<p class="MsoNormal" style><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">For immediate release: Final Week of Berkshire Festival of
Women Writers</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Contact: For complete information about Festival events: </span><a href="http://www.berkshirewomenwriters.org" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:blue">www.berkshirewomenwriters.org</span></a><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">For further press information: Judy
Nardacci, </span><a href="tel:413-243-2382" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:blue">413-243-2382</span></a><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">;
<a href="mailto:MssEnn29@gmail.com">MssEnn29@gmail.com</a>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> The
final week’s events include:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Friday, March 22</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> <br>
</span></p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">
<i>Trust: </i><span style>A Performance by Joanne
Spies<i> </i></span></span>
<br><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">This
collaborative performance includes songs and poems on the theme of trust, in a
guided tour of the museum.</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Norman
Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, 2:30 p.m.</span><br>
<br>
<br><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Virtual
Artists’ Collective Reading and Discussion</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Writers
Arisa White and Rosebud Ben-Oni offer a cross-cultural perspective on growing
up in fragmented, hostile and uncompromising environments, including coming to
terms with loving women, in central Brooklyn and Arab East Jerusalem. They
explain how writing can be an agent of positive social change by encouraging
women to define their own terms regarding the valuing of <span style> </span>women’s voices.</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">MCLA
Gallery 51, 51 Main Street, North Adams,<span style>
</span>6-8 p.m.</span><br>
<br><br>
<i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Women of Troy: </span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">A Staged Reading</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Directed
by Leigh Strimbeck with students from Russell Sage College</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">A new
adaptation of Euripides’ antiwar play set in a dystopian future after the energy
collapse. The women, trapped in a POW camp in Troy, NY, make do with what they
have.</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Kellogg
Music Center, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, Great Barrington, 7-9 p.m. </span><br>
<br><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span><br>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Saturday, March 23</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> <i><br>
</i></span></p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><i>
Poetry Compote:</i><span style>An Improvisational
Poetry Workshop for Women</span></span>
<br><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Led by
Lisken Van Den Pelt</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">An
energizing workshop for women of all experience levels, featuring a series of
quick writing prompts and interactive sharing.</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Mason
Library, Great Barrington, 10-11:30 a.m. <i><span style> </span></i></span><br>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><i style><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""></span></i></p><i style><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><br>
Welcoming Spring with Silence and the Written Word</span></i><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Led by Tammis Coffin and Christine
Ward</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">A peaceful retreat for women. We’ll
begin by exploring nature, language and mindfulness on a moderate hike, then
gather inside to write. <b style>Space limited; to
register: <a href="mailto:goodcanoe@yahoo.com">goodcanoe@yahoo.com</a></b></span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Pleasant Valley Nature Sanctuary,
Lenox, 9 a.m. to noon. <b style>$15 fee</b>
includes Sanctuary admission</span><br>
<b style><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">($10</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> for
Massachusetts Audubon Society members and Lenox residents)</span><br><br><br><i style><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Women Writers on Masculinity: </span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">A Gala Essay Contest Reading and
Reception</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Hosted by
Nina Ryan and Michelle Gillett, with special guest Katherine Bouton</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The three
winning personal essays from this year’s contest explore experiences that have
defined or interrogated contestants’ ideas of masculinity. A gala reception
will follow. Check the Festival website for announcement of the three winners.</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The Mount,
Lenox, 3-5 p.m.</span><br>
<br><br><i style><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Talk to Her: </span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Interviews with Women Musicians</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">With
LaShonda Katrice Barnett</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">A reading
and discussion of the interviewing process that resulted in the books <span style> </span><i style>I Got
Thunder: Black Women Songwriters on Their Craft </i>and <i style>Off the Record: Conversations with African American and Brazilian Women
Musicians, </i>which offer critical perspectives on the music-making processes
and careers, as well as the sound and significance of the musical expression, of
renowned 21<sup>st</sup> century women.</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The
Bookstore, Lenox, 6-7:30 p.m.</span><br>
<br><br><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Sunday, March 24</span></b><br>
<i style><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Small Stories in Hidden Places: </span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Presented by The Women’s Fund of
Western Massachusetts</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">With
Pauline Dongala, Vera Kalm and Carla Oleska</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">This month
the Women’s Fund presents its first Standing on Her Shoulders Award to women
