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October is Mental Health Awareness Month

Williamstown, MA - All through October, he Advocates for Mental Health Group at the First Congregational Church UCC of Williamstown is co-sponsoring a series of evening educational programs with the Williams College Psychological Counseling Services, Office of the Chaplain, and the student chapter of Active Minds.  The goal of this series is to to increase understanding, reduce stigma, and promote community support for individuals and families who face challenges relating to mental health.

Each of these sessions will identify the line between normal behavior and mental illness; how the illness looks in various age groups; and when, where, and how to seek help. Participants, listed below, include mental health professionals from the college and the community.

Anxiety: Normal and Abnormal
    October 6 Goodrich Hall, 7 pm
Moderator: Margi Wood, LICSW, Co-Director, Psychological Counseling Services
Panelists: Karen Theiling, LMHC, Staff Psychotherapist, Psychological Counseling Services
Jeffrey Doshier, MD, Medical Director of Psychiatric Services, Greylock Pavilion

Personality Disorders: The Least Understood of Psychiatric Disorders
    October 16 Paresky Auditorium 7 pm
Moderator: Craig Clemow, Ph.D, D. Min., Psychologist,
Panelists: John S. Howland, MD, Psychiatrist
Craig Piers, Ph.D, Staff Psychotherapist, Psychological Counseling Services

Depression: The Common Cold of Mental Illnesses
    October 21 Paresky Auditorium, 7 pm
Moderator: Betsy Burris, MSW
Panelists: John Miner, MD, Co-Director of Psychological Counseling Services
Anthony J. Siracusa, Ph.D, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Siracusa Associates

For more information visit: www.firstchurchwilliamstown.org or e-mail [email protected].

Crystal Bridges Director to Speak at the Clark October 7

Williamstown, MA - Currently under construction in Bentonville, Arkansas, the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art founded by Alice Walton is envisioned as a premier national art institution dedicated to American art and artists that will spur the continued economic development of Northwest Arkansas. On Tuesday, October 7, Robert G. Workman, executive director of Crystal Bridges, will discuss the art, architecture, and planning of this new museum project scheduled to be completed in 2010. His lecture, "Creating a Sense of Place: Art, Architecture, and Nature at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art," part of the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute's Directors' Perspective Series, will be held at 7 pm.
Admission to the lecture is free.

Similar to the Clark's campus enhancement and expansion program, Crystal Bridges embraces its rural surroundings creating a park-like campus in which visitors interact with art and the natural environment. Reed Hilderbrand, landscape architect for the Clark's expansion, has been selected as landscape architect
for Crystal Bridges. The main pavilions at Crystal Bridges are designed by architect Moshe Safdie, and will house a permanent collection of American art masterworks from the colonial era to the present day. The heart of the permanent collection will include the Hudson River School masterwork Kindred Spirits by
Asher B. Durand; Charles Willson Peale's 18th-century painting of George Washington; Gilbert Stuart's George Washington (The Constable-Hamilton Portrait); Portrait of Professor Benjamin H. Rand by Thomas Eakins; Spring, by Winslow Homer; and Marsden Hartley's Hall of the Mountain King. A dynamic
temporary exhibitions program will complement the holdings of the permanent collection and exemplify the diversity of American artists.

Workman, a 30-year museum professional with a comprehensive background in all aspects of museum management, has been involved with the project since its inception. He began his association with Crystal Bridges in December 2003, working as a consultant to assist with early-stage planning, acquisitions, building design, and pre-construction processes. Prior to joining the Crystal Bridges project, Workman was deputy director of the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth, where he led the museum's $39 million renovation project and expansion.

Inkberry Presents Science Fiction/Fantasy Author Paul Park

NORTH ADAMS, MA- Thursday, October 16, at 7:00 p.m. Inkberry presents Fiction/Fantasy Author Paul Park. The event will be held at Inkberry, Western Gateway Heritage State Park, 115 State Street, North Adams, Building 1.

Park will read from his newly released novel The Hidden World. The Hidden World, released in April of this year, is the climax of Mr. Parks' magical tale which unfolds in his four book series, The Roumanian Quartet. It chronicles the adventures of a teenage protagonist who finds herself in an alternate world where she is a magical princess at the center of political and alchemical intrigue. Ursula K. Le Guin calls it a "masterpiece of contemporary fantasy."

Two of the previous books in the series have been chosen by the New York Public Library for inclusion in its guide to teen reads, Books for the Teen Age.  A Princess of Roumania, the first novel is this series, was nominated by World Fantasy as the best novel of 2006.

Paul Park lives in North Adams with his wife and two children.  He teaches writing at Williams College, and is the author of a collection of short stories and a dozen novels. His novel Coelestis was nominated for a Nebula award and his short fiction has appeared in numerous magazines, including Asimov and Interzone.

