Berkshire County Historical Society Taps Two New Writers in Residence

09:44AM / Tuesday, July 14, 2020Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire County Historical Society at Herman Melville’s Arrowhead has appointed two new writers-in-residence for the remainder of this year.

Robin Catalano will be the summer writer, and Kevin O'Hara will take over in the fall.

Catalano has an extensive background in writing, having written for magazines, books, blogs, websites and having published more than 75 articles and 1,000 blog posts. Her work has appeared in publications such as Travel +Leisure, the Boston Globe, Gourmet, Travel Awaits, Berkshire Living, and Berkshire HomeStyle. She is also a three-time speaker at the Women in Travel Summit.

A resident of nearby Stephentown, N.Y., Catalano said she hopes to gain much from her experience as a writer-in-residence with Arrowhead.

"Being part of the rich literary legacy of Arrowhead, including the writers-in-residence who have come before me, is an honor," she said. "As a travel writer, I'll be drawing from Melville's tradition of adventure to continue my work on a series of exploratory travel narratives. Whether I choose to publish them in book form, in literary magazines, or on my new narrative travel blog, Once More to the Shore, I look forward to the uninterrupted time and creative space the residency affords for advancing the craft of travel writing."

The fall writer-In-residence, O'Hara, is the author of two critically acclaimed books: "Last of the Donkey Pilgrims: A Man's Journey Through Ireland" and "A Lucky Irish Lad," a story of growing up in Pittsfield during the 1950s and 60s. O'Hara is also a featured columnist for The Berkshire Eagle, and was awarded the Key to the city of Pittsfield in 2010.

Born in England, O'Hara is a long time Pittsfield resident. He said is looking forward to writing in the same space Herman Melville did this coming autumn.

"During my eight-week tenure at Arrowhead, I plan to put together a collection of my favorite Christmas stories that have been published in The Berkshire Eagle over the past 30 years. Once complete, I hope to self-publish this collection, and make it available for the holidays," he said.

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Tina Packer, Founder of Shakespeare & Company, Dies at 87

Staff Reports 06:51PM / Saturday, January 10, 2026

LENOX, Mass. — The doyenne of Shakespeare's plays, Tina Packer, died Friday at the age of 87.

Shakespeare & Company, which Packer co-founded in 1978, made the announcement Saturday on its Facebook page.

"It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Tina Packer, Shakespeare & Company's founding artistic director and acclaimed director, actor, writer, and teacher," the company said on its post and in a press release.

Packer, who retired a the theater company's artistic director in 2009, had directed all of Shakespeare's plays, some several times, acted in eight of them, and taught the whole canon at more than 30 colleges, including Harvard. She continued to direct, teach, and advocate for the company until her passing.

At Columbia University, she taught in the master of business administration program for four years, resulting in the publication of "Power Plays: Shakespeare's Lessons in Leadership and Management with Deming Professor John Whitney" for Simon and Schuster. For Scholastic, she wrote "Tales from Shakespeare," a children's book and recipient of the Parent's Gold Medal Award.

Most recently her book "Women of Will" was published by Knopf and she had been performing "Women of Will" with Nigel Gore, in New York, Mexico, England, The Hague, China, and across the United States. She's the recipient of numerous awards and honorary degrees, including the Commonwealth Award.

"Our hearts are heavy with the passing of Tina Packer, a fiery force of nature with an indomitable spirit," said Artistic Director Allyn Burrows. "Tina affected everyone she encountered with her warmth, generosity, wit, and insatiable curiosity. She delighted in people's stories, and reached into their hearts with tender humanity. The world was her stage, and she furthered the Berkshires as a destination for the imagination.

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