Inkberry to close doors – though programming will live on

Inkberry will close after nearly a decade

By Jennifer Huberdeau

Posted: 11/13/2009 01:22:43 AM EST North Adams Transcript

NORTH ADAMS — Although Inkberry isn’t in financial trouble, the local nonprofit has decided to close its doors by the end of December and donate its remaining funds to the organizations that will help its programming continue.

Inkberry, which provides writing workshops, readings and other literary events at little or no cost, offered its first classes in the spring of 2001 after being founded by three Williams College graduates, Emily Banner, Rachel Barenblat and Sandy Ryan.

“Inkberry is a very volunteer-intensive organization,” Linda White, Inkberry board president, said Thursday. “In this economic environment, volunteers are stretched thin as well. Our board of directors is also a working board that helps run the organization on a day-to-day basis — we just don’t focus on fundraising.”

She said several of the board’s members will be stepping down and retiring in December.

“We haven’t been able to successfully recruit replacements,” White said. “Without those replacements, we could not sustain such a volunteer effort. We also know from experience that even though we are in a good financial position, that if we were to hire a paid staff we would run out of money.”

Rather than try to hold the organization together, the board voted Wednesday night that it would better serve the literary community by finding new homes for its existing programs.

“This decision was made only after we exhausted our other options,” White said. “We were going to merge with another non-profit, but that did not work out. The board has made solid financial decisions — we moved from Main Street to a shared space at Heritage State Park. Because of the move, our rent was considerably less and our utilities were shared with another nonprofit. It’s the reason we’ll be able to support our programming.”

She said the non-profit will make a donation to the Friends of the North Adams Public Library, which will continue its popular reading series, and to the MCLA Foundation to continue “The Write Stuff,” a writing mentoring program for middle school students conducted in partnership with the college.

“The donation to the library will continue to bring published writers to city for the reading and discussion series,” White said. “While the donation to the MCLA Foundation will allow for the Write Stuff program to continue through its Center for Service. ”

In addition, Wordplay, a monthly reading at Papyri Books will continue under the auspices of the bookstore; Ed Sederbaum has committed to continuing the writing workshop “Put Your Memories on Paper” at Sweetbrook nursing home in Williamstown, while the Wednesday Night Writers’ Group plans to carry forward on its own.

Over the years, Inkberry brought nationally known authors and poets such as Claire Massoud, Donald Hall, Ted Conover, Mark Doty, Rick Moody, Margot Livesey and Julia Glass, to the city through the reading series. Programming also included writing workshops and special events such as an exploration of rural living and a sense of place with New York Times columnist Verlyn Klinkenborg, and “Share Our Strength,” a workshop offered in conjunction with the Elizabeth Freeman Center.

For co-founder Barenblat, the closing of the organization’s storefront is both sad and bittersweet.

“It’s particularly bittersweet because we had such big dreams for Inkberry,” she said. “There’s so much we still want to see it do. What makes this bittersweet instead of just bitter, is the fact that some of the programming that we are most proud of will continue on. It’s really gratifying to know, and it takes some sting out of it.”

Barenblat said she could understand the need for the organization to close, especially as someone who spent over six years volunteering and overseeing it on a daily basis. She left Inkberry to pursue the next step in her life, which currently includes rabbinical studies and preparing to give birth in the coming weeks.

“In this economic climate, it’s just hard to find work,” she said. “It’s even harder to balance a paying job with volunteer work. We did hire an executive director for one brief shining moment. Jill Gilbreth, was a fabulous executive director, but we found that our fundraising efforts were not up to sustaining a living salary. They were just enough to sustain our programming. I have a ton of empathy — I myself am not able to pick it back up. I give my appreciation to those who have given their time and energy over the years.”

White said the board is both hopeful and happy about the future, while also saddened by the closing.

“We’re sad that the organization is coming to an end, but we’ve had a good run,” she said. “We’re also happy to know that while we’re shutting the doors, we’re also leaving something behind and that in some aspects, Inkberry’s mission will continue on.”

