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.

Tupelo Press

Downtown North Adams

An independent literary press fostering the literary arts since 1999.

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.

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.

Mastheads Writers in Residence

Hancock Shaker Village

August 10 - October 15, 2018

Five writing studios designed by architects Tessa Kelly and Chris Parkinson architecturally interpret the Berkshire studios of five American Renaissance authors who wrote in the Berkshires.

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.

Back to top

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.

Thomas Krens: Art, Money, Oil, and Guns

Clark Art Institute

October 21, 2018

3 – 4pm, Sunday, October 21, 2018 in the Clark Auditorium  The Clark welcomes Thomas Krens, chairman of the Extreme Model Railroad and Contemporary Architecture Museum and Director Emeritus of Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, for a series of four talks focused on the importance of art and architecture in shaping the life of cities and […]

Jesmyn Ward: “Sing, Unburied, Sing” talk at Williams

Chapin Hall

October 11, 2018 7:00 PM - October 11, 2018 9:00 PM

7 – 9pm on Thursday, October 11, Chapin Hall MacArthur Genius and two-time National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward has been hailed as the standout writer of her generation, proving her “fearless and toughly lyrical” voice in novels, memoir, and nonfiction. In 2017, she became the first woman and the first person of color to […]

Back to top

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.

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.

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.

Hildene

The Lincoln Family Home in Manhester, VT.

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.

Back to top

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.

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.

Back to top

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.

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.

Back to top

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

Admissions Open House

Buxton School

October 8, 2018 10:30 AM

Buxton School, a progressive 9th-12th day and boarding college preparatory school in Williamstown, will host an admissions open house on Monday, Oct. 8th beginning at 10:30am. Meet students and faculty, tour the campus, and see the school in action! For more information and to RSVP, visit buxtonschool.org or call (413) 458-3919.

Back to top