Books

Arts

From China To Chatham: The Marvelous Mystique Of Mah Jongg

By Lisa Green Not long ago, I was asked 1) if I wanted to join a Hadassah group, and 2) would I like to play Mah Jongg with a group of ladies. Right there, right then, I knew I’d passed some sort of demographic milestone. Wasn’t it just

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Arts

To Tell The Truth: Speak Up Storytelling Comes To The Mount

By Amy Krzanik “My friends have always said that I’ve lived one of the most unfortunate lives (including surviving homelessness and an armed robbery), so I’ve got a lot of material for stories," says Matthew Dicks [left] who will be at The Mount in Lenox with his

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Arts

Chef Michael Ballon: 25 Years Of A Chef's Life In The Berkshires

By Lisa Green When  Chef Michael Ballon, a regional pioneer of the farm-to-table movement, first opened the Castle Street Café in Great Barrington 25 years ago, he had to import goat cheese from California. But he soon learned that excellent versions of it were being produced in our

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Arts

Q&A With Author Courtney Maum

Author photo by Colin Lane. By Amy Krzanik Berkshire County resident Courtney Maum is a corporate namer, celebrity book reviewer, advice columnist for Tin House and now a first-time author. After showing up on countless “best summer reads" lists (Oprah, People, Glamour and Vogue just for starters) her

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Arts

'The Race Underground' Surfaces At Ventfort Hall

Doug Most, a deputy managing editor at The Boston Globe, is the author of The Race Underground: Boston, New York, and the Incredible Rivalry That Build America’s First Subway, published in February by St. Martin’s Press. Named one of the “18 Books to Read in 2014" by

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Arts

In Bette Isacoff’s Memoir 'Star Crossed,' An Unlikely Pair Beats The Odds

By Lisa Green In 1968, when Bette Francesconi met Richard Isacoff, she was a 21-year-old Catholic, a senior in college doing her practice teaching assignment. He was a 17-year-old Jewish student, a senior at the school where she was teaching. Seven weeks later they were engaged.

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Arts

Author Rachel Urquhart Brings Local History To Life In 'The Visionist'

By Amy Krzanik Photo by Sarah Shatz. Rachel Urquhart, part-time Tyringham resident and frequent contributor to Vogue, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair and many other well-respected publications, recently published her debut novel, The Visionist, which tells the story of a transformative friendship between two teenaged girls carrying two

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Arts

Little Failure, Big Success: Gary Shteyngart At Vassar

Photo by Brigitte Lacombe By Robert Burke Warren When bestselling author Gary Shteyngart delivers the Alex Krieger Memorial Lecture at Vassar on  March 27, attendees will get more than a talk; Shteyngart is a performer, an avid YouTuber and Twitter maven. He’ll be reading from his recent memoir, Little

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Arts

A Portion of Thyself: Barbara Bonner Is Inspiring Generosity with Her First Book

By Nichole Dupont “Giving away an old coat you wouldn't be caught dead in isn’t exactly generous," says philanthropy consultant Barbara Bonner, glancing over the top of her red-framed glasses. “It doesn’t have meaning. True generosity is giving away something that has meaning to

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Arts

A Winter Warm-up: Berkshire Festival of Women Writers Prepares For March With A Week Of Workshops

By Amy Krzanik “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any." --Alice Walker. As this quote flashes on the screen, so begins Miss Representation, the 2011 documentary that shines a harsh light on how the American media portray woman—

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Arts

Novelist Glenda Ruby Conjures Up A "Death at Olana"

By Marilyn Bethany The fictional character of Lindsey Brooks, an expert on antiques, fell into sleuthing early in her career at the behest of an acquaintance in law enforcement who understood what convenient containers antiques can be for smuggling contraband. In addition to running an international auction house, Miss Brooks

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Arts

Books: "Private Gardens of the Hudson Valley" A Vicarious Pleasure

By Dan Shaw The imaginary line that divides Connecticut's Litchfield County from New York's Columbia, Dutchess and Putnam Counties became very real to Jane Garmey as she researched and wrote her beautiful new coffee table book, Private Gardens of the Hudson Valley. "When I began

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