W. E. B. Du Bois Educational Series to present ‘Dr. Du Bois and Miss Ovington’
Great Barrington — The W.E. B. Du Bois Educational Series will present “Dr. Du Bois and Miss Ovington” by Clare Coss on Tuesday, May 23, at 7 p.m. at Monument Mountain Regional High School. The event will begin with a spoken word arrangement by poet Ted Thomas performed by students from MMRHS as well as Taconic and Pittsfield high schools. Julianne Boyd, artistic director of Barrington Stage Company, will give an introduction.
Starring Peter Jay Fernandez and Kathleen Chalfant, the play is set in 1915 and centers on an encounter between Du Bois and fellow NAACP co-founder Mary White Ovington and “reconstructs a tormented moment when two of our great early twentieth century Civil Rights leaders almost went separate ways.” (Alice Kessler-Harris, Columbia University).
Coss is a psychotherapist, playwright and activist who is a member of PEN, the Dramatists Guild, the League of Professional Theatre Women and the Columbia University Seminar on Women and Society. She served as board member for the Thanks Be To Grandmother Winifred Foundation, enjoyed a long tenure as poetry editor for AFFILIA: Journal of Women and Social Work, and worked with Judith Arcana as co-poetry editor for On the Issues Magazine.
The performance is free and and open to the public. For more information, call MMRHS at (413) 528-3346.
–E.E.
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Rogovoy to speak on Bob Dylan’s Jewish influences
Pittsfield — Writer, editor, music critic and producer Seth Rogovoy will present “The Kabbalah of Bob Dylan,” a multimedia program exploring the Jewish influences in the life and work of the recent Nobel Prize winner, at Congregation Knesset Israel on Monday, May 22, at 7 p.m.
With the aid of audio clips, video, still images and textual comparisons, Rogovoy, author of “Bob Dylan: Prophet Mystic Poet,” will illustrate how Dylan’s songwriting has always been profoundly rooted in Jewish writings including the Torah, the Prophets, the Talmud, and mysticism, fusing these inspirations into a genre of “rock n’ roll midrash.”
The program will examine the Minnesota-born folksinger’s deeply religious and cultural upbringing, his commitment to Jewish practice and causes, and his decades-long connection to the Jewish outreach organization Chabad. Attendees will learn how Dylan grew up in a Yiddish-speaking home in a family that was at the very nexus of his hometown’s Jewish community; how classic Dylan songs like “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “All Along the Watchtower” and “Forever Young” have their lyrical roots in the words of prophets Ezekiel and Isaiah and in Jewish liturgy; and view rare video footage of Dylan performing Jewish music and quoting from the book of Psalms.
For 16 years, Rogovoy was a music critic and arts writer at the Berkshire Eagle. He was the founding editor of Berkshire Living magazine, and his weekly cultural commentary has been heard on WAMC radio for over two decades. He is the programming consultant for the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, where he curates the annual Yidstock festival of new Yiddish music. A graduate of Williams College, Rogovoy was formerly a board member of the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires and a member of congregations Ahavath Sholom in Great Barrington and Beth El in Bennington, Vermont. A founder of the South Berkshire Minyan, Rogovoy now lives in Hudson, New York.
Tickets are $18. Guitar players are invited to bring their instruments to jam with Rogovoy on Dylan’s songs after his presentation. Light refreshments and beverages will be served and Rogovoy’s books will be available for purchase and signing. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or call Congregation Knesset Israel at (413) 445-4872 x10.
–E.E.
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West Stockbridge Historical Society to hold benefit for 1854 Town Hall
West Stockbridge — The West Stockbridge Historical Society will present a reception to benefit the campaign to restore the 1854 Town Hall on Friday, June 2, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at Turn Park Art Space. Former Gov. Deval Patrick and Diane Patrick will attend as honorary guests and Turn Park owners Igor Gomberg and Katya Brezgunova will serve as honorary hosts. Rouge will provide food and there will be music by the Transmitters with Rob Sanzone, curated tours of Turn Park’s museum and grounds, and a dance event created by Rozann Kraus and performed on the grounds.
The benefit begins the next phase of the historical society’s campaign to restore the 1854 Town Hall. Since the campaign was launched in 2009, the historical society has raised over $475,000–more than half of its goal–from loyal supporters, and through state and private grants.
Tickets are $125 per person and those interested in attending are asked to RSVP by Saturday, May 20. Festive attire and comfortable footwear are suggested. For more information, call (413) 232-5055.
–E.E.
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Letter carriers’ food drive nets nearly 28,000 pounds of food
Pittsfield — On Saturday, May 13, Berkshire County residents donated nearly 28,000 pounds of nonperishable food via the countywide letter carriers food drive–more than double the amount collected in last year’s campaign. Local branch #286 of the National Association of Letter Carriers and Postal Workers, Berkshire Youth United, Berkshire Community Action Council and Berkshire United Way coordinated the effort. Berkshire Community Action Council along with Berkshire Youth United, also provided volunteer support for the day of the event.
Participants placed their food donations in bags or boxes by their mailboxes and letter carriers picked them up on their daily routes. Donations were then brought to the Pittsfield post office where volunteers helped weigh and distribute the food to 16 food pantries and meal programs within Berkshire County, helping to provide food for nearly 2,000 individuals and families.
–E.E.
