1-21 PE

ECHO

PRINCETON JANUARY 2021 COMMUNITYNEWS.ORG

ONE WAY FORWARD WITHERSPOON STREET IS SET TO UNDERGO A PEDESTRIAN-FRIENDLY TRANSFORMATION.

PAGE 4.

‘Love, Repeat’ Vivia Font, a Princeton University lecturer who got her acting start on the McCarter stage, appears in a new made-for-TV movie.

Page 8

Off the Conveyor Belt

Princeton Learning Cooperative encourages parents to focus on the kids they would least suspect are lost.

Page 9

Everything Is Copy

Pia de Jong explains the columnist’s perspective on exploring her adopted home town and state.

Page 11

Mercer County Curbside Recycling Information All recyclables must be in official buckets and at the curb by 7:00 a.m. • NO ITEMS IN PLASTIC BAGS WILL BE COLLECTED

2021 MERCER COUNTY Curbside Recycling Schedule MONDAY Lawrence

TUESDAY Ewing

Princeton

July 12, 26 Aug. 9, 23 Sep. 11, 20 Oct. 4, 18 Nov. 1, 15, 29 Dec. 13, 27

Jan. 11, 25 Feb. 8, 22 Mar. 8, 22 Apr. 5, 19 May 3, 17 June 5,14, 28

Jan. 4, 18 Feb. 1, 15 Mar. 1, 15, 29 Apr. 12, 26 May 10, 24 June 7, 21

WEDNESDAY

July 5, 19 Aug. 2, 16, 30 Sep. 13, 27 Oct. 11, 25 Nov. 8, 22 Dec. 6, 20

Entire City of Trenton July 7, 21 Jan. 6, 20 Aug. 4, 18 Feb. 3, 17 Mar. 3, 17, 31 Sep. 1, 15, 29 Apr. 14, 28 Oct. 13, 27 May 12, 26 Nov. 10, 24 Dec. 8, 22 June 9, 23

Hamilton Zones 1 and 4 Jan. 13, 27 July 14, 28 Feb. 10, 24 Aug. 11, 25 Mar. 10, 24 Sep. 8, 22 Apr. 7, 21 Oct. 6, 20 May 5, 19 Nov. 3, 17 June 2, 16, 30 Dec. 1, 15, 29

FRIDAY

HOLIDAY COLLECTIONS

Hamilton Zone 3

Jan. 2,15, 29 Feb. 12, 26 Mar. 12, 26 Apr. 9, 23 May 7, 21 June 4, 18

If collection day falls on a holiday (Christmas, New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day and Thanksgiving) collection will be the following SATURDAY.

July 2, 16, 30 Aug. 13, 27 Sep. 10, 24 Oct. 8, 22 Nov.5, 19 Dec. 3, 17, 31

Hopewell Township Hopewell Boro and Pennington

Jan. 12, 26 Feb. 9, 23 Mar. 9, 23 Apr. 6, 20 May 4, 18 June 1, 15, 29

July 13, 27 Aug. 10, 24 Sep. 7, 21 Oct. 5, 19 Nov. 2, 16, 30 Dec. 14, 28

THURSDAY

Hamilton Zone 2

Jan. 14, 28 Feb. 11, 25 Mar. 11, 25 Apr. 8, 22 May 6, 20 June 3, 17

July 1, 15, 29 Aug. 12, 26 Sep. 9, 23 Oct. 7, 21 Nov.4, 18 Dec. 2, 16, 30

July 6, 20 Aug. 3, 17, 31 Sep. 14, 28 Oct. 12, 26 Nov. 9, 23 Dec. 7, 21

Jan. 5, 19 Feb. 2, 16 Mar. 2, 16, 30 Apr. 13, 27 May 11, 25 June 8, 22 West Windsor

Jan. 7, 21 Feb. 4, 18 Mar. 4, 18 Apr. 1, 15, 29 May 13, 27 June 10, 24

SPECIAL RECYCLING EVENTS Household Hazardous Waste Collection and Electronics Recycling Events Dempster Fire School (350 Lawrence Station Road) March 27, June 05 and September 11 / 8AM - 2PM

July 8, 22 Aug. 5, 19 Sep. 2, 16, 30 Oct. 14, 28 Nov. 11, 27 Dec. 9, 23 OPEN TO ALL MERCER COUNTY RESIDENTS!

