Press Releases
July 22, 2010
Garrison Keillor to Sign Books at Berkshire WordFest
Special signing event added to WordFest line-up: July 24, 1-2 p.m.
Lenox, MA—July 22, 2010—The Mount today announced that Garrison Keillor will sign books at a special signing event this Saturday, July 24, from 1-2 p.m. The booksigning is the newest addition to the line-up of Berkshire WordFest, The Mount’s first annual literary festival, held this weekend, July 23-25. The festival features 29 authors appearing at 17 events, plus a full roster of booksignings. Schedule information is available at www.berkshirewordfest.org.
Books for signing may be purchased day-of or in advance at the Festival Bookstore, located at The Mount at 2 Plunkett Street, Lenox, MA. The Festival Bookstore is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. now through July 26; 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on July 24 and 25. Call 413-728-8155 to reserve copies. See titles available for sale here.
All festival booksignings are free with the purchase of a $10 Grounds Pass or $16 General Admission to The Mount.
Garrison Keillor is the host and writer of A Prairie Home Companion and The Writer’s Almanac, heard on public radio stations across the country, and the author of more than a dozen books. He is the recipient of the 2010 Henry James Award, to be conferred on Saturday, July 24, at The Mount’s Festival Fundraiser, held from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. at Seven Hills Inn. The Fundraiser is a ticketed event open to the public. For ticket prices and details, call 413-551-5113.
In Brief
WHAT: Garrison Keillor Booksigning added to Berkshire WordFest line-up
WHEN: Saturday, July 24, 1-2 p.m. during WordFest weekend
WHERE: The Mount at 2 Plunkett Street in Lenox, Massachusetts. Signing takes place in Teddy Wharton’s Den on the second floor of Wharton’s historic home.
COST: Signing is free with admission to The Mount. Visitors may choose between the purchase of a $10 Grounds Pass, providing access to the Terrace, Festival Bookstore, main Mount bookstore, and grounds and gardens, or $16 General Admission, providing access to all public areas of the estate.
PUBLIC CONTACT: Call The Mount at 413-551-5111 for details. No event tickets required for booksignings. For tickets to other WordFest events, call The Mount’s ticket line, 413-551-5113. Full details online at www.berkshirewordfest.org.
PRESS CONTACT: Audrey Manring, 2010 Festival Director, amanring@edithwharton.org or 413-551-5114.
June 30, 2010
Garrison Keillor to Appear at The Mount’s Berkshire WordFest
Prairie Home Companion creator will be honored at July 24th fundraiser
Lenox, MA—June 29, 2010—The Mount today announced that Garrison Keillor will be a keynote speaker and honoree at its first annual literary festival, Berkshire WordFest. The popular host and writer of NPR programs A Prairie Home Companion and The Writer’s Almanac, as well as the author of more than a dozen books, Keillor will speak at The Mount’s Festival Fundraiser, a dinner event held at Seven Hills Inn in Lenox, Mass., on Saturday, July 24. During the event, Keillor will be honored with The Mount’s 2010 Henry James Award, designed to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to American culture.
Tickets start at $250 and go on sale today. They may be purchased by calling The Mount’s ticket line, (413) 551-5113. Berkshire WordFest events range in price from free to $250; all event and schedule information is available at the Berkshire WordFest website.
“We couldn’t be more pleased,” said Susan Wissler, Executive Director. “Garrison Keillor is beloved in the Berkshires, as elsewhere, and his participation in our first annual literary festival is a great honor for The Mount. We are especially delighted to have the opportunity to bestow our 2010 Henry James Award to Mr. Keillor in person. An extraordinarily effective champion of the spoken and written word, Mr. Keillor has also made a lasting contribution to American culture by showing us to ourselves through story, music, and humor.”
Garrison Keillor’s appearance caps off an inaugural festival line-up of 21 authors of national note and eight Berkshire-based poets. Speakers include:
- Kurt Andersen, novelist and host of WNYC’s Studio 360
- Roy Blount Jr., humorist and a panelist on NPR’s Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!
- Elizabeth Brundage, novelist
- Frank Delaney, novelist and BBC culture correspondent
- Tad Friend, New Yorker staff writer
- John Hockenberry, journalist/foreign correspondent and co-host of WNYC’s The Takeaway
- Garrison Keillor, host and writer of NPR programs A Prairie Home Companion and The Writer’s Almanac
- Katy Lederer, poet and memoirist
- Elinor Lipman, novelist
- Martha McPhee, novelist
- Laura Miller, Salon.com co-founder and books columnist
- Susan Orlean, New Yorker staff writer
- Francine Prose, novelist, non-fiction writer, and former PEN American Center president, and recipient of the 2010 Edith Wharton Achievement Award
- Ruth Reichl, memoirist and former Gourmet magazine editor-in-chief
- Katie Roiphe, journalist and cultural critic
- Elizabeth Samet, professor of literature at West Point
- Dani Shapiro, novelist and memoirist
- Jim Shepard, novelist and short story writer
- Tatjana Soli, novelist and short story writer
- Judith Thurman, New Yorker staff writer
- Simon Winchester, non-fiction writer
Also appearing are Berkshire-based poets Deborah Bernhardt, Abbot Culter, Peter Filkins, Hannah Fries, Michelle Gillett, Leslie Harrison, Lawrence Raab, and Tess Taylor.
