Poet to Speak at MCLA Lavender Voices Lecture

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass.—Award-winning poet Meg Day will speak at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 20, in Murdock Hall Room 218, as part of the College's Lavender Voices Lecture Series.  
 
A remote viewing option is also available. Both options are free and open to the public. This lecture is also the closing event of MCLA's annual Day of Dialogue, a campus-wide day of workshops and discussions that focus on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. 
 
To register for the in-person event or virtual option, visit https://mcla.edu/mcla-in-the-community/events/notable-speakers/lavender-fund.php. 
 
Deaf, genderqueer poet Meg Day is the author of "Last Psalm at Sea Level" (Barrow Street, 2014), and winner of the Publishing Triangle's Audre Lorde Award. A recipient of the Amy Lowell Poetry Travelling Scholarship and an NEA Fellowship in Poetry, Day's recent work can be found in Best American Poetry 2020 & The New York Times. Day is assistant professor of English & Creative Writing at Franklin & Marshall College. 
 
This lecture is made possible through the generosity of alumni and friends who contribute annually to The Lavender Fund. 
 
Launched in 2019, The Lavender Fund raises annual support to bring LGBTQIA+ community speakers to campus, send students to attend LGBTQIA+ conferences, and sponsor student trips to historic and influential locations associated with the LGBTQIA+ civil rights movement. 

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North Adams Housing Authority Director Steps Down

Staff Reports

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Jennifer Hohn, the longtime executive director of the North Adams Housing Authority (NAHA), has stepped down after 24 years with the agency.

The Berkshire Eagle reported that Hohn resigned from her position on Thursday. The NAHA Board of Commissioners is currently developing a transition plan.

Her resignation follows rising tension between Hohn and the tenants association. Residents—particularly at the Spring and Ashland Park apartments—have raised specific concerns regarding building security, drug activity, and trespassers.

This summer, Tenants Association President Corey Fortin posted a video on social media demonstrating that door alarms in some of the buildings were not functioning.

Shortly after the video was posted, the tenants association's office was locked. Members alleged Hohn locked the space in retaliation, while Hohn maintained it was a matter of tenant safety. Hohn also stated that NAHA does not officially recognize the association because it has yet to go through official channels for certification—a claim the tenants association disputes.

The dispute culminated in plans for a formal grievance hearing between Hohn and the association. Both sides agreed to hold a meeting on Oct. 3, but the hearing had not yet been scheduled at the time of her resignation.
During her tenure as director, Hohn oversaw significant changes at NAHA, including expansion and the dissolution of Housing Opportunities Incorporated, a program founded over 30 years ago to assist first-time homebuyers. Most recently, she led efforts to transition NAHA properties from traditional public housing models to the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program. She also directed the rebuilding of a Greylock Valley Apartments building after it was severely damaged by a fire.

The NAHA Board of Commissioners meets monthly, typically on Mondays.

 

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