'Poetry in Motion' Event to Celebrate Hoosic River Watershed

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.— A poetry event titled "Poetry in Motion," celebrating the Hoosic River Watershed, will take place on Thursday, May 22, at 4:30 p.m. Participants will meet at the Natural Bridge State Park parking area, outside the gate.

The event will involve a walk from the Hudson Brook - North Branch confluence, where attendees can find inspiration for poetry. Writing prompts will be provided. There will be an opportunity for participants to share their poems, phrases, or other creative expressions inspired by the rivers. The program is scheduled to last for 1.5 hours.

This workshop is free and open to the public, supported by a grant from the Cultural Council of Northern Berkshire, a local agency funded by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency. Participation is limited to 16 individuals, and registration is required HERE.

The facilitator for the event is Arianna Alexsandra Collins, Executive Director of the Hoosic River Watershed Association, who also has experience as a naturalist educator and poet. Samples of her poetry can be found at https://hearkentoavalon.com/earthvoice-poetry/.

North Adams Updated on Schools, Council President Honored With 'Distinction'

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
12:31PM / Wednesday, March 25, 2026

Superintendent Timothy Callahan gives a presentation on the school system at Tuesday's City Council meeting. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City Council got an update on what's up in the school system and its president was inducted into the mayor's Women's Leadership Hall of Fame.

 

Mayor Jennifer Macksey, as the city's first woman mayor, established the Hall of Fame in 2022, during March, Women's History Month, to recognize local women who have had a positive impact on the city. Past inductees have included the council's first woman president Fran Buckley, Gov. Jane Swift and boxing pioneer Gail Grandchamp. 

 

She described President Ashley Shade as a colleague and a friend and a former student. 

 

"Ashley is known not just for her leadership, but for her compassion, her ability to listen, to understand and to stand up for those whose voices are often gone unheard," the mayor said. "She has been a tireless advocate for the LGBTQ plus community and marginalized communities at both the local and national level here in North Adams."

 

Elected in 2021, Shade is the first openly transgender person to hold the role of council president in Massachusetts. She also leads the first-ever woman majority council in the city's history. 

 

The McCann Technical School graduate also has served on boards and commissions, "always working to make our city more inclusive, equitable and welcoming," said the mayor. "Ashley not leads not only with strength, but with a heart, and our community is a much stronger place because of it."

 

Shade, wearing her signature pink suit, was presented with a plaque from the mayor designating her a "woman of distinction."