More information about all speakers is available here.
Garrison Keillor
Garrison Keillor is the host and writer of A Prairie Home Companion and The Writer’s Almanac, heard on public radio stations across the country, and the author of more than a dozen books, including Lake Wobegon Days, The Book of Guys, Love Me and Homegrown Democrat. He was born in Anoka, MN, in 1942 and graduated from the University of Minnesota. He lives in St. Paul with his wife and daughter. He has two grandsons. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts & Letters and the Episcopal church.
June 3, 2010
The Mount Launches First Annual Literary Festival, Berkshire WordFest
Twenty Acclaimed Authors to Speak at The Mount July 23-25, 2010;
Tickets Go on Sale June 3
Lenox, MA—June 3, 2010—The Mount announces the launch of its first annual literary festival, Berkshire WordFest, to be held at Edith 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.
“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.
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 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).
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 WordFest website. Members of the public with general questions about the festival or The Mount should call The Mount’s main number, (413) 551-5111 or email info@EdithWharton.org.
April 29, 2010
The Mount Opens for 2010 Season on Saturday, May 1
Lenox, Mass.—April 29, 2010—The Mount opens this Saturday, May 1, for an exciting season of new programs and audience favorites. Highlights include the launch of The Mount’s first annual writers festival, Berkshire WordFest (July 23-25); the return of theatre for the second year running in partnership with Wharton Salon (August 18-29); the seventeenth season of The Mount’s popular Biography Series (July 12-August 30); and a new exhibit on adaptations of Wharton’s works for stage and screen (opens June 5).
New this season: visitors 18 years and younger get free admission every day. General admission for adults is $16; for college students with valid ID, $13. Guided tours are of Wharton’s estate are available for $2; garden tours are free with general admission. Visitors who would like to enjoy The Mount’s beautiful formal gardens and grounds (picnicking encouraged) may purchase a grounds pass for only $10. The Mount is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“Our 2010 season explores so many different facets of Edith Wharton’s fascinating legacy,” said Susan Wissler, Executive Director of The Mount. “We’re especially delighted to be expanding our literary programming with this summer’s debut of Berkshire WordFest, a celebration of contemporary writers that we believe adds something new and needed to the cultural landscape of the Berkshires.”
Selected Highlights of the 2010 Season
May 1-October 31
The Mount is open to visitors daily throughout the season. With general admission, visitors are invited to explore and savor the house and gardens of this uniquely autobiographical estate, created by one of America’s finest writers.
June 5-October 31
Dramatic License: Edith Wharton on Stage and Screen
This new exhibit curated by The Mount presents Wharton with a twist, exploring film, stage, radio, and even opera adaptations of the great author’s works. Dramatic License spotlights celebrated adaptations, including Martin Scorsese’s sublime The Age of Innocence (1993), as well as strictly film-buff picks such as The Old Maid (1923) starring Bette Davis.
July 12-August 30
17th Annual Biography Series
For nearly two decades, noted biographers have taken the floor at The Mount, delighting audiences with the lives and lore of cultural icons as diverse as Gertrude Stein, Amelia Earhart, Julia Child, Coco Chanel, and John Singer Sargent’s “Madame X.” This year’s speakers include Tilar Mazzeo, author of The Widow Cliquot; William Mann, author of How to Be a Movie Star: Elizabeth Taylor in Hollywood and Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn; Linda Gordon, author of Dorothea Lange: A Life Beyond Limits; and Joan Schenkar, playwright and author of The Talented Miss Highsmith, the biography of mystery writer Patricia Highsmith, joined by actress Kathleen Chalfant.
July 23-25
First Annual Berkshire WordFest
“The air of ideas is the only air worth breathing,” Edith Wharton wrote in her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Age of Innocence. This July 23-25, The Mount launches its first annual Berkshire WordFest in just that spirit, bringing together acclaimed writers and passionate readers for a lively weekend of talks, interviews, readings, and book signings. It is the first festival of its kind in the Berkshires and a significant addition to the region’s cultural season. Speakers include John Hockenberry, Ruth Reichl, Francine Prose, Judith Thurman, Elinor Lipman, Tad Friend, Jim Shepard, Elizabeth Samet, Simon Winchester, and others to be announced.
August 18-29
Summer, Performed by the Wharton Salon
The Wharton Salon made its debut at The Mount last year with sold-out performances of Wharton’s comic short story, “Xingu.” In August, the ensemble returns for a two-week run of Summer, Wharton’s bittersweet coming-of-age story set in the Berkshires, adapted for the stage by Dennis Krausnick and directed by Catherine Taylor-Williams, Wharton Salon’s founder. The Wharton Salon performs the stories of Wharton and her contemporaries in adaptation, offering a unique intimacy among author, actor, and audience.
October 1-3
Coaching Weekend
A popular annual return to the Gilded Age, Coaching Weekend brings horse-drawn carriages to The Mount and other locations in the Berkshires each fall. The Mount’s magnificent grounds are an ideal backdrop for the sights and sounds of the coaches and their Gilded Age-attired drivers and passengers.
