OtherWords Reading Series Welcomes Cynthia Zarin, Michael Gottlieb

11:50AM / Monday, January 19, 2026Print Story | Email Story

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Friends of Great Barrington Libraries and the Board of Library Trustees present an evening of poetry and prose featuring writers Cynthia Zarin and Michael Gottlieb as part of the OtherWords Reading Series.

The event will take place on Saturday, Jan. 24, from 4:00 to 6:00 PM, at the Mason Library on Main Street in Great Barrington, and will be hosted by poet Evelyn Reilly.

Cynthia Zarin is the author of the new novel "Estate,"" as well as the novel "Inverno" and six books of poetry, including "Orbit and Next Day: New and Selected Poems." A longtime contributor to The New Yorker, Zarin teaches at Yale University and lives in New York City.

Michael Gottlieb will read from his new poetry collection, "Next!" He is the author of twenty-four books spanning poetry, memoir, and essay. His most recent publications include "Selected Poems, Collected Essays, and Collected Memoirs."

The OtherWords Reading Series brings nationally recognized writers to Great Barrington for intimate, community-centered literary events. This reading is free and open to the public.

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Great Barrington Fire, Police Respond to Chimney Fire

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
02:48PM / Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Fire Chief Scott Turner called for mutual aid as soon as he saw flames.

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Firefighters made quick work of a chimney fire on Tuesday afternoon and two police officers aided the occupant in escaping the building.

Fire Chief Scott Turner said the blaze at 205 North St. was reported about 12:38 p.m.

"When I arrived on scene, we had a small amount of flames coming out of the eaves of the roof over by the chimney for the wood stove, and then we had light smoke conditions on the second floor," he said.

Police Officers Andres Huertas and Elias Casey were first on the scene and immediately entered the single-family home to find the occupant was on the second floor.

They helped her out of the building, Turner said, "they did a great job."

The chimney is a metal chimney and burn marks could been seen where it meets the eaves on the side of the building.

North Street is a narrow residential way and firetrucks from Alford, Egremont, Monterey, Richmond, Stockbridge and West Stockbridge were parked along nearby streets.

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