Berkshire Eagle article about Margaret Ronald and Elizabeth Bear

Tonight at 7pm at Griffin 3, Inkberry will partner with the Williams College English Department to present an evening of speculative fiction featuring Margaret Ronald and Elizabeth Bear.

There’s a great article about the event online here at the Eagle: What if?

Hope to see you at the reading — should be grand!

Blast from the past, 3: Writing Lessons

This Berkshire Eagle article was published in January of 2005, right after Inkberry moved into our second physical space: upstairs at 61 Main, suite #223. (These days Inkberry lives in its third physical home, upstairs at Northern Berkshire Creative Arts, but back in early 2005 we’d only just moved upstairs in the Empire Building, into a suite of sunny corner rooms which looked out on Main Street and on the coffee shop.)

This article is an overview of literary goings-on around the county, including happenings at Word Street and the Berkshire Writers’ Room in Pittsfield, and Inkberry in North Adams. The lovely color photograph here features the painting of the inkberry bush created by artist-in-residence Beth Budwig in our first home.

Blast from the past, 2: “A new chapter for the literary-minded”

This article was published in the North Adams Transcript on January 2, 2002. It features a lovely color photograph of two of Inkberry’s co-founders standing in front of what was then our new storefront in the Empire Building.

Here you can read about the impetus for the organization’s founding, and share our excitement about our first-ever physical office and teaching and reading space — the proverbial “room of [our] own!”

Blast from the past

While cleaning house this summer, I ran across a trove of old newspaper articles about Inkberry. In the interest of preserving these bits of our history for posterity, I figured I’d scan a few and share them on the blog. Here’s the first one: a June 5, 2002 article from The Advocate entitled “From the erotic to the folksy — Inkberry has summer covered.”

That was our second summer in operation; we’d just moved into our first physical location (on Main Street in North Adams, in what had once been the Crystal Unicorn Bookstore.) Amazing to think that it’s been seven years! Anyway, if you’re interested in a blast from Inkberry’s past, the scanned article appears below.

Simplicity = Happiness (guest post)

When asked to write several blogs as the current Inkberry intern, I decided I would write once a month.  Well, it is now over a month since I last posted, so here I am again.

Things are going well, here at Inkberry.  There’s quite a lot going on around here this month as well!  On top of our usual, poetry group, critique group, and WordPlay, we are also sponsoring a reading at the North dams Public Library, and have joined up to sponsor with MCLA at a reading taking place at Gallery 51.  Also, at the end of the month, Inkberry is collaborating with the First Congregational Church in Williamstown, the Willimas College Chaplin’s Office, and the Queer Life Coordinator, to have a Psalm writing workshop.

Though my duties as Intern, rarely change, I almost always have plenty to keep myself busy.  My computer skills are also rather favored here.  I think, thus far, my favorite intern “duty” would be creating the advertising flyers.  I think it’s my favorite, because not only do I get to use my writing and editing skills, but I also get to use my own creative liberties (even though the flyers follow a particular format).

With only about a month left of school, I’m enjoying the feeling of having a real job, as the current economy has made it clear that it might be awhile before I have this experience again.

Ultimately, I think I would love to be a novel editor, just so long as I always have nature and animals in my life.  If I had to chose between happiness and a million dollars, I’d chose happiness, as all a million dollars can do is buy more stuff.

Jobs, and Words, and Cows– Oh My! (guest post)

Normally, I am usually more of a blog “stalker” than a blog writer, but that’s not to say I’ve never contemplated it. So, I present to you, my first official attempt at blogging, as Nicole Pervere, the newest Inkberry intern.

First of all, I am absolutely enthralled to be experiencing what it’s like to have a “real” job. I love the independence that Inkberry gives me to work at my own pace, and to not have my hand held every step of the way. I like that I am able to learn from any mistakes I might make, instead of being in fear of doing something even slightly wrong. For this reason I really enjoy working for the Inkberry staff.