Document Shredding Events Lot 4/651 South Broad Street (across from Mercer County Administration Bldg.), April 10 and October 9 / 9AM - 12PM

Get the FREE ‘Recycle Coach’ APP!

NEVER MISS ANOTHER COLLECTION DAY! Scan the code for instant access to all your recycling needs!

MUNICIPAL RECYCLING AND PUBLIC WORKS: Ewing / 882-3382 Hamilton / 890-3560 Hopewell Boro / 466-0168 Hopewell Twp / 537-0250 Lawrence Twp / 587-1894

Pennington Boro / 737-9440 Princeton / 688-2566 Trenton / 989-3151 West Windsor / 799-8370

East Windsor, Hightstown, Robbinsville: Call your Recycling / Public Works Office for your recycling schedule

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Mercer County Improvement Authority / 609-278-8086 / www.mcianj.org 2Princeton Echo | January 2021

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LEADING OFF Community News Service remembers Mark Nebbia

M

ark Nebbia passed away on Saturday, November 28, 2020, with his daughters Leah-Michelle and Eva Nebbia by his side. He was born in Hamilton and has been a lifelong resident of the area.

Mark was born on May 31, 1961, to the late Leo and Helen Nebbia. He is a graduate of Steinert High School and The College of New Jersey. A veteran in ad sales, he was a well-loved member of the Community News Service team.

Mark’s favorite thing to do was being with his daughters. He enjoyed playing golf, watching Yankees baseball, going to the movies, listening to comedy shows, and reading about military history. He was a member of the Church

of St. Ann in Lawrence.

He is survived by his wife Margueritte Korenz Nebbia, his two daughters, his brother Leo, sister-in-law Margarita, brother and sister-in-law Tom and Ria Korenz, his nephew Matthew and nieces Lauren, Amanda, and Rachel.

A memorial service was held December 5 at St. Ann’s. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Mark’s name to the Hepatitis C Association or Saint Ann School in Lawrence.

Mark had a lively and large personality and always was ready with a joke or one-liner. The Community News office will be quieter and less joy-filled without him. He will be missed dearly by all his coworkers, clients, friends, family, and everyone with whom he crossed paths, though our lives have been made richer having known Mark.

ECHO EDITOR Sara Hastings (Ext. 206) CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST Pia de Jong PRODUCTION Stacey Micallef SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Jennifer Steffen (Ext. 113) ADMINISTRATIVE ADVERTISING ASSISTANT Gina Carillo

An award-winning publication of Community News Service, LLC © Copyright 2021 All rights reserved.

CO-PUBLISHER Jamie Griswold

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MANAGING EDITOR, COMMUNITY DIVISION Rob Anthes

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Thomas Fritts

MANAGING EDITOR, METRO DIVISION Sara Hastings

Community News Service 15 Princess Road, Suite K Lawrence, NJ 08648 Phone: (609) 396-1511 News & Letters: hastings@princetoninfo.com Events: events@communitynews.org Website: communitynews.org Facebook: facebook.com/princetonecho Twitter: twitter.com/mercerspace

Princeton thanks donors to holiday gift drive

P

rinceton Human Services thanks donors for their contributions to its 22nd Holiday Gift Drive. Princeton Human Services had its most successful Holiday Gift Drive this year thanks to the overwhelming number of donors who contributed. This year, the department distributed gifts to approximately 334 kids between the ages of 0 and 12.

In addition to donating gifts for the children, donors donated a gift card to each family to help during these difficult times.

The department would like to thank Stone Hill Church, Dorothea’s House, Tenacre Foundation, Princeton Children’s Fund, PBA Local 130, Weichert Realtors, Church & Dwight, the Princeton Recreation Department, and the Woodland Drive neighborhood for their support and contributions to the

Holiday Gift Drive as well as municipal employees, police officers, and the many Princeton residents who made individual donations and sponsored children in our drive.

This is truly a community effort as everyone works together to ensure that our children in need have gifts to open for the holidays. Human Services has been coordinating this drive for many years and it wouldn’t be possible without the support of all of our donors and volunteers that help during gift distribution. Special thanks to our volunteers and staff that helped during gift delivery and distribution days.

We look forward to continuing the Holiday Gift Drive next year and providing this service to Princeton families. For more information on how to sign up or to make a donation for next year, please contact the Human Services Office at 609-688-2055 or e-mail MUrias@princetonnj.gov.

