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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Recent E. Coli Detection in Pontoosuc Lake Confined to Lanesborough

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:05AM / Tuesday, August 04, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— Only Lanesborough's portion of Pontoosuc Lake had a bacterial exceedance last week.

During the Lake Management Commission's second meeting on Thursday, members received an update on the situation.

On July 22, the Lanesborough Board of Health closed the Sunrise Street and Narragansett Avenue beaches due to high E. Coli levels. They have since cleared.

"We didn't have any bacterial exceedance in Pittsfield, so there's no concern at all last week for any E. coli concerns in Pittsfield,” Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath reported.

Regular monitoring for bacterial exceedances at swimming beaches across the Commonwealth is required. Pittsfield's Board of Health tests Pontoosuc and Onota Lake weekly on Wednesdays throughout the summer.

Lanesborough also conducts weekly testing through its Board of Health, and an exceedance was reported to the state at Sunrise Beach, at the very north end of Pontoosuc Lake.

McGrath noted that he did not see Narragansett Beach on the state's dashboard.

"The City of Pittsfield was made aware of the bacterial exceedance and we, of course, were concerned,” he said.

"Our weekly testing happened the next day on Wednesday. Our results were returned Thursday morning. We did not have a bacterial exceedance at Pontoosuc Lake Park, where we test off of the wall on the north side of the channel, and also proximate to the boat ramp, at this point in time.”

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