Independent Arts News Reporting 
ART NEWS NOW
Arts News Now is an online publication dedicated to all-arts news, sharing unique, creative-related stories on trends, events, people, organizations, and businesses within and surrounding the Bucks County Region. Our publication strives to provide organizations and creatives at all levels a supportive news reporting forum to share their work further. Equally important, Arts News Now also offers arts supporters a trusted, go-to source for authentic artistic inspiration and education. Our audiences are arts patrons, donors, artists, arts buyers, venue operators, agents, press members, influencers, and more. Our tone is inspiring and engaging, always striving to evoke genuine excitement for living creatively, and; all the while, we aspire to help elevate and even change the overall news conversation.
Launch an Arts News Now Chapter
Inspire Your City. Empower Local Artists. Grow with Us.
Arts News Now is on a mission to empower communities through the arts — and we’re growing! We’re seeking entrepreneurial arts leaders who are passionate about elevating their cities’ creative voices. By launching an Arts News Now chapter in your region, you’ll help artists gain recognition, offer patrons meaningful experiences, and fuel your local economy through cultural vitality.
With full marketing, branding, and launch support provided by MK Hammerstein Creative LLC, you’ll have a proven roadmap to success. As we continue our exciting national expansion, Arts News Now is also in the process of seeking 501(c)(3) nonprofit status to further amplify our community impact.
What You Receive When You Launch a Chapter:
-Full branding and marketing starter kit
-Website integration and launch support
-Community and PR guidance
-Content strategies and editorial planning assistance
-Ongoing mentorship as you grow
Are you ready to make a difference through the arts?
📧 Contact: Mandee Hammerstein, Founder
Email: mandee@hammersteinpr.com
MANDEE K. HAMMERSTEIN, Editor & Founder
Most identified in the Bucks County Region for her media communications & photography work primarily in the arts, Mandee K. Hammerstein has been entrusted with creating and implementing public relations programs for some of the region’s most leading arts institutions. Through various news mediums, Mandee has successfully introduced and emotionally connected high-profile and emerging organizations and individuals to the public by utilizing compelling story-telling, imagery, and authenticity.
From the beginning of her career, over twenty years ago, Mandee worked as a creative in advertising and public relations on national campaigns for international companies. Current day, she also runs her own boutique public relations firm, consulting with business and nonprofit visionaries. Mandee has her BFA in Visual Arts Communications & her Master’s Degree in Business Communications from La Salle University. Mandee has proudly volunteered or sat on the board for numerous nonprofits she’s an advocate for the arts and charitable causes that help enrich the lives of others. Mandee and her husband, William Hammerstein, ESQ, live in New Hope, PA, where they thoroughly enjoy their creative Bucks County lifestyle with a combined family of six kids, two dogs, and two rescue cats. Mandee has taught the occasional art, design, or photography class for added creative fun, keeping her close to her first love, art, and is a contributor to WDVR FM.
Mandee has worked alongside award-winning Broadway talent, entrepreneurs, and down-to-everyday kids. Her print and digital media work have been seen in local and international news, from Bucks County’s best news sources to the Wall Street Journal. Mandee’s creative, story-telling results have also been seen on ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, and across the Atlantic to the Monaco Channel.
Keith Loria, Features Writer, Journalist
A theatre buff and huge music fan, Keith Loria is an award-winning journalist who has been writing about the arts for more than 20 years. He started his career with the Associated Press and has written for Soap Opera Digest, Playbill, Theatermania and the Princeton Packet.
Katelyn Longo, Newsroom Associate
Katelyn is an Newsroom Associate/Intern for Arts News Now and a senior at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, where she is pursuing a B.S. in Public Relations (PR) with a minor in Psychology. With experience spanning journalism, social media strategy, digital communication, and PR, Katelyn has worked with organizations such as Smart Girl Stories, BrodyPR, and Citrus Racing Formula SAE. In these roles, she has sharpened her skills in crafting compelling narratives, conducting interviews, and amplifying different voices through creative content. Passionate about strategic storytelling and meaningful connections, Katelyn contributes to the editing and PR outreach at Arts News Now.
Lori Goldstein, Features Writer (Music)
As a Juilliard-trained violist, Lori states, “I’m a music crossover”- she loves contemporary rock, mostly indie, as much as classical music. Lori’s favorite radio stations are WXPN and WWFM. Having retired as a strings teacher in New Jersey public schools, Lori writes freelance articles on the arts for local newspapers and regional magazines. Pre-Covid, Lori was considered a “concert addict” by her circle of friends. Her first post-Covid concert was at WXPN’s Xponential Festival, which occurred in September 2022. Aside from swimming laps throughout the year, as a budding birder, using her Merlin app, Lori finds joy in identifying birds wherever she is in nature, deciphering the rhythmic patterns and/or melodic intervals of the call of each species discovered. Lori loves scenic walks to playlists on her headphones (no buds for her); she follows all the newest recipes and reads her neighborhood book club books along with her own handpicked choices.
Devon Beacham, Contributor
Devon Beacham is a contributor for Arts News Now who just graduated in May 2025 with her BFA in Film at Emerson College. She previously hosted a weekly arts & culture segment on WECB FM, spotlighting Boston’s vibrant creative scene—especially free and accessible experiences for fellow students and art lovers. Passionate about visual storytelling, audio trends, and emerging artistic mediums, Devon brings a sharp eye for rising talent. In her latest Arts News Now feature series, Artists to Watch, she interviews up-and-coming regional artists, delving into their inspirations, creative processes, recent work, and even challenges they may face.
Chrysa Smith, Features Writer
Chrysa Smith has been writing lifestyle features for decades. In addition to writing for ArtsNewsNow, she is the style columnist for Bucks County Magazine and a home style quarterly in Wisconsin. When not writing about the arts and home, she has fun with her collection of children’s books. Chrysa lives in Bucks County with her husband and cute, but wild Bichpoo.
Louise Feder, Features Writer
Louise Feder is a writer and curator based in New Hope, PA. She earned her BA from Dickinson College and her MA from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Art History with a focus on American art commissioned through New Deal. Feder spent five years on staff at the James A. Michener Art Museum, where she worked as a curator on 15 exhibitions and authored the catalogue, Rae Sloan Bredin: Harmony and Power (2018). She has also written several articles for American Art Review, a selection of catalogue entries and essays, and frequently blogs for Visit Bucks County. While her tastes are eclectic and omnivorous, Feder’s particular passions include public art, contemporary illustration, cult movies, and anything to do with the intersections of artistic location and practice.