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AROUND THE TOWN

Witherspoon Street’s future is one-way and walkable

W

hat started as a pandemicinduced solution for outdoor dining is on its way to becoming a permanent feature of Princeton’s downtown landscape, as Council voted unanimously on December 21 to make Witherspoon Street a one-way road from Nassau Street to Spring Street.

The decision followed months of meetings, consultation with the community, and professional traffic studies and was not made without vocal opposition from some merchants and residents.

At the December 7 Council meeting, when the ordinance was introduced, municipal engineer Deanna Stockton explained the town’s goals in pursuing the project. “We were really looking at, what can we do to preserve and enhance this main economic area of downtown Princeton while preserving what’s good about it and then finding healthy, safe, and equitable improvements that can benefit the entire community?”

What became clear, she said, is that “some sort of a major shift of resource allocation was needed so that it wasn’t overly skewed for motor vehicle travel and parking.”

The current setup of Witherspoon Street, top, will be replaced by a one-way roadway with parking on either side and increased space for pedestrians.

“We understand that traffic volumes and traffic patterns are nowhere near the pre-COVID conditions,” she added.

“But it gave us an opportunity — and for the public to have an opportunity — to see another view of Witherspoon Street.”

The conclusion, reached in consultation with transportation engineering firm McMahon Associates, which conducted the traffic study, was to pursue so-called “alternative B,” which is roughly the setup that has existed since spring, with one-way traffic north-

bound from Nassau Street, with parking spaces on either side.

The approval of the ordinance is the first step in a lengthy process that involves extensive coordination with the state Department of Transportation.

The permitting process to allow the permanent change to a one-way roadway is expected to take nine to twelve months. The ordinance also does not define the placement of crosswalks, permanent outdoor dining setups, landscaping elements, and other design features that will have to be developed for the new road configuration.

“We are excited by opportunities to design the roadway in a flexible way so that as our density changes, as transportation modes change, we have the ability to adapt this roadway,” Stockton said at the December 7 meeting.

Additionally, the state is simultaneously working on plans to replace the traffic signal at the intersection of Nassau and Witherspoon streets. It has long been targeted by the municipality as an ideal location for an exclusive pedestrian phase, but the equipment currently in place is too old to handle the timing sequence necessary for that.

Also incorporated into the state’s planning is a request from a visually im-

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The pandemic forced an experiment with a one-way Witherspoon Street, with setups for outdoor dining occupying existing parking spaces.

paired resident for upgrades to the intersection.

A primary concern of residents who opposed the ordinance was the potential for increased traffic to be funneled onto Vandeventer Avenue and Chambers Street. Several commenters at the council meeting noted that a projected eight-minute maximum wait time for vehicles to navigate the Vandeventer/Nassau intersection at rush hour did not seem to match with the reality they regularly witness from their front porches.

Other changes are being considered to alleviate potential congestion at that intersection, including a reduction of the exclusive pedestrian phase from 42 seconds to 34 to 38 seconds and the conversion of South Tulane Street to one-way southbound, though left turns at Nassau Street would be prohibited due to visibility issues.

Other regulations to be considered will include designated times for businesses to receive deliveries and for garbage removal. In a letter to the editor printed in several area publications, Alchemist & Barrister owner Frank Armenante, joined by multiple stakeholders in Witherspoon Street business es, noted: “We would like to see a flexible street that

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Merchants noted that while the COVID setup has been a lifesaver for full-service restaurants, the change has not been positive for retail and quick-service businesses. At the December 7 meeting Andrew Siegel of Hamilton Jewelers noted, “the current oneway setup has actually been decidedly unsuccessful for our retail and quick service friends. We all agreed to it temporarily in the interest of helping our full service restaurant neighbors on the street during COVID.”

