<p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">For immediate release: First Week of Berkshire Festival of Women Writers<br></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Contact:
For complete information about Festival events: <a href="http://www.berkshirewomenwriters.org" target="_blank">www.berkshirewomenwriters.org</a><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span><br>
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<p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span> </span><span></span>For further press information: Judy Nardacci, <a href="tel:413-243-2382" value="+14132432382" target="_blank">413-243-2382</a>; <a href="mailto:MssEnn29@gmail.com" target="_blank">MssEnn29@gmail.com</a><span> </span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:369.75pt;line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> The
first week’s events include:</span></p>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><b>Friday,
March 1</b> <br><span><i>Laundry Line Divine Presents: </i>Out of the Mouths of Babes: An Evening of Mothers Reading to Others<br>Hosted by Suzi Banks Baum and Gina Hyams, with special guest Susan Engel, author and professor at Williams College<br>
Readings by Suzi Banks Baum, Alana Chernila, Nichole Dupont, Janet Reich Elsbach, Michelle Gillett and Jenny Laird<br>Dewey Hall, Sheffield, 7-9:30 p.m. $5 suggested donation<br><br><b>Saturday, March 2</b> <i><br>Why Sedna Matters to Women Writers <br>
</i>Led by Mary Kate Jordan. Sedna, an ancient Inuit archetype, matters to women who honor- or would like to honor- the rich possibilities of their own life stories. This morning includes storytelling and Q & A, an opportunity to "get beneath the surface of things".<br>
Mason Library, Great Barrington, 10 am to noon<br><br>W<i>omen of a Certain Age<br></i>Reading hosted by Sonia Pilcer, with Allyson Dineen, Barbara Janoff, Susie Kaufman, Ellen Meeropol and Lee Schwartz<br>Older women share their passions and what they know. Followed by discussion and Q & A.<br>
Mason Library, Great Barrington, 1-3 p.m.<br><br><i>Getting Married and Other Mistakes<br></i>Reading with Barbara Slate, graphic novelist<br>Barbara Slate reads from her autobiographical novel, and talks about her career in the fiercely male-dominated world of comic books.<br>
The Bookstore, Lenox, 4-5:30 p.m.<br><br>Made in the Berkshires Presents<i>: Exquisite Dilemmas: Women and Choices<br></i>Hosted by Hilary Somers Deely and Barbara Sims, featuring Sally-Jane Heit, Susan Merrill and Joy Spivak<br>
Join us as we eavesdrop on women who are exploring the exquisite dilemma of choosing how to live their lives.<br>Unicorn Theater, Stockbridge, 7:30 p.m. $20 admission to benefit the 2013 Made in the Berkshires Festival. For tickets, contact the Colonial Theatre box office.<br>
<br><b>Sunday, March 3</b><br><i>Women Writers and the Role of the Editor<br></i>Hosted by Anastasia Stanmeyer, editor of <i>Berkshire Magazine</i>, with Robin Catalano, Nichole Dupont, Ellen G. Lahr, Gladys Montgomery and Abby Wood.<br>
A panel discussion on the challenges of being a woman journalist today, with women who are juggling jobs, keeping a household going, and trying to sustain a writing career, as well as an exploration of the role of the editor.<br>
<br>The New Economics Institute presents: <i>Cows Save the Planet: How to Find and Tell Stories of Ecological and Economic Restoration<br></i>Reading and discussion with Judith Schwartz, Billie Best and Alice Maggio<br>This panel focuses on stories for the new economy and new solutions to problems in which we feel stuck; narratives of resilience and renewal.<br>
American Institute of Economic Research, Great Barrington, 3-5 p.m.<br><br><b>Monday, March 4<br></b><i>Fleeting Reality: Interpreting Place in Words and Images<br></i>Featuring Marie-Elizabeth Mali with Lynnette Lucy Najimy<br>
The presenters share their creative works in photographs and words inspired by places on opposite sides of the earth.<br>Leibowitz International Center, Bard College at Simon's Rock, 7-9 p.m.<br><br><b>Tuesday, March 5<br>
</b><i>Writing Your Power, Passion, and Play: Letting Your Soul Have Its Way with You<br></i>Workshop led by Mary Campbell<br>This workshop will guide participants into a deeper connection with their divine spark, and allow it to express itself in the world.<br>
Sruti Center, 33 Railroad Street, Great Barrington, 7-9 p.m.<br><br><i>Cuatro Mujeres, cuatro</i></span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><i> </i>géneros/ Four Women, Four Genres<br>
Multimedia presentation and discussion hosted by Holly Brown<br>This workshop will showcase four examples of different creative genres by women from Mexico, Argentina, Bolivia and Brazil - a bilingual event with four student presenters, round-table discussion, and creative writing activity.<br>
Leibowitz International Center, Bard College at Simon's Rock, 7-9 p.m.<br><br><b>Wednesday, March 6<br></b><i>WRites of Passage and the Age of Becoming: Puberty and the Onset of Fertility<br></i>Writing workshop hosted by Angela Vuagniaux, with Anni Crofut and Suzi Fowle<br>
Participants will be invited to explore some of the pivotal moments in their lives through writing prompts, discussion, free writing and sharing.<br>Sruti Yoga Center, 33 Railroad Street, Great Barrington, 7-9 p.m.<br><br>
<i>Coming to America: </i>A Reading<br>The Berkshire Immigrant Center presents a reading hosted by Greta Phinney, with Marcela Villada Peacock, Youlin Shi, Liliana Sills and Yuko Takaya<br>Immigrant women are invited and supported to share their unique and compelling stories, each facing the challenge of writing and reading in a second language. They have taken the theme "Coming to America" in many directions.<br>
Griffin Hall, Williams College, Williamstown, 4:15 p.m.<br><br><b>Thursday, March 7<br></b>Kripalu Presents: <i>Salmon in the Stream<br></i>A lecture on writing presented by Julia Cameron, best-selling author, who shares her insights on writing and the tools she has used in her own three-decade career in writing for movies, music, poetry and journalism.<br>
Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, Lenox, 7:30 p.m. $25 admission. Pre-registration is required. To register call <a href="tel:800-741-7353" value="+18007417353" target="_blank">800-741-7353</a>.<br><br>For complete information about the entire month of events throughout Berkshire County: <a href="http://www.berkshirewomenwriters.org" target="_blank">www.berkshirewomenwriters.org</a><br>
Major funding for the Festival is provided by </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">the John A. Sellon Charitable Trust</span>, </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">the Massachusetts Council on the Humanities, </span>Bard College at Simon's Rock, and local Cultural Councils of the Massachusetts Council on the Arts, along with many organizations, individuals and businesses.<br>
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