Events
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Books for Breakfast
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Join novelist Elizabeth Brundage on The Mount’s elegant terrace for buffet breakfast and literary conversation. Brundage will read from her forthcoming novel, A Stranger Like You, discuss her writing, and answer your questions. Intimate setting allows for mingling and casual exchange with the author. Booksigning follows. Tickets are $40; $35 for Mount members. |
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| July 25, 8:30-10 a.m. |
Join novelist Elinor Lipman on The Mount’s elegant terrace for buffet breakfast and literary conversation. Lipman will read from her new novel, The Family Man, and other recent works, as well as discuss her writing and answer your questions. Intimate setting allows for mingling and casual exchange with the author. Booksigning follows. Tickets are $40; $35 for Mount members. |
“Channeling Edith Wharton”: A Discussion Series
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Old Money, New Money |
Edith Wharton is perhaps best known as a novelist of Old New York, chronicler of the customs, privileges, and quiet despairs of the upper crust. In this discussion, Kurt Andersen, Tad Friend, Katy Lederer, Martha McPhee, and moderator Simon Winchester take a page from Wharton’s book(s) and explore the dynamics of class in literature and life. A stimulating look at old and new money from perspectives both satiric and serious. Booksigning follows. Tickets are $40; $35 for Mount members. |
| Writers in Wartime July 24, 1:30-3 p.m. |
World War I was a transformative experience for Edith Wharton, who reported from the frontlines of the war in France and organized large-scale relief efforts in Paris. In this discussion, John Hockenberry, Elizabeth Samet, Tatjana Soli and moderator Frank Delaney bring their distinct experiences to bear on the roles and obligations of writers in wartime. What are the aesthetic and ethical challenges writers face in representing and reporting war? A timely and important conversation. (For more on Wharton’s wartime experiences, see Edith Wharton and the First World War, an exhibit currently on view at The Mount.) Booksigning follows. Tickets are $40; $35 for Mount members. |
| “Well-Behaved Women” July 25, 10:30-noon |
Was Edith Wharton “well-behaved”? Not by the lights of historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, who famously quipped, “Well-behaved women seldom make history.” In this discussion, Katie Roiphe, Judith Thurman, and moderator Laura Miller explore the “who, how and why” of boundary-breaking women in literature, and the complicated relationship between women and the literary establishment—in Wharton’s day and our own. Booksigning follows. Tickets are $40; $35 for Mount members. |
“In Conversation”: An Interview Series
| July 24, 11-noon | Bring your literary appetite! Former Gourmet magazine editor-in-chief Ruth Reichl (Tender at the Bone) joins Joe Donahue, host of WAMC’s The Roundtable and The Book Show, for rollicking conversation about a life in food writing. Booksigning follows. Tickets are $25; $20 for Mount members. |
| July 24, 2-3 p.m. |
Humor, thrills, virtuosic writing: genre-bending novelist Jim Shepard (Like You’d Understand, Anyway) delivers! Shepard joins Joe Donahue, host of WAMC’s The Roundtable and The Book Show, for conversation about deep books on dark subjects and the art of writing the teenage mind. Booksigning follows. Tickets are $25; $20 for Mount members. |
| July 24, 4-5 p.m. |
A distinctive voice on and off the page. Roy Blount Jr. (Alphabet Juice) joins Joe Donahue, host of WAMC’s The Roundtable and The Book Show, for high-flying and down-home conversation about writing, language, humor, and exile in the North. Booksigning follows. Tickets are $25; $20 for Mount members. |
| July 25, 11-noon |
How to make sense of life’s twists and turns? Dani Shapiro (Devotion) may not have all the answers, but her memoirs and novels have beautifully and thoughtfully explored the important questions. Here, she shares her insights into life and writing with journalist Susan Arbetter of WCNY. Tickets are $25; $20 for Mount members. |
| July 25, 2-3 p.m. |
Fact or fiction? In Susan Orlean’s case, it’s fact—with the frisson and fascination of fiction. Orlean (The Orchid Thief) joins journalist Susan Arbetter of WCNY for a conversation about fanatical orchid growers, fanatical chicken keepers, Rin Tin Tin, and more. Booksigning follows. Tickets are $25; $20 for Mount members. |
WordFest Social Events
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Festival Opener |
