from 5 to 8 pm (with the Open Mic at theLaunch Box), and Saturday from 3 to 8 pm.The Gallery Opening will take place on Friday,beginning at 5 pm. There will be live music,a bake jam, an artists' bazaar and more.For information: www.hazletonartleague.org/

Sarah Scinto, WVIA's host of Morning Edition andmember of the WVIA news team, speaking about"Bookmarks," a short feature she produces everyother week and posts on Saturdays. Book loversshare their favorite books on a given theme, &the topic for the column on May 24, 2025, is indigenousauthors and stories. Bookmarks can befound on the WVIA website: wvia.org/newsunder the "Features" heading.To submit a suggestion for a favorite bookwrite to sarahscinto@wvia.org/ with"Bookmarks" in the subject line.