Donna Liquori

Writer and Editor at Freelance

Freelance Columnist and Writer at Times Union (Albany)

Freelance writer/editor. Former @ap staffer, comms pro. books column @timesunion, more words: @aarp, @nytimes and more. Editing ny stories @NYArchivesMag

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Articles

Jerry Drake reexamines Hazel Drew case, real story behind ‘Twin Peaks'

1 week ago | timesunion.com | Donna Liquori

The location where Hazel Drew was last seen in 1908 is still desolate — and a bit spooky. I know this because I took a drive out there after reading “Hazel was a Good Girl: Solving the Murder that Inspired Twin Peaks” by Jerry Drake, a new installment on the cold case. There’s now a red historical marker that stands out among the reeds at the corner of Mosher and Taborton roads in the town of Sand Lake.
Newest 'Breaking Trail' edition features songs, stories on Adirondack women

1 month ago | timesunion.com | Donna Liquori

Alice Paden Green, the prominent Albany social justice advocate, who wrote a book about growing up Black in the Adirondacks. Anne LaBastille, whose “Woodswoman” books inspired women to strike out on their own as campers and hikers. Inez Millholland, who on horseback and wearing a white cape, led the 1913 parade of suffragists down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. Since the book’s first publication, Mount Discovery in Essex County was renamed Mount Inez.
Neurodiversity Club at Saratoga Springs library creates space for kids, caregivers

1 month ago | timesunion.com | Donna Liquori

Michelle Gildersleeve, mom of a 9-year-old daughter with ADHD, saw the listing for the Neurodiversity Club for kids and teens at the Saratoga Springs Public Library and decided to check it out. “And it ended up being a place that we come back to almost every single month, because she just really finds such joy there and acceptance and fun,” said Gildersleeve, who also has a 12-year-old son.
Rage-cleaning book collections to keep 'Harriet the Spy,' NY guides

2 months ago | timesunion.com | Donna Liquori

This was going to be a breezy column about spring cleaning my books, my annual ritual. I put on some calm music, take books off the shelves, purge some, dust the rest and then reshelve. Instead, I found myself rage-cleaning to Rage Against the Machine. Article continues below this adThe recent announcement that the Institute of Museum and Library Services is being eliminated has me furious. And then there’s the stock market slide. I have yet to look at my retirement numbers.
A story within every bookmark

Mar 17, 2025 | timesunion.com | Donna Liquori

I'm a loser of bookmarks. So when my daughter brought home a leather one for me from her semester abroad in Florence, I made a vow: This bookmark, I will hang onto. It's currently keeping my place in Annie Proulx's "Barkskins." Wait. Actually, no. The book is on my bed and I just found the bookmark downstairs on a table. Now you understand why I lose bookmarks.
Bibliofiles: Literature as a transport to the Emerald Isle

Mar 13, 2025 | timesunion.com | Donna Liquori

I guess my recent obsession all started with James Joyce. Joyce’s masterpiece “Ulysses” is a book that consumed me as much as I consumed it a few years ago. Article continues below this adSince then, I’ve been exploring my lineage through literature. As an adoptee, I never had a full handle on my biological ancestors. When I had my DNA tested, Irish was the predominant nationality listed, at 29 percent.
Bibliofiles: A 'gentle' end-of-year book list for those easing out of 2024

Nov 26, 2024 | timesunion.com | Donna Liquori

Must-read lists. Books read in 2024 lists. Year-end lists. The lists go on, and this is the season of lists. This one is a gentle list. Books that will comfort and, I believe, be welcomed as gifts. They’re a respite from technology and the noise of the world. “Memories of Distant Mountains: Illustrated Notebooks, 2009-2022” by Orhan Pamuk. I can’t stop looking at this book. Pamuk, long before winning the Nobel Prize in Literature, wanted to be a painter.
Books to read to escape Election Day anxiety includes 'Elementals'

Nov 1, 2024 | timesunion.com | Donna Liquori

My third-grade social studies teacher had a voting booth in her classroom: a real one made of dull green metal with a curtain and a lever that made a satisfying ka-chunk when you finished voting. That was the first time I ever used one. I was 8. She staged an election, and we voted. I can’t remember what we voted for, but I got a rush after that first ka-chunk. I was hooked, voting in nearly every election after I turned 18.
From 'Narwhalicorn' to myths and legends, Halloween stories for kids

Oct 3, 2024 | timesunion.com | Donna Liquori

“My Encyclopedia of Very Important Myths and Legends: For Little Learners Who Love Fantastic Stories” will tell you all about werewolves, vampires, dragons, harpies, Medusa, ghosts, witches and more. A note to readers explained that some of the myths and legends in the book are sacred, reflecting people’s beliefs. There are Hindu, Egyptian and Greek stories, among others.
When are the Saratoga, Albany book festivals, plus COVID reading picks

Sep 4, 2024 | timesunion.com | Donna Liquori

Our trip to Maine during the last week of August didn’t happen. Long story short: COVID exposure. We’re fine, but it was a harsh reminder that coronavirus is still out there and can still scuttle plans. So, I self-isolated with a book. And another book. And another book. While I missed the beach and a glass of wine on the porch with dear friends, I did break through my 2024 reading rut. I finally finished “Demon Copperhead” by Barbara Kingsolver, which is 548 pages.