Famous Slam Poet Mayda del Valle to perform at Williams College

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Mayda del Valle, Goodrich Hall at Williams College, Nov. 5. 7 p.m.
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - The Williams College Vista organization will kick off its month-long celebration of Latino Heritage Month with a surprise visit by spoken word poet and actress Mayda del Valle '00.  She will perform in Goodrich Hall at 7 p.m., tomorrow, Thursday, Nov. 5. The event is free and open to the public.

del Valle has been described by the Chicago Sun Times as having "a way with words. Sometimes they seem to flutter and roll off her lips. Other times they burst forth like a comet streaking across a nighttime sky."

A nationally known poet and performer, del Valle is the daughter of Puerto Rican parents and grew up in Chicago.

In May, she was honored to perform at the White House for President Barack Obama and the First Lady.


del Valle has appeared on many high profile stages, including six episodes of Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam on HBO and touring with Norman Lear's Declare Yourself Spoken Word Tour.

She was a contributing writer and original cast member of the Tony Award winning Def Poetry Jam on Broadway and has appeared in Urban Latino, Latina Magazine, Mass Appeal, The Source, and The New York Times.

del Valle was named by Smithsonian Magazine as one of America's Young Innovators in the Arts and Sciences, and was featured in the September issue of Oprah's O Magazine as one of 20 women considered remarkable visionaries.
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Companion Corner: Lucy at Second Chance Animal Shelter

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

ARLINGTON, Vt. — There is an excited and energetic pup looking for her new family.

iBerkshire's Companion Corner is a weekly series spotlighting an animal in our local shelters that is ready to find a home.

Lucy is an 18-month-old heeler/terrier mix with energy to spare. She has been at the Second Chance Animal Shelter for about a month.

Lead canine care technician Alaura Lasher introduced us to her.

"She is a very energetic girl. She loves to play, and as you can see, she came to us from animal control," she said. 

Lucy was not in a great situation before coming to the shelter and they are still trying to learn more about her.

"They had seized her from a pretty neglectful situation. She was actually technically abandoned. She just came to us this last month, so she's still showing us all of her energy she has," Lasher said.

Lucy is able to go home with a dog-savvy cat and older children as she can be a bit jumpy with her bounds of energy.

"The perfect home for her is one that is able to give her a ton of attention and a ton of time playing, she loves her time outside," said Lasher. "She can run forever and not get tired. She can possibly live with another dog who is used to more of a pushy play style. She can be a little pushy when she plays, just because she's so hyper."

Since she is young, she is still learning and training with the staff and might need more with someone who takes her home.

"To the best of our knowledge, she's just a healthy young girl, because she's only a year and a half old, she still got a little bit of learning and training that she could use."

But Lucy is always happy to see anyone and immediately wants to play and say hi. Her endless energy makes her a great companion to play outside with and then hang out after a long day of fun.

"She's just a super sweet girl again. She'll need some help with the training, but as long as you've got time to burn out her energy, she'll make a great family dog," she said.

If you think Lucy might be the girl for you, reach out to Second Chance Animal Shelter and learn more about her on their website.

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