Date: Friday, June 5, 2026
Time: 9:30 am – 1:00 pm
Location: The Cornell Boathouse at Marist University
Cost: In-person registration: $35 (Free livestream also available)

Topic: Storytelling for effective, emotive, and connected communication
The meeting program includes a membership meeting, an update on yearly activities, a catered breakfast, and a keynote delivered by Ana Stern of The Moth. The event will conclude with a presentation from Ann Sandri of Marist University.

This keynote from The Moth will outline the main framework of Moth-style storytelling. This engaging and interactive experience will allow attendees to see themselves as advocates for their libraries and introduce practical storytelling principles to support more effective, emotive and connected communication to constituents, stakeholders, and more.

Ann Sandri will present on the research conducted for the Marist University Archives collection and on a book co-written by Elizabeth Clarke, The Poughkeepsie Regatta 1891-1950. The book chronicles the establishment of the Intercollegiate Rowing Association, its Regatta, and its connection to the local community. An annual tradition held on the Hudson River where major university crews vied for supremacy, including the University of Washington’s “Boys in the Boat.” Crowds of spectators numbered in the thousands with over a 100,000 attending at its height in the1930s. Local businesses and organizations were involved in preparing for the event and treated Regatta Day as if it were a national holiday. The presentation will feature images of the races, crews, spectators, local establishments that served as crew quarters, and more. The importance of their research and subsequent book was that it is the first of it’s kind to take an in-depth look at the history of this sporting event’s over 50-year tenure on the Hudson River.

Ana Stern Bio:
Ana is born and raised New Yorker and has lived in 4 of 5 boroughs! She has a bachelor’s in Elementary Education and a Masters in Public Administration from New York University. For almost 20 years she has worked with programs within the US and internationally that advocate for and with young people. She strongly believes that their voices, opinions, and stories need to be amplified for the world. The current chapter of Ana’s story features reading with one of her three purring cats on her lap, watching the Knicks, and hanging out with her fiancé and two-year-old daughter.