Please join us for this magical reading. Refreshments will be served. Papyri Books will provide books for sale at the event. Book signing will follow. This event is FREE and open to the public.

For additional information regarding Inkberry or these readings, contact Inkberry by phone at (413) 664-0775 or visit www.inkberry.org

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About Inkberry- Inkberry promotes the literary arts in the Berkshires with events and community partnerships that celebrate and support writing and reading. Inkberry is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

Tolkien Scholars to Read at WordPlay October 11

NORTH ADAMS, MA- Saturday, October 11, at 7:00 p.m. Wordplay, a monthly reading series co-sponsored by Inkberry and Papyri Books, will be held at Papyri Books, 45 Eagle Street.  This month, award-winning authors and editors Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull will be reading from their most recent book, The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide.

Wayne G. Hammond is Assistant Librarian in the Chapin Library (rare books and manuscripts) at Williams College. He is author of J.R.R. Tolkien: A Descriptive Bibliography and Arthur Ransome: A Bibliography, among other works.

Christina Scull was the librarian of Sir John Soane¹s Museum, London from 1971 to 1995. She served on the Committee of the Tolkien Society and chaired the committee that organized the Tolkien Centenary Conference at Oxford in 1992. Scull is the author of The Soane Hogarths and editor of the occasional
journal The Tolkien Collector.

Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull have together written numerous volumes on J.R.R. Tolkien. Their work on J.R.R. Tolkien has been honored a record five times with the Mythopoeic Society¹s Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies.

Gail Burns of Williamstown will host the event for Inkberry. After the reading there will be a brief intermission, followed by the popular Wordplay open mic. Refreshments will be available, and admission is free and open to the public.

For additional information regarding Inkberry or these readings, contact Inkberry by phone at (413) 664-0775 or visit www.inberry.org .

About Inkberry- Inkberry promotes the literary arts in the Berkshires with events and community partnerships that celebrate and support writing and reading. Inkberry is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

We're About 9 Plays the Railway Cafe October 10

North Adams, MA - Mark your calendar for the next Railway Cafe show on Friday, October 10th at 7:30 with the We're About 9 duo, Brian Gundersdorf and Katie Graybeal. Brian and Katie were at the Railway in the 2nd season, along with their third member, Pat Klink.

WVIA-FM's George Graham says, "Their material is literate, tasteful and often charmingly wistful, and their musicianship and vocal harmonies are world class." Find yourself bursting aloud with laughter, dazzled with thought-provoking metaphors, lifted to the heavens with soaring harmonies, and moments later with tears in your eyes, and you are likely enjoying the witty musicianship that is We're About 9.

Formed in 1999 in Ellicott City, MD ,they quickly discovered their shared admiration for complex songwriting and wicked harmonies. Katie Graybeal, Pat Klink and Brian Gundersdorf exploded on to the folk circuit in 2003 with an unequivocal buzz, a load of festival appearances, and a relentless arsenal of charm, energy and intelligence. As they grew, they strengthened their unique sound, and won over audiences with their distinctive, edgy, fun and articulate arsenal of charm. We're About 9 is a duo that is focused on complex songwriting and big wall-of-sound harmonies. Each take turns on lead vocal, sing on every song, and accompany themselves with thoughtfully conceived acoustic guitar and electric bass.

Simultaneously playing and writing for a diverse, intelligent audience is what has given WA9 a distinctive, edgy, fun, articulate, professional style.

The show will start at 7:30 at MCLA's Gallery 51, 51 Main St., North Adams. Admission is $10 in advance, $12 at the door, and $8 for students and senior citizens. Reservations can be made by emailing [email protected]. The Railway Cafe is supported by its patrons, MCLA and the local cultural council, a division of the Massachusetts Cultural Council. For more info on the Railway Cafe, see www.railwaycafe.org. For more information on We're About 9, visit http://wa9.org/home.html.

Author of "Japanamerica" to Speak at The Clark October 2

Williamstown, MA - Japanese imports like Pokémon, Speed Racer, Transformers, and other anime and manga (Japanese animation and comic books), plus Japanese fashion and food, have become incredibly popular in the United States. On Thursday, October 2, at 7 pm, Roland Kelts, author of Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the U.S., will discuss the influx of Japanese art and fashion and how they translate into a new vision of American culture. The lecture is free and held at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute.

Japanamerica is the first book that directly addresses the American experience with the Japanese pop phenomenon, covering everything from Hayao Miyazaki's epics, the burgeoning world of hentai, or violent pornographic anime, and Puffy Amiyumi, whose exploits are broadcast daily on the Cartoon Network, to literary novelist Haruki Murakami, and more. With insights from the artists, critics, readers, and fans from both nations, this book is as literate as it is hip, highlighting the shared conflicts as American and Japanese pop cultures dramatically collide in the here and now.

