2023 Book One Lecture At Simon's Rock

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GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. —Simon's Rock welcomes novelist, memoirist, illustrator, and cultural critic Mira Jacob for a talk reflecting on her award-winning graphic memoir and this year's Book One selection, "Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations" at the end of the month.
 
The lecture and Q&A will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 29, at 7 p.m. in the McConnell Theater on the Simon's Rock campus. The event is open to the public and free of charge, and will be available on livestream. 
 
Jacob's graphic memoir "Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations" was shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award, longlisted for the PEN Open Book Award, named a New York Times Notable Book, as well as a best book of the year by Time, Esquire, Publisher's Weekly, and Library Journal. Her previous novel, "The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing," was a Barnes & Noble Discover New Writers pick, shortlisted for India's Tata First Literature Award, longlisted for the Brooklyn Literary Eagles Prize, and named one of the best books of 2014 by Kirkus Reviews, the Boston Globe, Goodreads, Bustle, and The Millions.
 
Jacob's work has also appeared in The New York Times Book Review, Electric Literature, Tin House, Literary Hub, Guernica, Vogue, and the Telegraph. 
 
She is currently the visiting professor at the MFA Creative Writing program at The New School, and a founding faculty member of the MFA Program at Randolph College. She is the co-founder of Pete's Reading Series in Brooklyn, where she spent thirteen years bringing literary fiction, non-fiction, and poetry to Williamsburg.

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West Stockbridge Gearing Up for Zucchini Fest

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

West Stockbridge will be filled with zucchini on Saturday so don't leave your car unlocked.

WEST STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — Zucchini, courgette, summer squash — whatever you call it.  West Stockbridge will be full of the vegetable (or fruit) on Saturday.

Volunteers are busy preparing homemade booths, decorations, games, and more for the annual Zucchini Festival from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The first was held in 2003, ran for a decade, and then went on hiatus until it was brought back last year.

Sponsored by the West Stockbridge Cultural Council, the festival has drawn thousands to the town's center over the years and is a testament to its tight-knit community. Chris Powell, one of the many hands who make it happen, explained that the actual event and the preparations unite people from near and far in a special way.

"It's just a bunch of people coming together when they can and kind of meeting everyone where they're at too, what they can put into it, and it's just super fun in that way," he said.

It will kick off with a pet parade where zucchini costumes are encouraged if temperatures aren't too high. Lucky Bucket will end the night playing classic rock, oldies, country, blues, and soul beneath fireworks.  

In between, attendees can enter a zucchini weigh-off or decorating contest, a "zuck" river race, a baking contest, and a poetry contest among many more. These are said to be "quintessential" to the event.

There will also be a food court with vendors offering one to two zucchini-themed options along with their usual fare. Downtown businesses are also participating.

It is free and for all ages, with tickets for games and activities available for purchase. Powell noted that Zucchini Festival merchandise is cash only.

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