SARATOGA LIVINGThe City. The Culture. The Life.

I first encountered the work of writer, professor and editor Roxane Gay in a college English class. We were reading excerpts from her short story collection, Difficult Women, in which Gay discourages her readers’ tendency to find “likability” in the female characters they read about. Since then, I’ve read articles about Gay; made note of her novels in the syllabus section of bookstores; and even seen Instagram stories from social media influencers picturing her essay collection, Bad Feminist, placed alongside hip, healthy drink. In short, she’s part of the national conversation.

For those unfamiliar with Gay, her body of work includes both fiction and nonfiction, with a voice that uses social commentary to parse through daily problems. She crafts stories that are closely related to her life as a woman of color, and writes candid essays discussing formative experiences and opinions she holds. She’s published frequently in The New York Times, edits essays for magazines and literary collectives and has been a recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts. Needless to say, she’s a pretty big deal.

Such a big deal, in fact, that I was shocked to learn that Gay was coming to speak in Saratoga Springs—and by some stroke of luck, at Skidmore College’s Arthur Zankel Music Center on Friday, January 25. I made sure I was there. After being introduced by multiple students and professors, Gay marched in wearing a simple shirt and jeans and sat on a couch onstage. This first visual was indicative of Gay’s persona: blunt and unapologetic. She began by cursing Saratoga’s weather, which was met with begrudging laughter throughout the auditorium, and went on to read a handful of excerpts from her memoir, Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body.

The book, which hit shelves two years ago, is about Gay’s relationship with food and her body, and how that’s changed in the wake of sexual trauma and her changing conception of identity. She read an excerpt on exercise that was wrought with dry hilarity. In it, she jokes about how she loves to complain about exercise and hates being told what to do, which, for her, always culminates in the question, “Do personal trainers deserve to die?” Next, she read an ode to the Food Network, specifically, Barefoot Contessa’s Ina Garten. Amidst jokes detailing how profound her love for Garten is, Gay thanked the TV food personality for giving her permission to love food, which Gay sees as getting permission to take care of herself.

The final story of the night took on a decidedly more serious tone, when Gay spoke about the distance between herself and the man who had raped her. She discussed using hunger to recover from the trauma and food as a means of comfort. She also talked about gaining weight in order to protect herself from her assailant ever recognizing her in public. Gay has since discovered that her assailant is an executive at a major company and admitted to the audience that she’d looked him up frequently online, and occasionally, called his office—but never spoke to him when he answered, only breathed into the phone, wondering if he suspected that it was her on the other end of the line.

Gay summed up her work, perspective and life in a carefully articulated response to an audience member’s question asking how she had overcome obstacles and maintained success through adversity. “I’ve never met a door that I feared running all the way through,” Gay responded.

Gay’s talk ended with an informative question-and-answer session, and many of her responses to audience members’ questions were delivered in the form of advice. I’ve paraphrased five of Gay’s key responses below:

(1) To parents: Let your children know they will be loved even if they make mistakes.

(2) To young feminists and activists: Keep your feminism inclusive and intersectional. The best way to make a difference is by volunteering your work and time.

(3) To those who know people recovering from sexual trauma: Women tend to minimize their traumas. The best way to help them is by loving them unconditionally.

(4) To all young women: Be OK with displeasing people. Take ownership of your body, even though this might make the world angry.

(5) To young women of color: You don’t need to have trauma to have recognition. You don’t need to use your trauma to be respected.

When I spoke to Zac Brown Band’s (ZBB’s) Matt Mangano in advance of the band’s tour date at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) last summer, he told me how much he enjoyed spending time in Saratoga Springs. And also, on a more Saratoga-serious note, Mangano told me that he had actual hard evidence of the power of Saratoga’s healing, medicinal waters. In short, he and the guys were honorary Saratogians.