I’ve just realized that this is an awfully formal sounding blog, and I am not a terribly formal person. (At least I’ve already warned you that I’m not an experienced blogger!) Anyway, the horrible work experience I alluded to above, is from a job that I have been working at for far too long. I usually work at said job (I won’t name any names) when I go home if I’m feeling desperate for money, otherwise, I’ll take painstaking measures to avoid it.

When I’m not dreading working while home, I like reading and writing (which I don’t do nearly enough of anymore!), spending time with friends, and animals (yes, animals; I love them all), and believe it or not, I’m a pretty avid videogame player, and from time to time, I’m not too bad at it either!

I love nature and the outdoors, and could never give up the country life. In my future I see myself having a couple dogs, and couple (orange!) cats, some chickens for fresh eggs, ducks because they’re just so cute, and a vegetable garden for fresh veggies all summer! As for a future job, well, that’s pretty much still undetermined, but I do really enjoy editing other people’s writing.

I also love baking, and eating what I bake, and eating what I’m baking in the process of making it. Luckily, I don’t bake too often! Once I learn to cook decently well, I think I’ll make a pretty good wife someday! 😉 But for now, you can find me here, diligently typing at the keyboard, or, practicing the current love of my life, yoga!

Or, you might find me hanging out with this cow!

A taste of poetry with Robert Ronnow (guest post from Leanne Jewett)

The first meeting of Inkberry’s guided poetry discussion group was held at Inkberry the first Monday in February. Though a number of poems were prepared for possible discussion, the first two poems of similar theme proved stimulating enough to carry the group through the full meeting. For an expanded overview of the evening and links to the poetry that will be discussed at our next meeting, which will happen at Inkberry on March 2, 7:00 pm, visit Poet Robert Ronnow’s website: ronnowpoetry.com/Inkberrypoemssf.

— Leanne Jewett

January inkmail

The January 2009 issue of inkmail is now online at the Inkberry website. It’s written by Sharon Wyrrick, and it’s all about The Write Stuff:

The Write Stuff program could not exist without the volunteer mentors who are each paired with one or two Conte students. Currently, 36 seventh graders at Conte work every week with a mentor. This allows the relationship to develop over the course of the entire school year…

Read it here.

December inkmail

The December edition of inkmail has gone live on the Inkberry website! Here’s a taste, from our list of nifty things we’ve done in the year now ending:

·    The Write Stuff, our collaboration with Conte Middle School in North Adams and the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, has evolved to offer one-on-one tutoring and mentoring of students.

·    Our reading series has featured National Book Award Finalist Jim Shepard with poet Trudy Ames, Pushcart Prize winning Poet Carol Frost with guest poets Abbot Cutler and Peter Filkins, noted historical author Susan Quinn, and Science Fiction/Fantasy Author Paul Park.

·    Our WordPlay series has featured authors such as sports and fiction writer Derek Gentile and noted J.R.R. Tolkien scholars Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull.

·    Inkberry workshops have given the local community a chance to work on poetry with Derek Mong, light verse with humorist Seth Brown, and short play and skit writing with Kelly Newby of Main Street Stage.

·    Our Community Critique Group continues to offer ongoing peer critique and support to local writers…

Read the whole thing here: December 2008 inkmail.

Seth Brown & WordPlay in the Beacon

Congratulations to Seth Brown, whose WordPlay reading got rave reviews in the MCLA Beacon! The reviewer, Mark Burridge, praised Seth’s reading from his latest project, From God to Verse (a rendering of the entire Torah into rhyming couplets) as well as his fabulous freestyle abilities.

