Berkshire Women Write!

Jana Laiz has published another novel for young adults, and it’s a good one! The Twelfth Stone was published by Crow Flies Press in May, and it comes highly recommended by Alison Larkin, Bill McKibben, and, of course, the staff at The Bookloft.

All Hallows Eve, Samhain, marks the time when the veil opens between the human and the faerie worlds. But it’s getting harder to cross – and far more perilous. Earth’s destruction is giving rise to shadows where no shadows should be.

Only Rionnag’s fates marriage can save the Faerie race, but she would rather escape than sacrifice her own happiness…

Maggie keeps secrets. Painful secrets that could affect her daughter Fiona’s life forever…

When Fiona’s otherworldy daydreams merge with her waking life she finally believes in the magic she holds within herself. And that’s when everything changes…

On a more delectable front, Francine Segan’s Dolci: Italy’s Sweets was printed in October by Stewart, Tabori & Chang. Look at the delicious apple pastry on the cover, and imagine what else can be found inside.

Live la dolce vita – the sweet life – with this delightful guide to Italy’s best sweets.

Join Francine Segan on a lavishly illustrated tour of Italy, with more than 100 recipes for cookies, cakes, pastries, puddings, and frozen confections.

In Dolci: Italy’s Sweets, Segan introduces us to the real Italy. Her recipes come from hip young bloggers and grandmas in remote villages, from important Italian pastry manufacturers (including Bauli, Corsini, and Falanga) and pastry chefs at small cafes. From thousands of recipes, she has selected the very best – a list that includes both the classics and desserts that contemporary Italians prepare in their homes today.

Congratulations, you two!

No Comments »

In recent months we had three exciting new books by Berkshire women hit the store!

Carol Gilligan’s Joining the Resistance builds on her previous works, providing autobiographical context to her discoveries of what it means to grow into womanhood and the misrepresentation of women in the prevailing theories of our society. By revisiting In a Different Voice, Meeting at the Crossroads, and other scholarly works through a new lens, Carol uncovers new revolutionary developments and demonstrates that the resistance marches on.

Carol Gilligan is one of the pre-eminent psychologists of our tome. Joining the Resistance is a leap forward in what has become her life-journey, connecting psychology to culture. The book stands on its own as a work of art; it is beautifully written and, like the best sort of novel, full of surprises.

- Richard Sennett, New York Universty

The Cows, Lydia Davis’s daily mediation on the three cows that live across from her, is a charming, empathetic literary collection. Their daily activities are recorded with an understated wit and literary eye that will forever change how you look at cows.

Mary Moody’s first book, A Killing in Antiques, has captured the heart of two of the staff at The Bookloft. Rather than having me describe it, here’s what Linda has to say:

The drama includes Lucy’s family, collectors and transient folks all told in an intriguing story. Fun, excitement, and tips on collecting make this an engaging read!

No Comments »

Back by popular demand!

Once out of print, a new edition of the award-winning Houses of the Berkshires, 1870 – 1930 (2006) has just been released! This elegant tour of some of the Berkshires’ most beautiful and famous “cottages” is illustrated with over 300 photographs and floor plans, surveying 37 of our region’s great country homes. Revised and expanded to reflect new research since the original version, this edition has two additional chapters, which includes Great Barrington and Stockbridge, and almost two dozen new photographs.

Originally written & updated by Cornelia Brooke Gilder and Richard S. Jackson it has arrived at The Bookloft.  The pair will also be signing at The Bookloft on Saturday, June 11 between 10 AM and Noon.

Stop by… visit with authors… and pick up a signed copy.

No Comments »

Phyllis Carito will be reading from her new book of poetry, “barely a whisper” on Saturday, November 20 at the J Damiani Gallery from 5:oo-6:30 PM.

No Comments »

Two books written on the subject of “Mumbet” Elizabeth Freeman by Berkshire Women writers have hit the shelves this year.  For adults, Emilie Piper & David Levinson have written One Minute A Free Woman.

“This is a detailed and well-researched account of the life of Elizabeth Freeman, perhaps the most historically correct narrative of her life to date.”   —Wray Gunn

For young people, Jana Laiz & Ann-Elizabeth Barnes have written, A Free Woman on God’s Earth.  This lively tale appropriate for ages 7 & up has lovely color & line drawings by Jacqueline Rogers.

No Comments »

Hallo! I’d love to be a part of your community! I am moving to a wee house a quarter of a mile from the Bookloft with my family next Saturday!!! My kids start at Muddy Brook Sept. 1st. I was thrilled to see a copy of my novel The English American in your bookshop when I first arrived! It was published in hardback in 2008 and in paperback in Nov 2009 by Simon and Schuster and, as well as a great deal about nature, nurture and the difference between English and American culture, it has an adopted heroine (as opposed to victim) at it’s centre. I would be honored to introduce myself as a Berkshire Woman Writer. For more details, go to my website, www.alisonlarkin.com. Thanks!

No Comments »

This was in the comments, but I thought I’d post it so you’d be sure to see it. I know there are plenty of good readers, editors, and feedback-givers out there.

