Music in Common, Berkshire Immigrant Stories to partner for cultural immersion program
Pittsfield — Music in Common and Berkshire Immigrant Stories will partner to bring together immigrant and American-born youth in Music in Common’s intercultural songwriting and multimedia workshop JAMMS program, in which participants write and record a song and create a music video. The program will take place at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts Saturday, April 28, Sunday, April 29; Saturday, May 5; and Sunday, May 12 with a concluding performance Sunday, June 24.
To date, Music in Common has produced 45 JAMMS projects with diverse communities across the U.S. and Middle East that have brought together people of diverse faiths, ethnicities and cultural backgrounds. The partnership with the Berkshire Immigrant Stories Project will allow American-born and immigrant youth to learn about each other’s cultures and share their narratives, integrating them into the song and video.
The program is free and open to Berkshire-area high school- and college-aged youth. Registration is open until Saturday, March 31. For more information, contact Berkshire Immigrant Stories coordinator Antonia Buckley at (413) 329-0483 or abuckley@berkshirecc.edu.
–E.E.
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Fairview Hospital to host emergency response classes
Great Barrington — Fairview Hospital will host a full day of free programs on life-saving skills for laypersons and health and safety professionals Saturday, March 31, in the hospital’s conference room.
“Stop the Bleed, Save a Life” will teach the skills of how to control bleeding. The first program is designed for healthcare providers, emergency medical technicians, first responders and representatives from local police and fire departments. Two hours of EMS Community Education will be offered to those who attend. The second program, from 11 a.m. to noon, is targeted to laypersons and will also teach the basics of bleeding control. “You Are the Help Until Help Arrives” will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. and will teach attendees basic skills to keep people with life-threatening injuries alive until professional help arrives. Topics to be covered include calling 911, keeping people safe, how to stop bleeding and how to provide comfort.
The classes are free and open to the public. Registration is required due to limited space. For more information or to register, call (413) 854-9609.
–E.E.
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Bennington College to present poet Evie Shockley
Bennington, Vt. — On Wednesday, March 28, from 7 to 8 p.m., Bennington College will present a reading by poet Evie Shockley in the Tishman Lecture Hall.
Shockley is the author of several books, including “semiautomatic” and “the new black,” which received the 2012 Hurston/Wright Legacy Award in poetry. A Cave Canem fellow, Shockley received the 2012 Holmes National Poetry Prize from Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts. Two of her poems were displayed in the Biko 30/30 exhibit, a commemoration of the life and work of anti-apartheid activist Steven Biko, which toured South Africa in 2007. Shockley received her bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and, after studying law at the University of Michigan, earned her doctorate in English from Duke University. Shockley was co-editor of the poetry journal jubilat from 2004 to 2007 and teaches African-American literature and creative writing at Rutgers University-New Brunswick in New Jersey.
The reading is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Bennington College at (802) 442-5401.
–E.E.
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Rabies clinic to be held for Great Barrington residents
Great Barrington — The town of Great Barrington and Bilmar Small Animal Clinic will hold a rabies clinic Saturday, March 31, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the Great Barrington fire station, 37 State Road. The cost is $10 per dog and cat. The Great Barrington town clerk will attend the clinic to issue dog licenses for Great Barrington and Housatonic residents for a fee of $5 for spayed or neutered dogs and $15 otherwise. All dogs residing in Great Barrington and Housatonic must have their annual licenses renewed by Sunday, April 1.
Participants are asked to keep dogs on leashes and cats in carriers while at the clinic. Proceeds will benefit the Great Barrington Fire Fighters’ Association. For more information, call (413) 528-1619.
–E.E.
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Adult swimming lessons to be offered
Great Barrington — In recognition of Adult Learn-to-Swim Month, the Berkshire County U.S. Masters Swimming teams of the Bard College at Simon’s Rock PaceMakers and the Berkshire Family YMCA Polar Bears will offer free adult swimming lessons during the month of April.
The Kilpatrick Athletic Center at Bard College at Simon’s Rock will offer lessons Tuesdays and Thursdays from Tuesday, April 3, through Thursday, April 19, from 7:15 to 8:30 p.m. Those interested are asked to register at the front desk. For more information, contact (413) 528-7777 or billm@simons-rock.edu.
The Berkshire Family YMCA’s Pittsfield branch will offer lessons on Thursdays, from April 5–26, with two available class times of 5:30 to 6:15 p.m. and 6:15 to 7:00 p.m. Those interested are asked to register at the welcome center. For more information, contact (413) 499-7560 x146 or akirchner@bfymca.org.
–E.E.
