2nd Street Seeks Submissions for Literary Project

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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.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Companion Corner: Robert and Marmee at Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There is a bonded pair of felines looking for a new home where they can window watch.

iBerkshire's Companion Corner is a weekly series spotlighting an animal in our local shelters that is ready to find a home.  

Marmee and Robert are two domestic shorthair cats who are about 5 years old and have been at the shelter for a couple of months.

Feline/small animal adoption counselor Alyssa Petell introduced us to them.  

"They were originally strays, and they were found together with their kittens that they had," she said. "We adopted out all of the kittens that they had, and they did end up with a respiratory infection, which we did have to isolate them for a couple months to let them recover from that respiratory infection. They have since recovered from that, and they're doing amazing now."

After recovering, they have shown to be very affectionate. While a little shy at first, they want to know who you are.

"Robert and Marmee are super affectionate. They love to be pet. They just want love all the time. Chin scratches and all," Petell  said.

The two are bonded and would need to go home together. They love to play with string toys and lounge around together.

"Robert and Marmee are super super bonded, as I mentioned earlier. So they definitely need to go home together. They sleep together. They groom each other. They just absolutely love each other, and they are also super playful," she said. "They got lots of toys, and they both have just wonderful personalities." 

The cats can go to a home with children and possibly other cats. They have not been tested with dogs but it may be OK with a cat-friendly dog.

"We don't know about how they would be around dogs because you know we don't have much history since they were strays," Petell said. "But with other cats, they should be fine. They're really good with each other, and they've been really tolerant of other cats in our shelter, so I think they would do great with other cats. Kids should be fine, and I guess we're just not really sure about dogs."

When bringing them into their new home, they will be very curious but will be an amazing addition to a family.

"They are really curious. They definitely are funny. They do like to get into things, so just be careful with what food you have out or items, because they just want to know what's going on and see if they can find a little snack sometimes." she said. "But they are just wonderful, super affectionate, super curious and amazing cats." 

You can visit the two at the Berkshire Humane Society and read more about them on the website.

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