Berkshire County Historical Society Writers Series
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. —The Berkshire County Historical Society's annual multi-session, multi-genre writing series will begin Nov. 14 with organizer and facilitator Jana Laiz.
The series is open to writers of all levels and areas of interest and is held at Arrowhead, Herman Melville's historic home in Pittsfield. Sessions are held from 2- 5 pm one Saturday per month from November through May.
Participation is limited to twelve writers; participants must sign up for entire series and are encouraged to attend all workshops. Cost for the series is $400 and includes all workshops, tea and snacks, a tour of Arrowhead, and an opportunity to write in Melville's study, where he wrote "Moby-Dick."
To register, contact Jana Laiz at education@berkshirehistory.org. For more information about sessions and facilitators, visit https://berkshirehistory.org/2026-2027-berkshire-writers-series.
November 14, 2026 - Jana Laiz
Writing for Little Ones - In this interactive workshop, writers will create stories for young children. Participants are invited to bring in a favorite book from their childhood to share and discuss. From there, using a series of prompts, they will start their own picture book, book for young readers or even the start of a memoir. Berkshire County Historical Society's Writer-in-Residence Emeritus, Education Coordinator, and award-winning author, Jana Laiz will lead this fun and creative workshop.
December 12, 2026 - Elizabeth DossPlaywright, performer and great, great, great granddaughter of Herman Melville, Elizabeth Doss will lead writers through a playful expedition of generating new work for the stage. Participants will explore and experiment with making stories and characters come alive in Melville's historic home, Arrowhead.
January 9, 2027 - Robert Oakes
Inspired by Spirits - Some writers have imagined that their inspiration comes to them from spirits, ghosts, and even fairies. Here at Arrowhead, Herman Melville entered a kind of hypnotic trance as he stood on his piazza or gazed through the “fairy window” in his study up to Mount Greylock. In this workshop writers will engage the spirits that many believe to inhabit Berkshire County. Using automatic writing and other methods of mediums and paranormal investigators to guide us in our search for the stories inside.
February 13, 2027 - Michelle Young
The Blended Memoir: How to Combine Narrative Nonfiction with Memoir - Memoirs can be a hard sell to publishers. Learn how to apply your personal experience to a larger story that can be told, the proposal and submission process, and how to get your idea ready for agents and publishers. We'll also workshop your idea and your writing and offer tips on how to transform their memoir into something.
March 20, 2027 - Scott Edward Anderson
Field Notes: The Discipline of Naming - Many of us reach for the nearest general noun when we're describing the natural world — bird, tree, flower — and lose the writing's sharpest details in the process. This workshop takes naming itself as a discipline of attention: learning to see and write a white-throated sparrow instead of just a bird, a shagbark hickory instead of just a tree. Anderson will lead participants through observation exercises aimed at building a more exact vocabulary for the world around them, then show how that precision opens-up richer, less generic writing on the page. No background in natural history required, just a willingness to look closely and name what you see.
April 17, 2027 - Anastasia Stanmeyer**The Past as a Character: Writing About Historical Figures Through a Modern Lens** How do you write a compelling, living profile of someone who is no longer here to answer your questions? In historical and biographical writing, a person cannot be separated from the places that shaped them. In 1850, Herman Melville moved to Arrowhead and spent his days in his second-floor study, gazing out at the snow-covered hump of Mount Greylock while writing Moby-Dick. He did not just live in the Berkshires; he absorbed them. This workshop will teach writers how to profile historical figures by treating geography as a primary source. This workshop will give you the tools to bridge the past and present through literary prose.
May 8, 2027 - Alison Larkin
Turning Your Life into Art: Telling the Story Only You Can Tell - Is there a story from your life that you've always wanted to tell but somehow never quite got round to telling it? Alison Larkin will discuss the many different ways she has turned her own life into art—from stand-up comedy and solo performance to bestselling novels, television scripts and screenplays—with plenty of time for questions and conversation. Then, through discussion and class participation, she will help you explore the different forms your own story might take and show you how you can begin turning your story into art.
This program is sponsored by Massachusetts Cultural Council and Greylock Federal Credit Union.
