CATA Reading at the Mount

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LENOX, Mass. — Community Access to the Arts (CATA) and The Mount, Edith Wharton's Home, present a reading celebrating the work of writers with disabilities on Sept. 27 at 5pm. 
 
The event takes place at the Stable at The Mount, located at 2 Plunkett St. A free reception will follow the reading where attendees can meet and celebrate CATA writers.
 
Reservations are required for this free event. Register online at CATAarts.org/themount2023 or by contacting CATA at (413) 528-5485 or by email at KateHarding@CATAarts.org.
 
"We're thrilled to partner with The Mount once again to share the work of CATA writers," said CATA Executive Director Margaret Keller. "CATA writers express their creative voices each week in our workshops. By sharing their writing in this dynamic program, we get to spotlight their talent—and our community gets to see the world from their perspective."
 
The event will feature guest readers in a program of writing created in the CATA Writers' Workshop—a weekly class where writers with disabilities hone their craft and express their perspectives. CATA faculty artist Janet Reich Elsbach leads the workshop with an inventive curriculum that helps each CATA writer develop their own style in poetry, haiku, autobiography, and short stories.
 
Some CATA writers work with "scribes" to help them put their ideas on paper. CATA artists also work with guest artists throughout the year, including poet Dante Micheaux who guest-taught two workshops with CATA writers last fall (work created during those workshops will be featured in the reading on Sept. 27).
 
The CATA Writers' Workshop is one of 28 weekly inclusive arts workshops for people with disabilities taking place at CATA's Great Barrington studios during the 2023-2024 program year. Each workshop is designed as a series, and enrollment is on a rolling basis throughout the year. A current course catalog is available on CATA's website at CATAarts.org/joincata.
 
CATA's reading at The Mount is made possible by Berkshire Magazine, Massachusetts Cultural Council, and other supporters.

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Boston Red Sox's Wally Visits Morris Elementary School

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
LENOX, Mass. — Students at Morris Elementary School, sporting red, navy and green, along with plenty of baseball memorabilia, welcomed Big League Brian Dwyer and his iconic buddy, Boston Red Sox Wally the Green Monster, as he shared his love of reading with the community's future leaders.
 
"Reading opens up so many doors in so many different situations and areas in life. We have so many Boston Red Sox fans, and then bringing Wally here just reinforces the love that Wally has for reading," Principal Holly Soules said. "Kids want to be like Wally, so it's really fun to see the connection between the kids.
 
Wally's visits to the western part of the state are "rare," making his appearance at Morris Elementary especially timely following the school's recent library revamp, which prominently features one of the school's mantras: "Readers are leaders."
 
The event gave students a unique opportunity to interact with a character they may have only seen from afar at Fenway Park or on television.
 
"It was my favorite assembly of all time because I got to do stuff with Wally," fourth grader Tanner Wood said. "I like seeing him because I've never gotten that close to seeing Wally, and I got to like high five him and stuff." 
 
For the last decade, Big League Brian and Wally have encouraged students to read more while showing them ways to make reading fun and engaging through the "Wally's Making Books Come Alive" program. Schools can book a visit with Wally here
 
Using special bookmarks and a few silly antics from the goofy monster, Wally teaches students different strategies to make reading easier and more enjoyable for young learners, including reading aloud, acting out scenes, visualizing the story and using their imaginations to become more engaged readers.
 
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