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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Historic Wahconah Park Grandstand Almost Leveled

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:35PM / Wednesday, September 16, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — If you want to catch a last glimpse of the remaining Wahconah Park grandstand, you need to hurry.

The historic grandstand is currently being demolished, with only a couple of the major structures remaining. Pittsfield is also working on what comes next for the park, and how baseball will return next year.

Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath said if people want to see the last of the structure, they should head down by the end of this week because "by Thursday or Friday it probably will entirely be down."

"It's moving quickly now that they're into the active demo phase," he told the Parks Commission on Tuesday.

"…Certainly, I think by the end of September we'll see cleanup and, if you will, the big hole where the stadium sat. That all will be filled to grade."

The more than 75-year-old structure was deemed unsafe in 2022, and planners determined that starting from square one is the best option.

On Sept. 3, the Conservation Commission issued 36 orders of conditions for the reconstruction of the ballpark.

Conservation Agent Shannon Poulin pointed out that the application has gone through many revisions; reconstruction cannot begin until a certificate of compliance for the demolition is issued.

The project crew will have an on-site meeting on Friday morning and consider two avenues of revitalization: The funding, last estimated around $15 million, and a financial strategy coming together through the mayor so that Pittsfield can move into an active build next year, or a longer process where the field is utilized before a new grandstand is built.

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