Home Posts tagged The Mount
Daily News

LENOX — The Mount, Edith Wharton’s home, is once again collaborating with the Western Mass. Straw Dog Writers Guild to offer a unique residency experience for nine emerging writers. Genres include poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, and plays. Residencies will be for one week and include lodging at a neighboring inn, a workspace at the Mount, breakfast, lunch, and a $500 stipend.

The residencies begin on March 3, 10, and 17, and three writers will be selected for each week. Applications are now open and are limited to the first 270 submissions. Visit edithwharton.org for more information and to access the application form.

This will be the tenth year the Mount has offered writers an opportunity to create at the Mount, and its third year partnering with Straw Dog Writers Guild. The revamped residency now focuses on writers who are developing their craft. There is no prerequisite of being published.

Submissions are reviewed anonymously and ranked based on the following criteria: quality of writing, originality of voice, the potential for growth as a writer, and strength of the statement of purpose. The $25 application fee will be waived for financial hardship and for Mount and Straw Dog members.

Daily News

LENOX — The Mount, Edith Wharton’s home, invites the public to a free musical celebration of Berkshire Latinx culture and artistry on Sunday, Aug. 27 at 4 p.m. Attendees will enjoy a performance under the tent from Brazilian samba/salsa dancer Luana Días and live Mexican music from Loreli Chavez and Laura Cabrera, the multifaceted singer of Yo Soy Arte, a collective of local Latinx artists dedicated to preserving their cultural heritage through music and dance while bringing people together in celebration and unity.

Food will be available for purchase from local favorite La Chalupa y la Enchilada, and a beverage garden will feature a variety of drink options. Children’s activities will include face painting and, or course, dancing.

Free bus transportation from Pittsfield to Lenox will be provided; a 3 p.m. bus departs from Hotel on North (297 North St.) to the Mount, returning to Pittsfield at 7 p.m. Register for transportation by calling (413) 707-2607 or emailing [email protected].

“I’m thrilled to be leading the Mount’s efforts to build authentic relationships and highlight the rich cultural talent we have within our community,” said Liliana Atanacio, the Mount’s new Outreach coordinator.

This project is supported by a grant awarded by the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation’s Arts Build Community initiative with funding from the Barr Foundation.

Daily News

LENOX — The Mount, Edith Wharton’s home, is collaborating with the Straw Dog Writers Guild of Western Mass. to offer a unique residency experience for nine emerging writers. Residencies will be for one week and include lodging at Brook Farm Inn in Lenox, a workspace at the Mount, breakfast, lunch, and a $500 stipend. The residencies run weekly from March 5 to March 25, and three writers will be selected for each week. Applications opened on Sept. 1. Visit edithwharton.org for more information and to access the application form.

This will be the ninth year the Mount has offered writers an opportunity to create at the Mount and its second year partnering with Straw Dog Writers Guild. The revamped residency now focuses on writers who are developing their craft. There is no prerequisite for being published.

“The Mount was conceived as a private retreat by a writer on the verge of her literary ascent; in the 21st century, what better way to share Edith Wharton’s home and legacy than with an organization of writers devoted to supporting emerging voices?” said Patricia Pin, director of Public Programs at the Mount.

Jacqeline Sheehan, author and president of Straw Dog Writers Guild, added that, “in collaboration with the Mount, Straw Dog Writers Guild is honored to offer residencies to writers early in their careers. Just as Edith Wharton gained her early literary footing at the Mount, our contemporary emerging writers are offered the gift of support and our belief in them.”

Berkshire County Daily News Education Events Tourism & Hospitality Travel and Tourism Work/Life Balance

LENOX — The Mount, Edith Wharton’s Home, announced its 2022 Summer Lecture Series line-up. Now in its 29th year, the Summer Lecture series brings leading biographers and historians to the Berkshires. This year’s series includes journalist and New York Times bestselling author Kati Marton, Pushcart prize-winning poet Ravi Shankar, and Syrian/Jordanian thought leader Luma Mufleh, among other notable speakers. 

