By Donald Gilpin Graduate students at Princeton University have filed for an election with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), claiming to have a “strong majority” of graduate students who have signed union cards. They are hoping for an election in the next month. The Princeton Graduate Students United (PGSU) is currently in discussions with the University administration and the NLRB regional office in Newark to arrange elections and set a date for voting. If recognized, the PGSU would be affiliated with the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers (UE) and would be the largest uni ..read more

By Wendy Greenberg Last week at The Jewish Center Princeton, about 30 men and women over the age of 85 gathered for the “Seasoned Souls” lunch group, with bag lunches and desserts provided by volunteers. Later that day, sixth graders and their families met for a program and had dinner together. The age range in the building was typical. The Jewish Center seems to have something for everyone: Yoga, Torah and Tea, knitting with Interfaith Stitchers, a book club, adult education, programs tied to religious holidays, weekly Shabbat (Sabbath) services, and more. As its mission statement says, in pa ..read more

Princeton Record Exchange was one of thousands of independent record stores around the world to celebrate Record Store Day on Saturday, April 20. Fans of the iconic store known as PREX turned out to browse and buy from the slate of titles, many of which have limited production runs. (Photo by Sarah Teo ..read more

BUILDING BRIDGES: Andrea Dinan (left), director of the PHS Ideas Center, and PHS social studies teacher Christine Carbone have led an English language Boot Camp program in the city of Merida, Mexico during spring break week over the past six years. They have forged strong alliances between their students at PHS and the school in Merida. (Photo courtesy of Andrea Dinan) By Donald Gilpin Andrea Dinan, director of the Ideas Center for tutoring at Princeton High School (PHS), and PHS social studies teacher Christine Carbone, spent their spring vacation week in the city of Merida, Mexico, leading ..read more

By Anne Levin Contemplating how to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Morven Museum & Garden, staff at the historic house on Stockton Street came to the conclusion that digging into their own collections was the way to go. “Morven Revealed: Untold Stories from New Jersey’s Most Historic Home,” a show of rarely exhibited objects and newly discovered photographs, opens Friday, April 26 and remains on view through March 2, 2025. A lit-up Baby Jesus, a lavish inaugural gown, a child’s ring uncovered during archaeological work, and a history of all the pets who lived at the house are among the c ..read more

By Nancy Plum The period in England between 17th-century composer Henry Purcell and the early 20th century was bleak for native composers. Ralph Vaughan Williams began putting British composition back on the map in the late 19th century, soon joined by Sir Edward Elgar, who had been knocking at the door of recognition for quite a while before the premiere of his epic choral/orchestral The Dream of Gerontius. Taking the practice of incorporating chorus into symphonic works to a new level, Elgar’s Gerontius traces the journey of the title character from deathbed to judgement before God. The Prin ..read more

By Anne Levin It is billed as Local Author Day. But the annual event at Princeton Public Library, now in its 13th year, is actually a weekend-long celebration of area writers, their books, and the strategies that go into getting them published. The celebration April 26-28 will blend live and virtual presentations designed to appeal to a range of ages and preferences. The main event is Saturday from 1-4 p.m., when 42 local authors take over the library’s first floor to sign books and meet the public. Two online workshops and one in person are also on the agenda. “This is always a thrilling even ..read more

By Stuart Mitchner Thornton Wilder’s The Bridge of San Luis Rey (HarperCollins 2004) was the year’s number one fiction best-seller when it was published in 1927; it also received the 1928 Pulitzer Prize and is still in print, reportedly selling seven thousand copies worldwide every year. So how is it that in my long life as a reader I ignored it until April 17 of last week, Wilder’s 127th birthday? There may be a clue in the wording of the New York Times December 8, 1975 obituary: “Aloof from the 20th century’s preoccupation with politics, psychology and sex,” Wilder “concentrated in his novel ..read more

RENAISSANCE MEN: These Juilliard graduates mentored by Itzhak Perlman make up the Renaissance Quartet, on stage at McCarter Theatre in November. McCarter Theatre Center’s 2024-2025 Classical Music Series, starting in November, will feature the Renaissance Quartet with Randall Goosby, The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center performing Bach’s The Brandenburg Concertos, Grammy award-winning chamber choir The Crossing, the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, and Julia Fischer & Jan Lisieki. “This season, we are honoring McCarter’s legacy as a stalwart presenter of classical music, while al ..read more

By Wendy Greenberg Residents who want to comment on a controversial proposal to build an addition behind 344 Nassau Street in Jugtown will have to wait until mid-May. The agenda item on the Monday, April 15 meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) was removed late Friday afternoon by the applicant, RB Homes, confirmed Elizabeth Kim, the HPC’s historic preservation officer. A second meeting which had been called for Tuesday, April 16, to hear comments that could not be heard Monday, was canceled. Two dates were set for the new meetings, May 13 and 14 at 5 p.m. at Witherspoon Hall ..read more