leaders over the age of seventy. Along with Award recipient Vera Kalm, Pauline
and Carla will share and discuss their personal and far-from-small stories,
helping young women benefit from their often groundbreaking life experiences.</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Lichtenstein
Center for the Arts, 28 Renne Avenue, Pittsfield, 1-3 p.m. <i style><span style> </span></i></span><br>
<br><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The Prose
Poem: A Writing Workshop and Discussion</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Led by
Jessica Treat</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">It doesn’t
have line breaks, it looks like a paragraph, and it’s a poem! We’ll look at
prose poems and use prompts to write our own. Come learn about this versatile
and exciting form for your words.</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Bushnell-Sage
Library, Sheffield, 2-4 p.m.</span><br>
<br><br><i style><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";background:white">Finding
Your Voice: </span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";background:white">A Writing Workshop for Middle and High School Students</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";background:white">Led by Anastasia Stanmeyer, editor of <i style>Berkshire Magazine</i></span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";background:white">Young writers will be guided through the process of crafting
a feature story, with exercises to spark the imagination, examples of strong
writing, and group collaborations and revisions. Participants are encouraged to
bring writing samples to share and to receive feedback.</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";background:white">Supported by a grant from the Otis Cultural Council.</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";background:white">Otis Public Library, 2-5 p.m.</span><br>
<br><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><b style><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";background:white">Monday,
March 25</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";background:white"></span></p>
<i style><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";background:white">How
to Keep Writing with a Full-Time Job</span></i><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";background:white">Led by Kate Laity</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Multitasker;
author; professor of medieval literature, film, digital humanities and popular
culture Kate Laity will offer sensible approaches to time management and
practical suggestions to keep your writing projects on track and moving
forward. No magical skills required.</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Blodgett
House, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, 7-9 p.m.</span><br>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Wednesday, March 27</span></b></p>
<i style><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Wind and Rain: Poetry and Song</span></i><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Poet Rosemary
Starace, singer-songwriter Joanne Spies and the Elemental Orchestra trade art
forms and collaborate in this interactive performance. Various instruments will
accompany original and familiar pieces spoken, chanted, and sung.</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Lichtenstein
Center, 28 Renne Avenue, Pittsfield, 7 p.m. <b>Suggested donation: $5.</b></span><br>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""></span></p>
<br><i style><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The Female Rebel: </span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Women Writers on the Antiheroine
in Fiction</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Hosted by
Edie Meidav with Rebecca Chace, Rebecca Godfrey and Rebecca Wolff</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">What do
women want? What do they do when their desire is thwarted or scripted upon them
by the society they live in? In this panel fiction writers explore what it
means to write and read the antiheroine, yesterday and today. </span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Blodgett
House, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, Great Barrington, 7-9 p.m.</span><br>
<br><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""></span></p>
<br><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Thursday, March 28</span></b><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Kripalu
presents: <i style>What’s Your Story?</i><b><br>
</b></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Led by Lara Tupper</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">In this informal writing class we’ll
investigate the notion of <i style>samskaras</i>,
or deeply embedded ideas about ourselves; learn to let go what is no longer
serving us; and discover the stories we yearn to tell instead. Writing
exercises will help us find the true tales we long to express.</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health,
Lenox, 7:30-9:30 p.m.<b> Pre-registration required; call 800-741-7353.</b></span><br>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></p>
<b style><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Saturday, March 30</span></b><br>
<br><i style><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Writing for Personal Evolution</span></i><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Workshop led by Dara Lurie</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">This experiential workshop will
introduce participants to the emotional intelligence contained within the
syntax, rhythms and images of their writing, and learn to approach familiar
personal territory with new and surprising insights.</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">South Berkshire Friends Meeting
House, 28 State Road, Great Barrington,<span style>
</span>1-3 p.m.</span><br>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""></span></p>
<br><i style><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Solo: Writing Our Own Adventures</span></i><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Reading and discussion with Dorothy
Albertine, Dawn Paul and Susan Fox Rogers</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Solo adventurers and writers read
from recent work and talk about their adventures in the wild and the joys and
complications of journeying solo, inspiring and informing those interested in
chronicling their own outdoor adventures.</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">South Berkshire Friends Meeting House,
28 State Road, Great Barrington, 3-5 p.m. </span><br>