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in and around Witherspoon — dining, shopping, and gathering with friends This sentiment was echoed by David and family. Many other locations have Newton, the landlord for the Hamilton shown that people-friendly streets are Jewelers building at 92 Nassau Street as good for business.” well as for 16 Chambers Street, during One signer, Sam Bunting, spoke at the public hearing on the ordinance at the December 21 hearing. “I think one the December 21 meeting. of the things that those of us who signed “We’re living in a time of terrible the petition really strongly believe is vacancy in the retail business. One of that if you can create more pedestrian the great assets we need to hold onto is space on Witherspoon Street it’s goour retailers, and these retailers are living to make us feel more inclined to ing in appalling, stressed conditions at spend more time the moment,” he on Witherspoon said. “This town Street, more ‘To the extent that we can feels, and I’m not time patronizquite sure why, maximize and optimize ing those busithe need to crenesses, which we ate a very signifi- the ability of people already love, and cant change to we’d like to spend the traffic system to enjoy that space, more time there,” at a time when that is going to attract he said. people are just “The unique reeling in terms more people into the selling point of of their business Prince­ ton is its … or at least downtown.’ sense of place, those businesses and to the extent that still remain.” that we can maximize and optimize the But other residents, including many ability of people to enjoy that space, who said they would have preferred the that is going to attract more people street become an all-pedestrian plaza, into the downtown and helps to resolve argued that a more inviting Withersome of these vacancies that we’re seespoon Street would help restaurants ing. The assumption that the vacancies and retailers alike. More than 1,100 problem is going to be solved by conpeople signed a Change.org petition stantly squishing as many cars as we started by resident Brian Levinson, can into the center of our town — it just which stated “With this redesign, we doesn’t seem right to me.” are more likely than ever to spend time STREET, continued from page 5

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THE ARTS

Font goes from the McCarter stage to small screen success er saw an ad for the summer Shakespeare program at McCarter Theatre ivia Font got her start acting and pushed Vivia to audition for the in McCarter Theatre’s summer program in her freshman year of high programs, but her next role school. will take her to the small screen in the “You would rehearse a Shakespeare Apple TV+ comedy “Love, Repeat,” play, and do all these kinds of fun workwhich premiered December 22. shops for about a month, and then you The romantic family comedy direct- would put on the production, on the ed by Shelagh Carter follows the story McCarter main stage over a weekend in of a man (Bill Connington) who is try- August,” Font explains. “That program ing to win back the heart of his wife is probably the reason I’m an actress.” before she gets a divorce and marries Font participated in the program for another man. several years and eventually returned Font moved with her family to High- as a teacher. land Park at age 7. Her father commutFor her undergraduate degree Font ed to the City University of New York, went to New York University’s Tisch where he recently School of the retired from his Arts. She recareer as a sociceived her masology professor, ‘The whole movie is ter’s degree from while her mother actually really fun, with so The Old Globe was a librarin San Diego, ian at Princeton many colorful characters,’ California. Since Public Library. coming back to Font enrolled in Vivia Font says. ‘It’s just New York, she Princeton’s Stuworked priNew York, and it’s a really has art Country Day marily regionSchool in sev- heart-warming story.’ ally in theater. enth grade.

She also worked “My mother for two years had been the liwith the Oregon brarian at the Shakespeare FesPrinceton Public Library, and I started tival, a regional repertory in Ashland, attending Stuart in seventh grade,” Font Oregon. said. “So I would commute. And then I “It’s a huge company in Ashland, was just involved in Princeton things. Oregon, and they basically have a yearBasically, I would just commute in with long season, and they hire a company her, and be in Prince­ton, and do things of about a hundred actors, and you’re after school and work at the library af- in two plays, and you understudy two ter school, and do the McCarter sum- plays,” Font explains. mer Shakespeare.”

Currently, Font is teaching at the Font took dancing and acting lessons Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton as a young child, and even danced bal- University. She has just finished the fall let at the Princeton Ballet. Font’s moth- semester there, where she taught “Be-

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Stuart alumna and Lewis Center theater lecturer Vivia Font plays Camila in the Apple TV+ romantic comedy ‘Love, Repeat.’

ginning Acting.”

Font described the importance of maintaining other jobs while being an actor, due to the likely instability within the acting world. When she had a baby, Font took on the role of a Princeton professor as a way to provide stability.

“I’ve always loved teaching,” Font said. “I’ve really, really adored it. This opportunity for teaching at Princeton

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has been great because it’s just a lot of fun and a lot of joy.”

Font said her time working on “Love, Repeat” was full of excitement and lots of fun. She was asked to be in one of the first read-throughs of the film with costar Bill Connington, who also wrote the story.

Font described Connington as a lovely writer. Her character, Camila, changed before her eyes as Connington developed the story. At first, her character was more serious and overall, a straightforward person, Font says, but through time, her character developed a more colorful personality.

