The Mount, Straw Dog Writers Guild to Host 2023 Residencies

LENOX, Mass. — The Mount, Edith Wharton’s Home, is collaborating with Western Massachusetts’ Straw Dog Writers Guild in 2023 to offer a unique residency experience for nine emerging writers.

Residencies will be for one week and include lodging at Brook Farm Inn in Lenox, a workspace at The Mount, breakfast, lunch, and a $500 stipend. The residencies run weekly from March 5 to March 25 and three writers will be selected for each week. 

This will be the ninth year The Mount has offered writers an opportunity to create at The Mount and its second year partnering with Straw Dog Writers Guild. The revamped residency now focuses on writers who are developing their craft. There is no prerequisite for being published.

"The Mount was conceived as a private retreat by a writer on the verge of her literary ascent; in the 21st century, what better way to share Edith Wharton’s home and legacy than with an organization of writers devoted to supporting emerging voices," says Patricia Pin, Director of Public Programs at The Mount. 

"In collaboration with The Mount, Straw Dog Writers Guild is honored to offer residencies to writers early in their careers. Just as Edith Wharton gained her early literary footing at The Mount, our contemporary emerging writers are offered the gift of support and our belief in them," said Jacqeline Sheehan, author and president of SDWG.  

Additional information, including an online application, is at EdithWharton.org. Applications opened on Sept. 1 and will close on Oct. 1.

The $25 application fee will be waived for financial hardship and for Mount and Straw Dog members. Submissions are reviewed anonymously and ranked based on the following criteria: quality of writing, originality of voice, the potential for growth as a writer, and strength of the statement of purpose.

For additional information about the residency, please contact Patricia Pin at PPin@edithwharton.org. 

Cyclists Pedal Into Berkshire Bike Month

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
06:42AM / Saturday, May 04, 2024

Berkshire Bike Path Council President Marge Cohan addresses bikers at the event. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Clad in helmets and bright colors, more than 20 people gathered in Park Square to kick on Berkshire Bike Month on Wednesday.

The month of May will be stacked with bicycle-centered events throughout the county — beginning with an eight-mile loop from the city's center that ends at Hot Plate Brewing Co.

"We have we have a lot of things going on in Pittsfield for bicycles and for safety," Commissioner of Public Services and Utilities Ricardo Morales said.

"We're not anywhere near where we should be. We have a lot of work to do."

Bike month is meant to promote the safe use of streets for anyone and everyone no matter how they are traveling, he said The commissioner is especially excited about Bike to Work Day on May 17, as he can register to be recognized for his typical commute.

He presented a proclamation to President of the Berkshire Bike Path Council President Marge Cohan. It states that the city is committed to the health of its citizens and environment, safe cycling with road bike lanes and the extension of the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail, and that the Police Department encourages safe cycling by distributing lights and helmets and accompanies the city's Ride Your Bike to School event.

BBPC is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Cohan said the quarter century has been full of commitment to bike paths and bike safety throughout Berkshire County "on roads, on trails, on tracks, and on paths."

"In expanding our mission in this way we have been able to encompass all kinds of cycles and all kinds of riders," she said.

She noted that participants range from babies to 90-year-old people. Bike month includes events for all ages.