Join honored guest Francine Prose, winner of the 2010 Edith Wharton Achievement Award, for the festival’s kick-off party. Keynote talk by Prose (with introduction by local author Louisa Gilder), followed by hors d’oeuvres, cash bar, and music on the Terrace. Tickets are $50. |
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Cocktails Inside & Out |
A rustic indoor/outdoor cocktail party at The Stables. Join many of our festival authors for food, drink, and sparkling conversation. Hors d’oeuvres served, open bar. Live jazz! Tickets are $100. |
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Festival Fundraiser |
Join festival authors and honored guest Garrison Keillor, winner of the 2010 Henry James Award, for an intimate dinner at Seven Hills Inn (adjacent to The Mount). Keynote talk by Keillor, followed by dessert and conversation. Frank Delaney is master of ceremonies. Tickets start at $250. Price includes complimentary ticket to Cocktails Inside & Out. Proceeds help underwrite Berkshire WordFest. |
Poetry on the Terrace
| July 24-25 |
Take a poetry break! Join local Berkshire poets for readings on The Mount’s terrace. Curated by poets Peter Filkins and Michelle Gillett, these half-hour poetic interludes are free to all festival ticketholders. Booksignings follow most readings. Coming just for the poetry? A $10 Grounds Pass lets you enjoy the day’s poetry readings, plus The Mount’s beautiful gardens and grounds. |
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Readings by Leslie Harrison and Lawrence Raab |
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| July 24, 3:30 p.m. |
Readings by Deborah Bernhardt and Abbot Cutler |
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Readings by Peter Filkins and Michelle Gillett |
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| July 25, 3:30 p.m. |
Readings by Hannah Fries and Tess Taylor |
Booksigning Schedule, July 24-25
Booksignings immediately follow events. Signing locations may be different from event venues and are subject to change. Each of the below booksignings is free with general admission to The Mount; no festival event tickets required. Please purchase books in the Festival Bookstore, located on the lower floor of the house, just around the corner from The Mount’s main bookstore. Please note: Booksignings for Francine Prose and Garrison Keillor are open only to ticketholders of their respective events.
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| 10-10:30 a.m. |
Elizabeth Brundage, Teddy Wharton’s Den |
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| Noon-12:30 p.m. | Ruth Reichl, The Glen | |
| 12:15-1 p.m. | Kurt Andersen, Tad Friend, Katy Lederer, Martha McPhee, and Simon Winchester, Teddy Wharton’s Den |
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| 1-1:20 p.m. | Poets Leslie Harrison and Lawrence Raab, The Terrace | |
| 1-2 p.m. | SPECIAL SIGNING! Garrison Keillor, Teddy Wharton’s Den | |
| 3-3:30 p.m. | Jim Shepard, The Glen | |
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3:15-4 p.m. |
Frank Delaney, John Hockenberry, Elizabeth Samet, and Tatjana Soli, Teddy Wharton’s Den |
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4-4:20 p.m. |
Poet Deborah Bernhardt, The Terrace | |
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5-5:30 p.m. |
Roy Blount Jr., The Glen | |
| 10-10:30 a.m. | Elinor Lipman, Teddy Wharton’s Den | |
| Noon-12:30 p.m. | Dani Shapiro, The Glen | |
| 12:15-1 p.m. | Laura Miller, Katie Roiphe, and Judith Thurman, Teddy Wharton’s Den | |
| 1-1:20 p.m. | Poets Michelle Gillett and Peter Filkins, The Terrace | |
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3-3:30 p.m. |
Susan Orlean, The Glen |
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On-site Dining
Enjoy food with a view! The Mount’s Terrace Café will be open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. all weekend. Items available for purchase include sandwiches, salads, snacks, and cold and hot beverages. Preview the menu! Operated in partnership with Viva Restaurant. (Please note: Books for Breakfast ticketholders will enjoy a special buffet breakfast on the Terrace prior to the Café’s general opening.)
Also available for purchase is ice cream from local micro-creamery, SoCo. Take a stroll through Wharton’s flower garden to visit their stand, open all weekend.
WordGames @ WordFest
Relax between events with a wordgame! Visit our WordGames table on The Terrace to borrow an old favorite or new selection and set up to play. Or join a game in progress! Available throughout the weekend, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and free with festival tickets or Mount admission.
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