“The whole movie is actually really fun, with so many colorful characters,” Font says. “It’s just New York, and it’s a really heart-warming story.”

Though Font never formally auditioned for the role of Camila, the time and effort she put into her character was enormous. She watched as her character changed through the readthroughs, and worked with Connington before filming had even started.

Even greater than that, Font had devoted her life to acting, and along the way, built many bridges to connect herself with others in the industry. With her hard-work and talent, one of those bridges led her to “Love, Repeat.”

Catch Vivia Font playing Camila on the Apple TV+ movie “Love, Repeat.”

ON EDUCATION

The conveyor belt to success

P

it because I like staying in hotels (the little soaps, a maid, hot breakfast)… why not run one? Clearly, I did not know myself.

Ultimately, I didn’t choose hotel management, but I did go down a long safe path that wasn’t for me. It wasn’t for another ten years or so that I finally stepped off the conveyor belt, started really looking and found contentment.

This isn’t about me though. I tell this story to bring attention to all the young people who are on the conveyor belt still. They are the kids you’d least suspect are lost. In theory, I should’ve known what I wanted. I was a mature kid in lots of ways. I was an honors student with a steady job that I had stayed with for two years. But that was the problem. I was always punching in on round this time of year twenty- someone else’s timesheet. I was so busy doing all the things that I was supposed three years ago, I was a senior to do that I had no idea what I wanted in high school fretting about applyto do. ing to college. The whole process was This happens all the time. I mean, intimidating, but what plagued me all the time. I saw it every day for thirthe most was that I didn’t know what I teen years when I taught public high wanted to study. school. I’ve seen I didn’t know it since with that because I We spend so much friends’ kids and didn’t know what energy worrying about students I’ve I wanted to do helped with colwith my life, and kids who are ‘off the rails’ lege essays. Kids I didn’t know that who want to do because I had no that we fail to see that the the right thing idea what really kids ‘on the rails’ may be often find theminterested me or selves spending endless hours what I was good just as lost or more so.

— weeknights, at. weekends — doFrightened and ing schoolwork, pressured with a ticking clock that I had personally working a job, committing to sports, wound, I figured that I had to find all etc., without ever really choosing any of of these answers immediately. I hadn’t it. They might not know how to choose the time to go soul-searching. It was anymore.

It’s not so much that the structure of too late for that; I was a senior. So, I came up with a master plan. I would school doesn’t work. It’s that it works go where all the answers are located: too well. We hope by going through the public library. This was 1997, just the conventional school system that before Google got started. I could Ask there is assurance of a successful caJeeves, of course, but that felt awkward reer someday. But how do you assure and unreliable. The library was still something like that without sacrifice? where I went when I had something For students who follow the protocol to important to find out. I didn’t realize a “T”, it’s pretty likely that they’ll end that the answers I sought couldn’t be up in a career, some career that will pay their bills, and maybe offer healthcare found in a book.

I took out a volume of careers larger and a retirement plan. But they may than the Yellow Pages circa 1990, and be miserable or indifferent, they may began flipping back and forth, passing have talents to offer the world that go or dog-earing careers Tinder-style. I unrealized, unrealized even to themruled out careers superficially: too lit- selves. They got on a conveyor belt that tle money, too much math, too much delivered them to a particular destined school, too few people. The process location. And that’s that.

A year ago, I started to fear for my brought me further and further from the truth until I settled on “hotel man- own children that they were on this ager,” the most laughable prospect for conveyor belt too. They’re both in pubanyone who knows me in the slightest. lic school because for the most part, Maybe I thought I’d be good at it be- they rather enjoy it. However, my older cause I was being promoted from ca- daughter, now fourteen, was getting shier to front-end manager at the local more and more bogged down with grocery store. Maybe I thought I’d like work. Work that kept her (and me!)

rinceton Learning Cooperative, a decade-old alternative to traditional schooling, works with teenagers to create personalized educations based on their interests and goals. The school, which operates out of Princeton’s All Saints Church, offers a panel discussion, “Youth Perspectives on Better Options for Education,” on Wednesday, January 6, over Zoom, featuring current students and alumni as well as time for Q&A. Registration is free via EventBrite.

PLC also maintains a blog on its website, www.princetonlearningcooperative.org. Recently PLC staff member Katy Burke reflected on the difficulties with traditionally accepted definitions of “success.”