You can read the article here: Seth Brown Plays With Words at Inkberry/Papyri Reading

October and November inkmails

The two most recent issues of inkmail have belatedly been added to the Inkberry website! Go and enjoy the October 2008 inkmail and the November 2008 inkmail. Of particular note is this announcement, which I’ll reprint here too:

Jill Gilbreth, Instructor at MCLA and former Executive Director of Inkberry has been honored by BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES 2008, edited by Salman Rushdie. Her story “When the Stars Begin to Fall” was published in the Fall 2007 issue of Ploughshares and has been included in the list of the “100 Other Distinguished Stories of the Year,” along with Inkberry Advisory Board member Jim Shepard.

Congratulations to Jill and Jim!

PSA: events page updated

The events page at the Inkberry website has been updated with info on our next few events: readings by Jennifer Trainer Thompson (author of many excellent cookbooks), poet Robert Ronnow, and novelist Juliane Hiam. Check it out.

September inkmail

Greetings Friends,

I spotted orange leaves littering lawns this morning as I drove to work and caught myself heaving a sigh of relief. Whether it is nostalgia for new notebooks and the lure of meeting a world of new authors in high school English or the promise of a future weekend in front of a roaring fire with a good book, there is something about fall that comforts me like no other season.

This month, we have two big events planned, as well as a wonderful playwriting workshop. Please read through for all the important bits.

-Amy Stevens, for the Inkberry Board

August inkmail

Greetings Friends,

What have you been reading this summer? So far, this has been a summer filled with books about food. I drooled over Mario Batali’s Babbo Cookbook, devoured Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, made a meal of Alan Richman’s Fork it Over, savored David Kamp’s The United States of Arugula, had Dan Koeppel’s Banana: the Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World for dessert, and washed it all down with Evan McHugh’s Pint-sized Ireland: in Search of the Perfect Guinness.

— Tom Bernard, Inkberry Board Member.

Enjoy whatever books remain on your summer reading list, while at Inkberry we’re looking towards September.

This fall, the Williamstown Milne Public Library and the House of Local History are joining forces on a Halloween event of historic proportions at the Eastlawn Cemetery and Sherman Burbank Chapel in Williamstown.  The dates of the event are Friday, October 31st, from 7-9 pm, and Saturday, November 1st, from 6-9 pm.

The planning committee for this event is looking for talented writers to join the team and create a “script” for their Haunted Graveyard Tour.  Actual historic research on the area, events, and “inhabitants” has been conducted by the House of Local History and will be provided to the writers for inspiration.  The tour should last approximately 20 minutes and would consist of 3-4 longer stops at certain graves – featuring frightening graveyard soliloquies or actual reenactments – and then some quick historic scares in between stops.  Groups of 10 people would walk the tour, and the tour would repeat with each group.

In addition to the graveyard tour, there is a 30-minute “theatre of the macabre” play being performed in the Sherman Burbank Chapel, created by Main Street Stage of North Adams, and there will be outdoor tents housing Halloween crafts, food, and one showing classic horror films, courtesy of Images Cinema in Williamstown.

For more information, contact linda@inkberry.org or call 664-0775.

Upcoming

Saturday, August 9th from 7pm-9pm
Inkberry & Papyri Books present: WordPlay featuring Michelle LaFlamme-Childs, Papyri Books, 45 Eagle Street, North Adams. An open mic will follow Colen’s presentation. Gail Burns is host. The event, as usual, is free and open to the public. Call 664.0775

North Adams native Michelle Laflamme-Childs is a poet, essayist, and arts administrator currently living in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She holds degrees from the University of Massachusetts and St. John’s College, and having fled the corporate world in 2006, is now the Administrative Director of the Santa Fe Art Institute.

Laflamme-Childs has just completed a stint at the prestigious Napa Valley Writers’ Conference and has recently published a chapbook entitled Love and Lovers. Having written poems secretly for over 25 years, she has only opted to share them with the world at large within the last year, and has had poems optioned by a variety of regional arts & culture magazines. Laflamme-Childs has been reading publicly around Northern and Central New Mexico and is currently working on a book length manuscript entitled Chiaroscuro.