Writers & Books

Local Authors

The authors listed here reveal the rich literary community in our region.

Books: G.J. Askins Bookseller

Downtown North Adams

An independent sedond-hand bookstore emphasizing the arts (artists, art history, crafts, architecture, photography), history, nature and gardening, music, theater, cookery and more.

Books: Williams Bookstore

Downtown Williamstown

Operated by Follett, the college bookstore offers new fiction and nonfiction, readings and book signings, gifts and textbooks and a cafe run by Tunnel City Coffee.

Williams College

Founded in 1793, Williams College is the second oldest institution of higher learning in Massachusetts and is consistently ranked among the top liberal arts colleges in the country.

Tupelo Press

Downtown North Adams

An independent literary press fostering the literary arts since 1999.

Mastheads

Mastheads

An architectural project-in-progress, based on the Berkshire literary history of the authors Herman Melville, Nathanial Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Oliver Wendell Holmes.

WordxWord

WordxWord

Spoken word poets run mentoring programs and writing workshops in Berkshire schools and hold events year-round, from National Poetry Month to an annual week-long summer festival in Pittsfield.

Herman Melville’s Arrowhead

Herman Melville lived at his Pittsfield farm at Arrowhead was the ?from 1850 to 1863, while he wrote Moby-Dick. is the first National Historic Landmark to be designated in Berkshire County.

The Mount

The Mount is the historic home of the Pulitzer prizewinning and internationally beloved American novelist Edith Wharton, who designed the house and its grounds and wrote that she considered it her first real home.

Ephs Bookshelf

A listing of recent publications by Williams College faculty.

Dog Ears Book Barn

Hoosick Falls, NY

The stock of approximately 30,000 volumes is shelved floor to ceiling, and the overflow from the shelves creates tottering piles that you must navigate as you browse.

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Talks

Books: Williams Bookstore

Downtown Williamstown

Operated by Follett, the college bookstore offers new fiction and nonfiction, readings and book signings, gifts and textbooks and a cafe run by Tunnel City Coffee.

Williams College

Founded in 1793, Williams College is the second oldest institution of higher learning in Massachusetts and is consistently ranked among the top liberal arts colleges in the country.

Natalie Diaz and Ada Limón: A Reading and Conversation at WCMA

WCMA

April 1 5:30 PM - March 14, 2019 7:00 PM

A reading by poets Ada Limón and Natalie Diaz. Reception to follow. Ada Limón is the author of five books of poetry; her most recent, The Carrying, is currently a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award, and her previous volume,Bright Dead Things, was a finalist for the […]

The (Superdome) Basement Tapes: Black Feminist Sonic Revolutions

April 2 4:15 PM - March 16, 2019 5:15 PM

This event is part of the yearlong lecture series Performative Ethics: Embodied Representation in the Commons. A conversation with Daphne Brooks. This talk considers the underground performance practices of four black women musicians: jazz vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant, the mysterious blues duo Geeshie Wiley and Elvie Thomas, and superstar pop icon Beyonce. It considers the […]

Looking and Lunching: Dürer’s Apocalypse Cycle

March 21, 2019 12:00 PM - March 21, 2019 1:30 PM

Take a closer look at the Clark’s collection during Looking and Lunching, a half-hour discussion in the galleries focusing on one work of art. Enjoy continued discussion over lunch with the presenter and fellow art lovers. This month, join curatorial intern Nora Rosengarten in the Manton Study Center for Works on Paper for a special […]

Louise Nevelson: Modernist Drag

April 2, 2019 5:30 PM - April 2, 2019 6:30 PM

Robert Sterling Clark Professor Julia Bryan-Wilson presents, “Louise Nevelson: Modernist Drag.” This talk investigates the work of sculptor Louise Nevelson (1899–1988), in particular her all-black wood-based reliefs—a formal idiom she pursued for decades—to argue for a politics of queer commitment, persistence, and excess. Julia Bryan-Wilson teaches modern and contemporary art at the University of California, […]

The Bauhaus, 100 Years On

The Clark Art Institute

April 4, 2019 10:30 AM - April 4, 2019 11:30 AM

This year marks the centennial of the founding of the Bauhaus, the twentieth century’s most influential school of art and design. Beyond the activity of its famous workshops, the Bauhaus popularized its products and an array of avant-garde “isms” through its publishing imprint, The Bauhaus Books (Bauhausbücher). The Clark library owns a nearly complete, first-edition […]

Looking and Lunching: Brutus Condemning His Sons to Death

April 9, 2019 12:00 PM - April 9, 2019 1:30 PM

Take a closer look at the Clark’s collection during Looking and Lunching, a half-hour discussion focusing on one work from the collection followed by continued discussion over lunch with the presenter and fellow art lovers. This month, join Chief Curator Esther Bell as she discusses Guillaume Guillon Lethière’s masterpiece, Brutus Condemning His Sons to Death, […]

