Joanne Michaels passed away peacefully on December 15, 2020, at the age of 69. Joanne was a publisher, journalist, and author of ten books, most of which focused on the Hudson Valley region of upstate New York, where she made her home. The Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains: Only the Best Places, Let’s Take the Kids, Hudson River Valley Farms, Hudson River Journey, Hudson River Towns, Adirondack High, and Famous Woodstock Cooks are among Joanne’s well-known titles. Joanne graduated from the University of Connecticut with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, after which she moved to New York City to work in publishing as an editor at Simon & Schuster, Viking Press, St. Martin’s Press, and David McKay Publications. In 1981, she moved upstate to Woodstock and took a position as editor-in-chief of Hudson Valley Magazine.
Joanne was a brilliant entrepreneur and started her own publishing company, JMB Publications. She represented numerous authors whose books she personally endorsed, and sold them throughout the Hudson Valley, NY State and nationally. She passionately supported Planned Parenthood and published the latest edition of Back Rooms, Voices from the Illegal Abortion Era by Ellen Messer, another member of Ulster County Women’s Network. She enthusiastically sold Nava Atlas’ cookbooks because they display the vision of a healthy food lifestyle that was so much a part of Joanne’s world.
Joanne was a true force of nature. She devoted herself to justice and was incredibly smart, strong, and passionate about her beliefs. We will miss her very much.
by Sheila Gould and Ellen Messer