2nd Street Seeks Submissions for Literary Project

11:19AM / Saturday, May 18, 2024Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — 2nd Street seeks submissions for Using Our Outside Voices, a literary project created in partnership with Berkshire Community College (BCC) that is designed to promote creativity, acceptance and inclusion for presently or formerly incarcerated men and women in Berkshire County. The deadline for submissions is June 15, 2024.

Authors whose work is selected will receive a cash award of $200, and winning submissions will be published in a journal. The initial run of 400 printed copies of the free journal will be distributed locally, and digital copies will be available online. In addition, public readings will be held at various venues in the Berkshires.

Any presently or formerly incarcerated resident of Berkshire County is invited to submit original poetry, short fiction, personal essays or other literary works. Those who need editorial help can bring their work to 2nd Street, located at 264 Second Street, Pittsfield.

For more details on how to submit a literary work, visit www.2nd-street.org and click Special Projects, or call (413) 443-7220, ext. 1275.

Financial and in-kind support of Using Our Outside Voices is provided by Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation’s Arts Build Community initiative with funding from the Barr Foundation; by Berkshire United Way; by Berkshire Community College; and by Pittsfield Cultural Council, a local agency supported by Mass Cultural Council.

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Scenic Vistas, Open Spaces Central to Berkshire's Rural Character

By John TownesSpecial to iBerkshires
05:19AM / Thursday, August 27, 2026

This is the first of a two-part series looking at types of land trusts, their missions and their place within the Berkshires.

Land is an essential resource for life. We all spend the vast majority of our lives directly connected to the land or in structures built on it. Land is also a central core of the global ecosystem that makes the earth sustainable for all lifeforms.

The landscape has special significance in the Berkshires. It is a central element in the region's scenic rural character and quality of life, as well an economic resource that is a basis of tourism.

Access to land, and control of its use, is largely based on ownership. This system enables people to own homes, build businesses, establish communities, and pursue other goals and activities.

However, the private use and control of land can also be a source of contention and conflict — from debates about development at local planning boards to international wars over territory.

Traditionally, local and regional planning policies and regulations such as zoning have been used to balance the concepts of private ownership with shared public goals and needs. In addition government ownership provides land for schools, roads, infrastructure, parks and nature preserves, and other public purposes.

In recent decades another form of land ownership and control has gained increasing visibility and prominence. This concept is often known as land trusts.

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