Artist Talk: Trenton Doyle Hancock + Frank Oz

April 10, 2019 6:30 PM - April 10, 2019 8:00 PM

Join exhibiting artist Trenton Doyle Hancock as he discusses his lifelong practice of character creation and myth building with screen legend Frank Oz. The two will talk about the creative process, pop culture, and identity in what promises to be a riveting night of conversation. What to Expect: We’ll be in our premier venue, the Hunter Center, for […]

Animating Museums: Creativity and Authenticity in the Art Museum

April 13, 2019 3:00 PM - April 13, 2019 4:00 PM

Adam Lerner is the Mark G. Falcone “MaFa” Director and Chief Animator of the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver. His talk will explore the role of authenticity in his unique approach to museum programming that combines curatorial, education, and artistic production. Co-presented with the Graduate Program in Art History.

The Art of Commodities: Medieval Venice

April 16, 2019 5:30 PM - April 16, 2019 6:30 PM

Mellon Decade Fellow Philippe Cordez presents, “The Art of Commodities: Medieval Venice.” Since the twelfth century, Europe has seen a steady increase of highly specialized objects produced in large quantities, involving a variety of materials, techniques, ornaments, images, and functions, the very first of which was to be sold. The lecture focuses on the case […]

Grand Challenges: Social History of Art and Digital Humanities

The Clark Art Institute

April 27, 2019 3:00 PM - April 27, 2019 4:00 PM

The Research and Academic Program presents, “Grand Challenges: Social History of Art and Digital Humanities Methods,” a public discussion among leaders in the field of art history about the state of the field in relationship to the digital humanities and the possibilities of a digital art history. Participants include Anne Helmreich, Getty Research Institute, and […]

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Local History

Lodge: Bascom Lodge on Mount Greylock

Top of Mount Greylock

Bascom Lodge is a rustic stone and wood building at the summit Mount Greylock, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s on the Appalachain Trail. It is open from May to October.

Williamstown Historical Museum

The Williamstown Historical Museum is a research center dedicated to explaining the history of the most northwestern township of Massachusetts.

Western Gateway Heritage State Park

Downtown North Adams

This urban park uses historical artifacts to bring to life the controversial and danger-filled construction of the Hoosac Tunnel.

Herman Melville’s Arrowhead

Herman Melville lived at his Pittsfield farm at Arrowhead was the ?from 1850 to 1863, while he wrote Moby-Dick. is the first National Historic Landmark to be designated in Berkshire County.

Chesterwood

The country home, studio and gardens of America’s foremost public sculptor, Daniel Chester French.

The Mount

The Mount is the historic home of the Pulitzer prizewinning and internationally beloved American novelist Edith Wharton, who designed the house and its grounds and wrote that she considered it her first real home.

Hildene

The Lincoln Family Home in Manhester, VT.

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Tours

Walk Williamstown: Where to find Birds

Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation

Williamstown has many habitats for birds and bird-watching ? rivers and river banks, parks and fields, valleys and high mountain forests, all an easy walk from the center of town.

Day Tripping in Southern Vermont

Bennington and surrounding areas

Just north of Williamstown, Route 7 crosses the Vermont border into a corner of the Green Mountains that has fostered its own artistic community for more than a century.

Taste Trails

Throughout Berkshire County

Berkshire Farm & Table has created virtual Taste Trails for residents and visitors to explore and enjoy throughout the seasons.

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Libraries

Sawyer Library

Williams College

Sawyer Library houses the social sciences and humanities collections for the college.

Schow Science Library

Williams College

Houses book and journal collections in astronomy, physics, biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, geosciences, and psychology.

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Education

Children’s Center at Williams

Serves children infancy through pre-school five days per week. School Age Summer Program offers both full summer and short-term programs for elementary-school-aged children.

Williams College

Founded in 1793, Williams College is the second oldest institution of higher learning in Massachusetts and is consistently ranked among the top liberal arts colleges in the country.

Pine Cobble School

Nurture creativity, curiosity, outstanding character, and a lifelong love of learning in pre-school through ninth grade children.

Williamstown Elementary School (WES)

Pre-K through sixth grade elementary school with approximately 400 students whose mission is to inspire a love of learning and to challenge students to grow in heart and mind.

Buxton School

A small private co-educational college preparatory boarding and day high school that stimulates intellect, cherishes diversity, encourages creativity, respects individuality, and creates community.

Mt. Greylock Regional High School

A public middle and high school in Williamstown that serves grades 7-12. Their core values are integrity, responsibility, and perseverance.

BART Charter Public School

A tuition-free, rigorous college prep charter school for grades 6-12 where every child is given the tools to succeed.

McCann Technical School

The mission of McCann is to graduate technically skilled, academically prepared, and socially responsible individuals ready to meet the challenges of the 21st centur

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