Now, we can—to paraphrase their most recent album title—welcome them home. This coming August 30, the Grammy-winning, multiplatinum-selling country band will return to SPAC on its The Owl Tour, with special guests Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real (Nelson, who’s father is country music legend Willie Nelson, played last summer’s Outlaw Music Festival at SPAC). Nelson and company will only be appearing on select dates, so SPAC concert-goers will be getting a double-dose of top-notch music that evening.

ZBB will be touring in support of an as-yet-unnamed, upcoming album—their first in two years—which features the already-street-level single “Someone I Used To Know.” While there’s no word on when the new album will be dropping, Zac Brown himself is letting fans in on some secrets about the upcoming tour: “With ‘The Owl Tour,’ our fans can expect some new and unexpected sounds woven into the signature Zac Brown Band live music experience,” Brown said in a statement. “The owl holds special meaning for us and we look forward to sharing this with everyone.” (I dare say the entire extravaganza will be a hoot.)

Tickets for the SPAC date go on sale on February 8 at 10am. Ticket prices range from $38.25 to $108, and lawn four-packs are available for the show. When the time comes, tickets can be purchased here.

Hey, country music fans! There’s an exclusive showcase at Putnam Place tonight. Are you one of the lucky souls who nabbed a ticket? Emerging country pop trio Runaway June—consisting of lead singer/guitarist Naomi Cooke, vocalist/mandolinist Hannah Mulholland and vocalist/guitarist Jennifer Wayne (the granddaughter of Hollywood screen legend John “Duke” Wayne)—will be performing a private show from 8-10pm in front of a sold-out crowd.

If you’re a fan of The Dixie Chicks, Runaway June will be right up your alley. The group’s signature sound features flawless, three-part vocal harmonies married to that classic, Nashvillian country twang. And despite the group having just a few singles and a five-song EP to their name, they’ve broken through the near-impenetrable glass ceiling of country radio. With their debut single, “Lipstick,” Runaway June became the first all-female trio in more than a decade to score a Top 25 hit, and their follow-up single, “Wild West,” made it into the Top 40 and earned the group a 2018 Academy of Country Music (ACM) nomination for “New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year.”

To write single “Wild West,” Runaway June had a little help from a local pro: former-country-star-turned-songwriter-for-hire, Billy Montana. “They’re amazing humans,” says Montana of the group, who co-wrote “Wild West” with Runaway June’s Jennifer Wayne. “They’re lovely on the outside and on the inside, and certainly great singers.” Though Montana currently lives in Nashville, TN, he grew up in Albany County. From an early age, Montana was drawn to music, traveling up to Saratoga to catch shows. “Saratoga is awesome and home to a lot of great music,” he says. “The first concert I ever went to was at Saratoga Performing Arts Center.”

Inspired by his father, who was also a country musician, Montana started playing in bands with his brother Kyle around the 9th grade. “I just loved music, and it’s what I wanted to do,” says Montana. His persistence paid off, and in the late 1980s, he and his band, Billy Montana & The Long Shots, landed a record deal with Warner Brothers. The group went on to chart three singles on Billboard‘s Hot Country Singles & Tracks. However, the band broke up before they ever released a full-length album, and Montana decided to turn his attention toward the songwriting craft. “When the band didn’t have the commercial success that we’d hoped for, I moved my family from New York down to Nashville and pursued a songwriting career,” says Montana.

Looking back, Montana doesn’t seem to have any regrets about his transition into songwriting. He’s worked with some of the biggest names in country music, penning four No.1 singles, including “Bring on the Rain” by Jo Dee Messina and “More Than a Memory” by Garth Brooks, which is the only song in country music history to debut at No.1 on the R&R Country Chart. Which brings us full circle to Runaway June and their show tonight at Putnam Place. “My publisher coordinated writing retreats where we [would] spend a couple of days in a place out of town, and that’s where we wrote ‘Wild West,'” says Montana.

Needless to say, if you’ve gained entry to tonight’s show, you’re in for a treat. Maybe even more special? SPAC is covered in a sheet of ice and snow, and Live Nation’s country season won’t be kicking off for another four months. So kick the snow off your country boots and get down to Putnam Place.