May at the Mahaiwe
Great Barrington – The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center’s May programming features a variety of performers, speakers, and films. The Mahaiwe will present a concert by singer-songwriter John Hiatt on Friday, May 6, at 8 p.m. and a talk entitled “The Possibilities and Perils of Editing the Human Genome” by the New Yorker science writer Michael Specter on Friday, May 13, at 7 p.m. On Sunday, May 15, at 1:30 p.m., master tea blender Michael Harney of Harney & Sons Fine Teas will host a pre-broadcast tea tasting at Castle Street Cafe before a 3 p.m. encore broadcast of the London’s National Theatre in HD production of “The Audience” by Peter Morgan.
The Mahaiwe’s May Movie of the Month is “The Graduate” (1967), starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft, on Saturday, May 21, at 7 p.m. The Mahaiwe’s Film Noir Classics series will kick off with “The Big Sleep” (1946), starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, on Saturday, May 28, at 7 p.m. The Mahaiwe will host the the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College’s 2016 Mona Sherman Memorial Lecture featuring bestselling author and TIME columnist Joe Klein on Friday, May 27, at 6 p.m. in a talk titled “How on Earth Did We Get Here? The Chaotic Politics of 2016.”
For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or call the Mahaiwe box office at (413) 528-0100.
–E.E.
* * *
Students compete in 250th anniversary logo competition
Lenox — Lenox Memorial Middle and High School’s art students were asked to submit ideas for a logo in celebration of the town of Lenox’s upcoming 250th anniversary in 2017. Five finalists were selected to have their work submitted to the Lenox 250th Anniversary Committee: 12th graders Renae Carotenuto, Emma Ingalls, and Katie Mitts; and eighth graders Jonah Krusznya and Emma Sorrentino.
All entries will be on display at Lenox’s annual Town Meeting on Thursday, May 5, at 7 p.m. in the Duffin Theater lobby of the school. The winner of the competition will be announced at the Town Meeting. The logo created by the winner will be used in all promotions, advertising, and correspondence used to celebrate and publicize the town’s 250th anniversary.
–E.E.
* * *
Director Salim Abu Jabal to give screening at Williams
Williamstown — Williams College will present a screening of the film “Roshmia” followed by a question-and-answer session with its director, Salim Abu Jabal, on Thursday, May 5, at 7 p.m. in the Paresky Auditorium. The film is in Arabic with English subtitles and the event is free and open to the public.
“Roshmia” is a documentary that delves into the intricacies of everyday life and struggles of an elderly, childless Palestinian refugee couple as they desperately cling to their home in Roshmia Valley in Haifa. ”Roshmia” is Abu Jabal’s first feature-length documentary. It premiered at the 2014 Dubai International Film Festival where it was the recipient of the Special Jury Prize. Abu Jabal has worked in cinema and TV as a production manager and a casting director on several Palestinian and international films. His filmography as director includes “The Language of Almonds” (2011) and “Separation Diary” (2012). He graduated from Haifa University with degrees in theatre and Arabic literature in 2004.
For building locations on the Williams campus, consult the online map or call the Office of Communications at (413) 597-4277.
–E.E.
* * *
‘Mocktoberfest’ fundraiser for BCD
Stockbridge — On Saturday, May 7, at 6 p.m., Berkshire Country Day School (BCD) will host its annual fundraising soiree to benefit the School’s financial aid program. This year’s theme, “Mocktoberfest,” is an irreverent take on the traditional Oktoberfest celebration.
The evening’s entertainment will be provided by New York City–based polka band the Polka Brothers. A live auction of premium experiences with proxy bids taken will be held, with items to include a trip to Oktoberfest in Munich and a Gregory Crewdson artist proof. A silent auction of more than 50 items –– including a basketball signed by Kobe Bryant and artwork by Cynthia Wick, as well as local crafts, services, and food –– will also take place, with mobile bidding available for those who are not able to attend the event.
The soiree will begin with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m. for sponsors and doors will open to the public at 6:45 pm. Tickets are $75 per person, and include an open bar, dinner, and dancing. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact Joanne DelCarpine at (413) 637-0755.
–E.E.
* * *
Outspoken youth poetry festival finale
Pittsfield — The culminating event of Outspoken, WordXWord’s first annual youth poetry festival, will be held on Saturday, May 7, at 7:30 p.m. at the Whitney Center for the Arts. The evening will showcase some of the brightest and bravest young poetic voices, including finalists from youth and college poetry slam competitions. The featured guests are Thomas Fucaloro and Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib.