During the lecture, Kelts will expose what he describes in his book as the "Mobius strip" of intercultural exchange between Japan and the United States, beginning with the postwar American occupation of Japan, both militarily and culturally. Kelts will explore the explosion of interest in hot conceptual artists like Takashi Murakami, as well as the rise of the broader Asian region in the 21st-century American psyche and how the new Asian identity contains more American DNA than most realize.

Kelts is a half-Japanese American writer, editor, and lecturer who divides his time between New York and Tokyo. His book Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the U.S. was recently released in updated paperback editions in English and Japanese. He is also a contributing editor/writer to A Public Space and Adbusters magazines, and a guest lecturer at the University of Tokyo and Sophia University. He is currently co-director of a new anime lecture and screening series, Anime Masterpieces, launching in the U.S. this fall and winter. Kelts's articles, essays, and short stories have appeared in Zoetrope, Playboy, Doubletake, Psychology Today, Bookforum, Salon, The Village Voice, Newsday, Cosmopolitan, Vogue and The Japan Times, among others in both the U.S. and Japan. He has lectured at New York University, Rutgers University, and Barnard College, and he is a graduate of Oberlin College and Columbia University. His forthcoming novel is called Access.

MCLA PRESENTS! 'A NIGHT IN NEW ORLEANS' OCTOBER 2

NORTH ADAMS, MA - Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts' MCLA Presents! series will kick off its inaugural season with a celebration of the music and culture of New Orleans on Thursday, Oct. 2, at 7:30 p.m. in the Church Street Center.

Featuring New Orleans-based Papa Grows Funk, Joe Krown, and Walter Wolfman Washington, A Night in New Orleans will give each of the groups a chance to perform on their own, before bringing everyone on stage for the type of jam session New Orleans is famous for. Opening the evening will be locally based Cafe Budapest Trio.
"We could not be more delighted than to kick off the MCLA Presents! series with some of New Orleans finest funk-makers," said Jonathan Secor, MCLA director of special programs. "I have had the pleasure of working with John Gros, the 'Papa' in Papa Grows Funk, for many years now and he always puts together a great happening. He follows in the footsteps of the Neville Brothers, Dr. John and the Funky Meters as a great keyboardist carrying on the traditions and music of New Orleans, which includes
keeping it new, fresh and funky." 

All three bands are regulars at the Maple Leaf Bar and Grill, one of New Orleans' favorite musical hot spots, Secor said. They will bring their mixture of fresh interpretations of New Orleans classics, Mardi Gras party music, improvised jams, and hard-hitting fund to the Church Street Center,
he added.

Washington was scheduled to play at MASS MoCA the month that Hurricane Katrina hit, yet never made it to that show, Secor said. "So it is wonderful to finally be able to introduce the Wolfman to North Adams."

Walter "Wolfman" Washington has been an icon on the New Orleans music scene for decades, helping to define the Crescent City's unique musical hybrid of R&B, funk and the blues since he formed his first band in the 1970s.

According to Dr. John, "Walter 'Wolfman's' new album, 'The Funky Thing,' is crucialchronic FUNK at its best!"

And Krown is described by New Orleans' Gambit Weekly as a "piano man and organ wizard" who leads his band though "classic Hammond B-3 driven funk, blues and R&B groves." 

MCLA will collect money at the concert for the New Orleans Musicians Clinic, an organization that provides access to health and social services for the New Orleans musical community, including some of the artists performing in "A Night in New Orleans." For more information, go to www.neworleansmusiciansclinic.org .

Tickets for general admission are $12, $5 for MCLA facility and staff. MCLA Presents! members and MCLA students are free. To reserve tickets, call (413) 662-5204. For more information, go to www.mcla.edu/presents .

OPINION: Bailout alternatives -- what do you think?

I've been thinking about what we might do as a nation with a $700 billion commitment, if we decide not to bailout Wall Street. Think of the positive impact on our credit markets, the world's view of us, if we were to invest in our future rather than cleaning up our past. If the quagmire in Washington is primariliy about restoring confidence and trust, would this work? What are your ideas? Please post as comments your suggests for the appropriate use of $700 billion in borrowed funds.

Here's my suggestion:

1) $200 billion into a renewables trust fund. The only thing the money can be used for is for R&D and opeartion of non-fossil fuel renewal-energy projects. Rustbucket America - the auto industry, would retool to meet the demand.

2) $200 billion -- To fix America's crumbling road, bridge and **rail** infrastructure and build out a high-speed interurban rail network in congested auto corridors. The construction industry would boom!

3) $200 billion -- To invest in Teach for America, building new schools and retraining teachers to be able to teach for the 21st century.

