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NYS Writers Institute

What are you thankful for this year?

So much has changed since we last celebrated Thanksgiving. Despite all the pain and loss and hardship, even during a pandemic we still have much to be thankful for. We hope you'll take this opportunity to share your thoughts below.


Best wishes for a safe Thanksgiving holiday.

Paul Grondahl and William Kennedy

William Kennedy

Founder and Executive Director of the NYS Writers Institute

I am thankful that we have a new President, that democracy, after great struggle, survived the incumbent President (though many thousands of Americans did not); also that the free and reality-based press (which the incumbent did his damndest to devalue and vilify) was a major force in his upcoming deportation from the White House.

God bless the red, white and blue and all of America’s other colors.


Paul Grondahl

Director of the NYS Writers Institute

I am thankful, of course, for the obvious: that my family members are safe, healthy and employed, and that I made a full recovery after a summer hospitalization thought initially to be COVID-19 and later diagnosed as bacterial pneumonia. I am thankful I managed to visit my 88-year-old mother this fall in Tacoma, Wash.

I express gratitude for much more: new buddies I made by joining the Wandering Golf League; Friday night dinners with my wife on the deck enjoying takeout from local restaurants; a bumper crop of cherry tomatoes and homemade basil pesto; wine and songs around a fire pit; a teetering stack of books I plan to read in my study; and our amazing dog, Lily, a pit bull mix always up for an adventure –- running through the Pine Bush, making road trips to see our kids in New York and Boston and watching the Golf Channel with me on the sofa late at night.


Havidán Rodríguez

President, University at Albany

In this extraordinarily challenging year, Rosy and I feel so fortunate to be part of a campus community that has responded to COVID-19 with creativity, innovation, and compassion.

We are also inspired by our faculty, staff, and students who have volunteered to help those in need—and grateful to our friends and alumni who continue to support our students in countless ways.


Carol Kim

Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, UAlbany

I am thankful for my wonderful family, colleagues and friends. The silver lining of this unexpectedly challenging year has been witnessing firsthand the dedication, perseverance, and ingenuity of my friends and colleagues, in spite of these difficult times; watching our UAlbany community rise to the occasion to best support our students has been truly inspiring.


What are you thankful for during this Thanksgiving season? Please share your thoughts below.


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