The finale will cap a day and a half of workshops, sharing, competitions, and fellowship of youth voices (ages 13 – 23) and is an opportunity for the poets to share their experiences and creativity with the public.
Guest poets Thomas Fucaloro and Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib will lead workshops and host preliminary events over the course of the festival weekend. Fucaloro is a New York City poet who has been on three national poetry slam teams and was the Inspired Word’s 2012 Grand Slam Champion. He is a co-founding editor of Great Weather for Media and NYSAI Press and is a writing coordinator at the Harlem Children’s Zone. Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib is a poet, essayist, and cultural critic from Columbus, Ohio, whose poems and essays have been published in the Nation, the New York Times, and Pitchfork. He is a poetry editor at Muzzle Magazine, a Callaloo Creative Writing Fellow, and a columnist at MTV News where he writes about the intersection of music, culture, and identity.
In addition to the festival finale, the public is welcome to attend any of the preliminary poetry slams happening throughout the afternoon: ages 13 – 19 will perform at 1 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. at the Whitney Center for the Arts and the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts; and ages 19 – 23 will perform at 2:45 p.m. at Dottie’s Coffee Lounge.
Outspoken events are recommended for audiences 13+ and parents/guardians are advised that content may contain mature themes and/or address issues that some may find difficult. Admission to the Outspoken festival finale is free, but seating is limited. For more information, email web@wxw365.org.
–E.E.
* * *
Eclipse Mill residents reading and book launch
North Adams — On Friday, May 6, at 8 p.m., five authors from the Eclipse Mill artists’ residence complex will present a reading and book launch in its gallery. The event will feature recent work by Charles Giuliano, Astrid Hiemer, Vin Jensen (Ien Nivens), Roman Jones, and Sarah Sutro. The evening will range from readings of poetry and novels to musical performance and will be followed by a reception and book signing, The event is free and open to the public.
In August 2015, Charles Giuliano intended to write a cycle of poems celebrating each month for a year, which morphed into a larger project with some 400 poems posted to date on Berkshire Fine Arts.
In addition to writing online, Astrid Hiemer has been creating unique artist’s books, examples of which were included in an International Artists’ Book Biennale in Bucharest, Romania. Hiemer has also created collaged travel journals both as unique books and projects for Berkshire Fine Arts.
Vin Jensen has written under the nom de plume Ien Nivens and published “Tangible Angels,” which treads an imaginary line between magical realism and American gothic horror. Insisting that it is an interpretation and not a translation, he has published “The American Book of Changes,” which renders more accessible the ancient Chinese book of oracles.
Singer/songwriter Roman Jones, will perform several songs composed while a resident in the Eclipse Mill. He recently was a part of a David Bowie tribute during Williamstown’s Billstock festival. A former staff photographer for CBS, he now works for Williams College.
Sarah Sutro’s book of verse, “Etudes,” was recently published by Finishing Line Press. She was a finalist for the Robert Frost Poetry Award, received a Massachusetts Artist Foundation poetry grant, and was a visiting writer/artist at the American Academy in Rome. She is the author of “Colors: Passages through Art, Asia, and Nature” (Blue Asia Press).
For more information, contact Charles Giuliano at charles_giuliano@yahoo.com or (413) 346-4990.
–E.E.
* * *
Gas pipeline tax rally
Boston — On Tuesday, May 3, at 11:30 a.m. in front of the State House, grassroots leaders, organizers and advocates representing the breadth of Mass Power Forward will celebrate the suspension of Kinder Morgan’s Northeast Energy Direct pipeline, oppose any gas pipeline tax, and attend a Senate hearing on climate change and energy policy.
There are rumors that the long-anticipated energy omnibus bill could contain language supporting the pipeline tax that would subsidize new gas pipelines through a charge added to the monthly bills of electric ratepayers. Two weeks ago, 97 representatives signed a Dear Colleague letter opposing the pipeline tax and, at the rally, Mass Power Forward will draw a line in the sand that any bill with such language is a poison pill. Coalition members are committed to pushing for energy solutions including the procurement of at least 2000 megawatts of offshore wind power, restoring low-income and community solar power, doubling the Renewable Portfolio Standard, and securing decommissioning funds for the Pilgrim nuclear power plant.
Organizations participating in the rally will include Environmental League of Massachusetts, Sierra Club, Toxics Action Center, Massachusetts Climate Action Network, Clean Water Action, Conservation Law Foundation, the Acadia Center, Better Future Project/350 Mass, Boston Climate Action Network, the Appalachian Mountain Club, Pioneer Valley Climate Action Now, Berkshire Environmental Action Team, and others.
–E.E.