4) $100 billion -- To create a system of stipends for health care for America's poor - conditioned on reaching a national consensus on a bifurcated health-care system -- allow the private system to continue to operate, but end private health insurance and establish a single-payer system, nationally administered. The same companies that now offer health insurance -- the Aetna's, the BC/BS's of the world, could become contractors to the government running all the paperwork. But it would be coordinated.

SENDING EMAIL TO U.S. Rep. John W. Olver: The correct address is:
[email protected]

-- bill densmore / williamstown, mass. 

Life Drawing at The Red Room October 4

North Adams, MA - For those of you who may not be aware, Main Street Stage in North Adams has been putting on a seriously amazing and occasionally indescribable, cabaret-salon-theater-socializing-art/making happening of general creative whatnots, known as The Red Room.  More about it, here: http://www.mainstreetstage.org/red-room/

The next one is Scheduled for Saturday, 10/4.  There's life drawing in the lobby before the show, from 8-9.  There's usually some miscellaneous drawing supplies available, and always some wine and snacks. However, most people on this list will probably want to bring their own arsenal of drawing materials. The show starts at 9pm.  And this time, after the show...another hour of life drawing!   Often the life models are performers from the show, in varying degrees of costumery from plain olde street clothes to full masque.

The Red Room is reliably unpredictable, and reliably fun.  It's a great place to draw and hang out.  Did I mention that they have wine and snacks?  Admission is $10.

Also, Main Street Stage will be participating in Open Studios this year, showcasing drawings from the Red Room.  So, if you'd like to be included in that, stop by on Saturday and make some art!  Also, if you've participated in previous Red Room drawing sessions and would like to show some of the stuff you made, let me know!  It's going to be a very funky, lightly curated, salon-style presentation, in keeping with the Red Room vibe.  There are also discussions underway to possibly do some life drawing during open studios, and I'll post about that if/when we pull it all together.

So please, do come and draw, and let me know if you're interested in showing the fruits of your Red Room work at Open Studios!

Art in Nature Family Day at the Clark October 5

Williamstown, MA - Explore nature during the Art in Nature Family Day at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute on Sunday, October 5, from 12 to 4 pm. Bird-watching, nature-inspired art projects, creative movement workshops, family gallery talks, and an exotic and native bird display will have all ages enjoying the great outdoors. Gallery admission and activities are free on this day.

Hike up Stone Hill for bird-watching expeditions with naturalist Stacey Chilcoat of the Nashua River Watershed Association. Inhabiting the area are pileated woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees, red tailed hawks, tufted titmice, and cedar waxwings. Bird identification sheets to use and take home will be provided. Participants are encouraged to bring binoculars and wear sturdy shoes. Expeditions will be held at 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, and 3:30 pm.

Peter Dubacher of the Berkshire Bird Paradise Sanctuary will bring his fine, feathered friends to the Clark for the afternoon. Located in nearby Grafton, NY, the sanctuary provides a home to injured and unwanted birds, including some endangered species. Be captivated by the educational and beautiful display of exotic and native birds including a bald eagle, golden eagle, osprey, red tailed hawk, great horned wwl, and African crowned cranes. Cranes are a symbol of peace in Japan. The birds will be on view near Stone Hill Center, designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando.

Drawing inspiration from the Clark's 140-acre campus, create nature-inspired art projects. Make your own nature journal and rock masterpieces. Recycled-paper-making workshops, led by local artist Cynthia Lewis, will be held on the half hour, 12:30 through 3:30 pm.

At 1 and 3 pm, Caldecott Medal winner Mordicai Gerstein will lead a visual imagination presentation based on his illustrations for the book How to Paint the Portrait of a Bird, followed by a book signing. Along with writing and illustrating books for children, Gerstein is a painter, sculptor, and prize-winning designer and director of animated films.

Isabelle Holmes, local dance instructor, will lead kids in movement games and dances inspired by wild animals and elements in nature. These "Flight in Nature" creative movement workshops will be held 12:30 and 2:30 pm for ages four to seven, and 1:30 and 3:30 pm for ages eight and up.

The recycled-paper-making workshops will take place in the Hunter Studio at Stone Hill Center. Designed to blend gracefully into the hillside on the Clark's campus, Stone Hill Center is integrated into the surrounding landscape through a network of scenic trails and walking paths. Visitors can enjoy generous vistas of the countryside and the Green Mountains and Taconic Range. The building's architect, Tadao Ando, was selected because of his contemplative style and ability to weave architecture seamlessly into a natural environment. Reed Hilderbrand Associates, landscape architects, set the building within a meadow of tall grasses and rejuvenated the woodland edge with red and white oaks, American beech and birch, sugar maples, and quaking aspen.