tarry Takes The Rivertowns Literally
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By Barrett Seaman—
In a shrinking universe of high-end literary magazines, a colorful little gem has emerged right here in the rivertowns. tarry, whose first issue was released in September, contains an eclectic array of poetry, fiction, essays and artwork—much of it created by writers and artists from in and around the Tarrytowns. Its title, as a proper noun, reflects both its geographical and cultural home while as a verb it evokes a sense of pausing, of slowing down, of taking time to reflect.
The creation of freelancer and ghostwriter Jeff Raderstrong and his wife Meghan, who composed the book, tarry’s first issue contains the work of some 30 contributors, ranging from award-winning poetess B.K. Fischer of Sleepy Hollow and Portland-based horror writer Keith Rosson all the way to Sristi Sengupta, a self-described “non-binary, neuro-divergent educator and writer from Kolkata, India.”
Their works were chosen from more than 150 submissions screened by a panel of local literati led by the Raderstrongs but including program manager, strategist and collaborator Seth Dellon, Transom Bookshop owner Chris Steib and journalist Elizabeth Tucker (who also writes for The Hudson Independent). Each combed through 200-page packets of material to fill 88 pages categorized as artwork, poetry, fiction or essay.
tarry sells for $12-a-copy. The initial print run was 600, of which founder Jeff Raderstrong says about 500 are “in circulation,” meaning either sold or gifted, as were copies to the first 30 contributors. Chris Steib’s Transom Bookshop on Tarrytown’s Main Street serves as an anchor. There, more than half the 250 copies Steib purchased have been sold. Other area bookstores, the Sleepy Hollow Bookshop on Beekman Avenue, Vanishing Ink Books on Spring Street in Hastings along with bookstores in Ossining and Pleasantville carry it as well.
Purchasers are not only friends and family of tarry’s contributing writers but also tourists looking for something to bring home that captures the zeitgeist of the lower Hudson Valley villages.
Issue #2 is scheduled for publication in September 2026. Already, Raderstrong has received more than 30 submissions, but aspiring writers and artists have until March 15 to get their material evaluated by screeners. To find out how, go to https://tarrymag.com/ for instructions.
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