Hudson Valley reading series joins Carnegie Hall festival on resilience Read650 shows how to tell a good story in 650 words Jessica Rao FacebookTwitterEmail Storytellers at a Read650 show have a proscribed time limit on stage, dictated by the 650-word count of their stories. In lieu of a live show right now, the series joins the digital Carnegie Hall festival, “Voices of Hope,” as an audio-only production that can be heard as a podcast or live starting on Friday.Read650 Over the past seven years, Ed McCann has taken the open mic concept to the next level. “I was hungry for a curated show,” said the Ulster County-based TV producer and writer, “rather than a grab bag moderated by a timekeeper with a bell.”