The Mount Launches First Annual Literary Festival
Twenty Acclaimed Authors to Speak July 23-25
By: Ariel Petrova - Jun 03, 2010
Berkshire WordFest, to be held at Edit Wharton's historic estate in Lenox during the weekend of July 23-25 2010.
The festival will bring nearly twenty nationally acclaimed writers
to The Mount for sixteen public events over three days. Tickets for all
festival events go on sale today, June 3, and may be purchased by
calling (413) 551-5113. Full details are available on the Berkshire
WordFest website, accessible at www.EdithWharton.org.
"We are delighted to debut Berkshire WordFest, and honored to be
presenting some of the country's finest contemporary writers, many with
ties to our region," said Susan Wissler, Executive Director. "The
creation of this annual festival is part of The Mount's ongoing
evolution as a center for literary culture. Berkshire WordFest both
builds on our history of successful literary programming and deepens our
commitment to celebrating the written word and the legacy of Edith
Wharton."
"Berkshire WordFest is an exciting addition to this summer's cultural
calendar," said Audrey Manring, 2010 WordFest Director. "It creates a
terrific opportunity for readers and writers to come together in the
intimate, thoroughly literary atmosphere of The Mount, one of the most
beautiful settings in the Berkshires."
Berkshire WordFest Speakers
Nearly twenty nationally acclaimed writers will speak at Berkshire
WordFest over the course of the festival weekend. Speakers include Kurt
Andersen, novelist and host of WNYC's "Studio 360"; humorist Roy Blount
Jr., a panelist on NPR's "Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!"; novelist
Elizabeth Brundage; New Yorker staff writer Tad Friend; journalist and
foreign correspondent John Hockenberry, co-host of WNYC's "The
Takeaway"; poet and memoirist Katy Lederer; novelist Elinor Lipman;
novelist Martha McPhee; Salon.com co-founder Laura Miller; New Yorker
staff writer Susan Orlean; novelist, non-fiction writer, and former PEN
American Center president Francine Prose; former "Gourmet" magazine
editor-in-chief Ruth Reichl; journalist and cultural critic Katie
Roiphe; Elizabeth Samet, professor of literature at West Point; novelist
and memoirist Dani Shapiro; novelist and short story writer Jim Shepard;
New Yorker staff writer Judith Thurman; and non-fiction writer Simon
Winchester.
Additional speakers, including a line-up of local Berkshire poets, will
be announced in the coming weeks. Brief biographies of all participants
and a full schedule of events are available at the Berkshire WordFest
site, accessible at www.EdithWharton.org.
Channeling Edith Wharton
The 2010 festival theme is "Channeling Edith Wharton." Threaded through
various festival events, the theme takes compelling shape in three
discussions that use ideas from Wharton's life and work as touchstones
for lively, wide-ranging conversations: "Old Money, New Money," a look
at class dynamics in literature and life; "Writers in Wartime," an
exploration of the challenges of "writing war"; and "Well-Behaved
Women," an ironic take on women and the literary establishment.
Festival Events At-a-Glance
Please see the Berkshire WordFest site, accessible at
www.EdithWharton.org, for detailed event descriptions and a full
schedule. A highlight version appears below:
Friday, July 23
Berkshire WordFest opens with a kick-off party featuring a talk by
Francine Prose, winner of the 2010 Edith Wharton Achievement Award. 6-9
p.m. $50.
Saturday, July 24
Join Elizabeth Brundage for breakfast and conversation on The Mount's
terrace. 8:30-10 a.m. $40, $35 for Mount members.
Listen in as Kurt Andersen, Tad Friend, Katy Lederer, Martha McPhee, and
moderator Simon Winchester discuss "Old Money, New Money." 10:30-noon.
$40, $35 for Mount members.
Come hear Ruth Reichl in conversation with Joe Donahue, host of WAMC's
"The Roundtable" and "The Book Show." 11-noon. $25, $20 Mount members.
Enjoy an interlude of "Poetry on the Terrace" with local Berkshire
poets. 12:30-1 p.m. Free.
Listen in as John Hockenberry and Elizabeth Samet discuss "Writers in
Wartime." 1:30-3 p.m. $40, $35 for Mount members.
Come hear Jim Shepard in conversation with WAMC's Joe Donahue. 2-3 p.m.
$25, $20 Mount members.
Enjoy an interlude of "Poetry on the Terrace" with local Berkshire
poets. 3:30-4 p.m. Free.
Come hear Roy Blount Jr. in conversation with WAMC's Joe Donahue. 4-5
p.m. $25, $20 Mount members.
Enjoy dinner and conversation with WordFest speakers, local authors,
Mount friends and others at the official Festival Fundraiser. 6:30-10:30
p.m. (including cocktail hour). $150.
Sunday, July 25
Join Elinor Lipman for breakfast and conversation on The Mount's
terrace. 8:30-10 a.m. $40, $35 for Mount members.
Listen in as Katie Roiphe, Dani Shapiro, Judith Thurman, and moderator
Laura Miller discuss "Well-Behaved Women." 10:30-noon. $40, $35 for
Mount members.
Enjoy an interlude of "Poetry on the Terrace" with local Berkshire
poets. 12:30-1 p.m. Free.
Come hear Susan Orlean in conversation with WCNY's Susan Arbetter. 2-3
p.m. $25, $20 Mount members.
Enjoy a final interlude of "Poetry on the Terrace" with local Berkshire
poets. 3:30-4 p.m. Free.
2010 Edith Wharton Achievement Award
The Edith Wharton Achievement Award recognizes contemporary writers who
have made extraordinary contributions to American letters. The Mount is
proud to announce our 2010 recipient, Francine Prose. Prose is a
novelist, non-fiction writer, visiting professor of literature/writer in
residence at Bard College, and a recent past president of PEN America
Center. Join us Friday, July 23, for Prose's opening keynote at the
festival kick-off.
For Tickets and More Information
Tickets for all festival events go on sale June 3, 2010. Tickets may be
purchased by calling (413) 551-5113 or emailing
tickets@EdithWharton.org.
Full information on festival speakers, events, schedule, and ticket purchase is available on the Berkshire WordFestwebsite, accessible at www.EdithWharton.org. Members of the public wit general questions about the festival or The Mount should call The Mount's main number, (413) 551-5111 or email