Hello,
I am writing my first book after teaching in classroom over 30 years. Wanted to try something different and decided to use my journal entries regarding “culture shock” of southern girl (me) moving north(Great Barrington). Daughter lives in Mill River.
My manuscript is about 75% complete. Spoke with Susan last Friday in Troy about printing book.
Thinking about doing series on southern girl and her travels. I would appreciate any advice/help/support anyone could give me.
Telephone-413-717-4157 caller ID.
Thanks,
Nora

Tags: Women Writers, Writing Advice

2 Comments »

Not exactly hot off the presses, but close enough. upstreet number six is here, the Berkshire’s very own literary journal. It’s eye-catching over there on the magazine rack, right next to The Bookloft’s door,  in its glossy black cover with the  simple orange letters standing out. It’s a clean, uncluttered look; there’s  no hint of what’s inside.

I love literary journals. I’ve heard people complain–a literature professor in particular–that even with thousands of literary journals now in circulation, the writing one finds  in such journals is becoming increasingly similar, perpetuating the belief that university writing programs, which are often tied to literary journals, are producing one kind of writer. As the popularity of literary journals decreases, so does the diversity found within the pages, it might seem. Nobody reads them, the complaint continues, except those who wish to write in this specific style.

Despite all this, the thing I love about lit journals is the diversity I find.  Crack into the pages of The Kenyon Review, Tin House, Prairie Schooner, or our very own upstreet; you’ll find a diversity of styles,  experience levels, and content. From a writer publishing his first poem to the seasoned author with several novels under her belt; the pages of these journals can be pot luck. I like to think of literary journals as the adolesence of literature–writers coming into their own, finding their voice–promise mixed with professionalism. Who knows, maybe I’m just infatuted with the current trends of contemporary writers; I’m a sucker for what’s coming out of University writing programs, just as I’m equally passionate about the writing of writing degree-less authors like Kurt Vonnegut, Jamaica Kincaid (not including her honorary degree), or contemporary author Tom Bissell … 

I recall picking up a copy of Crab Orchard Review a couple of years ago and feeling so lucky to find a short story by Benjamin Percy (author of Refresh, Refresh; The Language of Elk; The Wilding). In a subsequent issue of Crab Orchard one of my grad school colleagues published a poem. What I find equally exciting is finding literary journals from the 1980’s or 1990’s and discovering an early story or essay from a now established writer. Once, I picked up an old issue of Threepenny Review  in a used bookstore in Arizona and discovered a short story by the professor of the Women’s Literature class I was taking then. These journals serve as the annals for  the works of contemporary writers.

There was a Berkshire’s Week article last summer about upstreet. In it, editor Vivian Dorsel spoke of how the first few issues of upstreet included several Berkshire authors, but in these most recent issues the journal has drawn much more national attention. This year, the issue includes local writers Karen Chase, Courtney Maum, and Daniel Spinella. Three out of nearly forty–at least what I can tell from the Contributor’s Notes at the back of the issue. The issue includes a psychotherapist, several professors of English, students, Pushcart nominees, NEA recipients, landscapers … you know, people.

Come pick up the newest issue of upstreet, or browse our other selections of literary journals (we have Granta, Tin House, The New England Review and several others). You never know what you’re going to find.

Tags: Literary Journals

No Comments »

Join some of the nation’s finest writers and Berkshire’s own literary luminaries for a weekend of readings, discussions, and celebration at The Mount in Lenox.

A list of some of the guests:

Kurt Andersen

Roy Blount Jr.

Elizabeth Brundage

Frank Delaney

Tad Friend

John Hockenberry

Katy Lederer

Elinor Lipman

Martha McPhee

Laura Miller

Susan Orlean

Francine Prose

Ruth Reichl

Katie Roiphe

Elizabeth Samet

Dani Shapiro

Jim Shepard

Judith Thurman

Simon Winchester

Events include a Discussion Series, such as Writers in Wartime and “Well-Behaved Women,” an In Conversation series which will include several interviews of authors by radio interviewers Joe Donahue and Susan Arbetter, Social Events–have breakfast with Elizabeth Brundage or Elinor Lipman; share a cocktail with Francine Prose–and Poetry on the Terrace with several Berkshire poets.

From July 23-25 you can attend single event or buy a day pass or a weekend pass (although this does not include the evening social events).  And if the prices are too steep (I mean, we are writers afterall), The Mount is seeking volunteers to help with various aspects of festival organization in exchange for discounted tickets. This could give you a chance meet and chat with some of these renowned writers.

For complete information visit: http://berkshirewordfest.org/about/what-is

Tags: Wordfest

1 Comment »

For those of you who’ve been looking for a poetry group or class, poet Deborah Bernhardt will be hosting two class meetings at the Monterey General Store on Saturday, July 10 at 3-5 pm and Saturday, July 17 3-5 pm. One celebratory public reading on Sunday, July 18, 2 pm.

No experience necessary.

“A laboratory for experimenting with language and a workshop for revising the results.”

Cost: $20

To sign up contact Deborah at: Deborah.Bernhardt@gmail.com

Deborah Bernhardt has an MFA in Creative Writing and has received national as well as international poetry fellowships and literature grants. Her first collection, Echolalia, was published by Four Way Books (NY) in 2006 as winner of the Intro Prize for Poetry.

Tags: Poetry

No Comments »