A

Katy Burke of Princeton Learning Cooperative.

up late into the night. She never had time for hobbies anymore. My younger daughter didn’t have the same workload, but she stopped being interested in play when she came home. She just wanted to binge watch YouTube shows, mostly of other kids having fun.

Then Covid happened, and I have to say that the end of school as they knew it could not have been better for them.

What a blessing in disguise. They had mostly asynchronous work that they finished before noon. They would get up early and start their work before I did. They loved having control of their time. The rest of the day was theirs. For the first month or so, there was a lot more binge-watching. It was unnerving as a parent. Eventually, however, with a bit of nudging from me, but not much, they got off their devices and gravitated toward particular interests.

Jill, like many people during the lockdowns, started baking more. But when I say more, I mean, the girl bakes every day, sometimes two or three times a day…still, months later. She creates her own recipes, watches countless baking tutorials and puts up little promotional

baking videos on Instagram. I buy flour every other grocery trip. That’s not normal.

Ella has two real passions: digital art and making money. She received an I-pen as an eighth grade graduation gift and we already had to replace the tip twice because it wore down to the metal. She started an online store with products displaying her designs with which she earned twenty-seven dollars last month. She talks about running her own business constantly and is biting at the bit to get a job to fund her business even though she’s just fourteen.

Now that school resembles more what it did pre-pandemic with synchronous classes from 8 to 3, my girls are still just as devoted to their passions as they were months ago. New habits have formed. But it’s not only habitual; it’s a new way of seeing the day, almost like a curtain was drawn behind which they cannot unsee. They’re thinking more about what they could do with their time rather than what they should do. They’ve seeded passions that have grown for a season, and simply will not be uprooted. I couldn’t be more relieved.

As a society we worry about the kids who seem to be flailing, those who don’t pull in good grades, those who don’t have academic interests, those who don’t finish what they start. We spend so much energy worrying about kids who are “off the rails” that we fail to see that the kids “on the rails” may be just as lost or more so. They don’t know where they’re going or why. They’re simply moving. I believe the answer is for them to stop, step off, and look around for awhile.

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January 2021 | Princeton Echo9

HAPPENING

Libby Ramage’s ‘Pan Americans,’ part of the Arts Council of Princeton’s upcoming exhibit.

Pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk is the featured artist in the Princeton Symphony’s January 10 virtual concert.

Monday, January 4. The Arts Council of Princeton opens the new year with the exhibit “Travels: Domestic and aBroad,” featuring works by Krysia Kolodziej and Libby Ramage in the Taplin Gallery on view through January 30.

The artists have been friends since the early 1990s, when Kolodziej was editing for Princeton University Press and writing poetry and Ramage was teaching art to very young children while making and exhibiting her own art. In the artists’ words, “We have each preserved pieces of the past that spoke to us and remade them into expressions of our lives now, where all the pieces fit perfectly together.”

Ramage’s mixed media pieces — with painting and drawing using acrylics and charcoal — were created from a scrapbook originally compiled by her stepfather’s mother, Hilda.

Kolodziej’s work, the “Domestic” in the title, uses domestic imagery and techniques (sewing, for example) combined with mixed media techniques and collage to create visual poems. www.artscouncilofprinceton.org

Monday, January 4, 7 p.m. In conjunction with the anniversary of the Battle of Princeton, author Larry Kidder presents a virtual talk dedicated to the experiences and contributions of Princeton residents during the American Revolution. Those stories are told in his new book, “Revolutionary Princeton, 1774-1783: The Biography of an American Town in the Heart of a Civil War” (The Echo, November 2020).

Space is limited for this free presentation offered by the Historical Society of Princeton. Register online. www. princetonhistory.org Tuesday, January 5, 7 p.m. Sarah Rasmussen, the new artistic director at McCarter Theatre, joins the Arts Council of Princeton for a virtual conversation. Rasmussen, who grew up in a small town in South Dakota and created her first theater company at age 14 before studying theater at St. Olaf College, in London, and at the University of California, replaced long-time artistic director Emily Mann last summer.

She was previously the artistic director of the Judge Theater in Minneapolis.

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Duane Michals’ ‘I Had Forgotten That I Had Grown Up’ from the PUAM collection.