Lectures will be held outdoors under an open-air tent on Mondays at 4 p.m. and Tuesdays at 11 a.m., beginning July 11 through August 30. To view the full line-up and purchase tickets, visit EdithWharton.org.

“We have a fascinating mix of narratives about historical figures and contemporary underrepresented voices in this year’s lineup,” said Patricia Pin, The Mount’s Public Program Director. “We are looking forward to welcoming our community back to The Mount for what promises to be an engaging season of meaningful storytelling.” 

  • July 11 and 12: Grace M. Cho, author of Tastes Like War; 
  • July 18 and 19: Victoria Kastner, author of Julia Morgan: An Intimate Biography of the Trailblazing Architect 
  • July 25 and 26: Luma Mufleh, author of Learning America: One Woman’s Fight for Educational Justice for Refugee Children.
  • August 1 and 2: Ravi Shankar, author of Correctional: A Memoir;
  • August 8 and 9: Susan Branson, author of Scientific Americans;
  • August 15 and 16: Chad Williams on “The Voice of W.E.B Du Bois”
  • August 22 and 23: Ann McCutchan, author of The Life She Wished to Live;
  • August 29 and 30: Kati Marton, author of Chancellor: The Remarkable Odyssey of Angela Merkel.

For more information, visit EdithWharton.org

Daily News

LENOX — The Mount has obtained a fascinating assortment of personal items collected by the late French scholar and Edith Wharton biographer Claudine Lesage, now on display at the Lenox home designed and built by Wharton in 1902.

After Lesage’s death in 2013, her husband, Jean Claude Lesage, began sending items gathered during their many years of research, including postcards, photos, vintage guidebooks, and other ephemera relating to Wharton’s life in France. Some of these items are clothes believed to have belonged to Wharton: a beautiful silk dress, an embroidered jacket, and several beaded purses. Personal items of Wharton’s are very rare, and we are excited to share them with our visitors. These textiles, china, silver, and a velvet-lined jewelry box are some of the items on display, personalizing Wharton’s years in France.

A highlight of Wharton’s life in France were the gardens she created; the normally very private Wharton even invited the general public to view them. The exhibit displays photos of her gardens and details her relationships with other famous gardeners, and her own staff, without whom neither her gardens nor her writings would have been possible.

Multiple elements are used throughout the exhibit to create an immersive experience, including an enlarged vintage image of the Mediterranean city of Hyères (site of Ste.-Claire, one of Wharton’s homes) that fills an entire wall; a flat-screen slideshow of old postcards; and interactive displays of books and other ephemera. Additionally, the exhibit features a short film of Jean-Claude Lesage discussing his late wife’s work and showing scenes of present-day Hyères.

Claudine Lesage, who wrote several books in French on Wharton, died before she could publish her last manuscript: a work on Wharton’s life in France intended for an American audience. The Mount’s executive director, Susan Wissler, edited and published that work (Edith Wharton in France) in 2018.

“We are grateful for our long-standing partnership with Claudine and Jean-Claude, which has allowed us to further contextualize Edith Wharton’s life after The Mount,” said Wissler. “We are delighted to now share this knowledge more widely through a compelling new exhibit.”

The Mount is open seven days a week, from 10 am to 5 pm. Tickets are available on its website: edithwharton.org.

This exhibit is made possible by the Mitchell and Elaine Yanow Charitable Trust and by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Daily News

LENOX — NightWood is back. Once again, the Mount in Lenox will be transformed into a fantastical winter landscape. This year’s show includes several new sound and light elements, including the Eternal City and the Conference of Trees.

An opening-night celebration will be held on Thursday, Nov. 4. Tickets are limited and cost $100 per person, with timed entries at 5:30 p.m., 6 p.m., and 6:30 p.m., followed by bistro fare and craft cocktails under outdoor heaters and twinkling lights. To purchase tickets, click here. All ticket holders will be contacted about dinner menu choices from SoMa Catering.

Due to uneven and stepped terrain, accessibility is limited. NightWood is not wheelchair-accessible.