Local Authors
The authors listed here reveal the rich literary community in our region.
Writers & Books
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.
Publications of The Clark
The Clark Art Institute
More than 2,000 fine art and art history books.
Books from the MASS MoCA Collection
MASS MoCA
Find past and present exhibition catalogs, books for children, local publications, cookbooks and more.
Many Stages: A Portrait of Williamstown Theatre Festival
With over three hundred pages of photographs and anecdotes, Many Stages celebrates six decades of WTF through the eyes of the artists and community.
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.
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA)
MCLA promotes learning and teaching, innovative scholarship, intellectual creativity, public service, applied knowledge and active and responsible citizenship.
Local Color: Tales of the Appalachian Trail
TOURISTS
January 22, 2020 5:30 PM - January 22, 2020 6:30 PM
Join us as local trail stewards and wildlife experts share stories of the trail and the hardworking volunteers in the Northern Berkshires who care for it.
Claiming Williams Day: A Lecture with Makeda Best
The Clark
February 6, 2020 2:00 PM - February 6, 2020 3:00 PM
As part of Claiming Williams Day, Harvard Art Museums’ Curator of Photography Makeda Best presents a free lecture on photography, place, and identity.
Artist Talk: Kim Faler
MASS MoCA
April 23, 2020 6:00 PM - April 23, 2020 8:00 PM
North Adams-based artist Kim Faler discusses her large-scale sculptures, which manifest the anxiety and tension of everyday life.
Williams College Milham Planetarium
Williams College
Williams College’s Astronomy program offers planetarium shows throughout the year featuring state-of-the-art equipment in this historic planetarium space.
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.
Walk Williamstown: History
Explore the history of Williamstown on this walking tour of Central Williamstown.
Hancock Shaker Village
Pittsfield, MA
Known for its round stone barn, this living history museum re-creates one of the last communities founded by a people who believed in equality and a spare beauty of design.
Williamstown Historical Museum
The Williamstown Historical Museum is a research center dedicated to explaining the history of the most northwestern township of Massachusetts.
History Book Group
Williamstown Historical Museum
February 6, 2020 1:00 PM - February 6, 2020 2:30 PM
The History Book Group will discuss John Meacham’s The Soul of America: The Battle for our Better Angels.
Happy 200th Birthday, SBA!
Adams Free Library
February 16, 2020 3:00 PM - February 16, 2020 4:00 PM
Celebrate the 200th birthday of Adams-born Susan B. Anthony with music, presentations, cake, and more! This event kicks off a year of understanding women’s lives before the 19th Amendment.
She Shapes History Exhibition
Berkshire Museum
October 5, 2019 - May 25, 2020
Celebrate the 100th anniversary of women winning the right to vote with this new exhibition at the Berkshire Museum. Come for this preview, a special event free to the public!
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.
Crane Museum of Papermaking
Explore the history of the oldest paper company in American from 1770 to today.
Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum
Susan B. Anthony’s birthplace and museum.
Herman Melville Memorial Room at the Berkshire Athenaeum
Established in 1953, this is the national center for Herman Melville studies.
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.
Robert Frost Stone House Museum
1920s home of the American poet.
Bennington Battle Monument
A tribute to the Green Mountain Boys who fought in the 1777 Battle of Bennington.
Thunderbolt Ski Museum
Downtown Adams
The history of the Thunderbolt trail features exhibitions and memorabilia.
Tours
Walk Williamstown: Cultural District
A self-guided tour of the Williamstown Cultural District.
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.
Walk Williamstown: History
Explore the history of Williamstown on this walking tour of Central Williamstown.
Walk Williamstown: Williams College Campus
Self-guided tour of the Williams College Campus.
Williams College Map
Discover Williamstown with this online map.
Taste Trails
Throughout Berkshire County
Berkshire Farm & Table has created virtual Taste Trails for residents and visitors to explore and enjoy throughout the seasons.
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.
Libraries
David and Joyce Milne Public Library
Williamstown Cultural District
Williamstown’s public library.
Manton Research Center at The Clark
The Clark Art Institute
Open to scholars, students, and the community.
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.
The Chapin Library of Rare Books
Williams College
The Chapin Library holds a deep collection of rare books and manuscripts gathered over the last 100 years – the first collection begun at any American college or university.
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.
Williamstown Community Preschool (WCP)
Serves the needs of toddler, preschool, and school-aged children and their families from 7:30am to 5:30pm five days a week.
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
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA)
MCLA promotes learning and teaching, innovative scholarship, intellectual creativity, public service, applied knowledge and active and responsible citizenship.
Center for Development Economics (CDE)
An intensive, one year master?s degree program designed for economists from low and middle-income countries.
Ilvermony School of Witchcraft & Wizardry
atop Mt. Greylock
JK Rowling announced that the North American school of witchcraft and wizardry is located atop our very own Mt. Greylock!