Rasmussen appears in virtual conversation with Timothy M. Andrews, an art collector and supporter of the Arts Council of Princeton’s Artistin-Residence program, to discuss her background, writing, art practice, and vision for McCarter. Register online for the free event. www.artscouncilofprinceton.org Thursday, January 7, 5:30 p.m.

Princeton University Art Museum hosts a virtual conversation with artist Duane Michals as part of its Late Thursdays programming. The photographer is known for his work with series, multiple exposures, and the essential use of text in his images. His work is part of the ongoing virtual exhibition “The Eclectic Eye: A Tribute to Duane Wilder.”

Michals’ conversation with museum director James Steward will touch on topics including metaphysics, personal identity, the nature of memory, photography, and filmmaking. The event is free, but registration is available for the Zoom session online. artmuseum. princeton.edu

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10Princeton Echo | January 2021

Sunday, January 10, 4 p.m. The Princeton Symphony Orchestra presents a virtual concert spotlighting Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Serenade for Winds in C Minor and Joseph Bologne, Le Chevalier de SaintGeorges’ Symphony No. 1 in G Major.

The featured artist is Ukrainian-born pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk, who performs selections for solo piano by Mozart, Johannes Brahms, and Arkady Filippenko. Rossen Milanov conducts.

Virtual access is $15 per device. www. princetonsymphony.org Tuesday, January 19, 2 p.m. Morven Museum & Garden offers a virtual program and Q&A session featuring author and garden designer Page Dickey, who speaks on her latest book, “Uprooted: A Gardener Reflects on Beginning Again.” She also discusses and shows examples of garden design.

Registration is $15; $10 for friends of Morven. www.morven.org For a complete calendar of upcoming events, visit www.princetoninfo.com/ events.

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PARTING SHOT

Everything is copy

By Pia de Jong

‘F

our hours of driving for five hundred words … really!!?”

That’s often the eruption from our children in the back seat when we leave with the whole family in tow on our way to a dubious tourist attraction. Why? Because Mom needs to scout out a possible subject for her next piece in the newspaper. A family outing enforced by the imminent hatchet of a missed deadline.

Just like a crocodile in the zoo, a columnist needs to be fed at least once a week. Preferably with a juicy story that can be chewed on, without a bone getting stuck in the reader’s throat. We call it “column food” in our family. And like any other animal, the writer has to forage around for a long time before such a tasty morsel pops up. A hungry writer is a veritable omnivore, a vulture who sniffs and scratches at the smoking dump of news and life without reservation.

My motto is writer Nora Ephron’s famous saying: “Everything is copy” — everything and everyone is fodder for a possible piece. Our children are therefore always extra alert when I ask their friends once again how they are doing

exactly. Watch out, before you know it, your most intimate secrets, whether or not exaggerated, will be in the newspaper.

It is said that the news is on the street, but in my experience you have to lift a lot of paving stones to find it. Certainly here in America, where a lot is always happening. Especially if you get past the headlines and the screams on cable television and want to leave “him with the orange hair” unmentioned.

T

hen you run into a towering wall of sameness. America largely remains a well-behaved and proper country that still has one foot stuck in the 1950s.

Especially in the neat “burbs” where we live, with their cocktail parties, handwritten thank-you notes, faithful church attendance, and practical clothing. Or, as someone recently described it to me, “You won’t find garbage that’s not picked up here.”

Not that this region is a top tourist destination. Princeton may be a leafy, picturesque town, but New Jersey is happily sniffed at by the rest of America as “an exit on the Turnpike.” Mostly, however, they refer to the thick fumes emanating from the many oil refineries

and chemical installations, the maze of 10-lane highways, and the stinking reputations of dubious politicians and Mafiosi. Here even Tony Soprano craves respectability.

I know, I tell the kids, not everything I write about is a five-star destination.

But rest assured, the result of our forced day out is often so disappointing that I drive home after the four-hour quixotic journey with the fear of an empty page looming in front of me. Then you won’t get to read about my expedition to see

Illustration by Eliane Gerrits

Lucy the Elephant, a three-story house in the shape of an elephant in Margate, New Jersey, with a museum about…

Lucy the Elephant. Even the worst trash-bin scavengers among writers have their principles.

Pia de Jong is a Dutch writer who lives in Princeton. She writes a weekly column for the NRC Handelsblad, a major newspaper in Amsterdam. She can be contacted at pdejong@ias.edu.

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January 2021 | Princeton Echo11

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12Princeton Echo | January 2021