May 2002

Hooray, hooray, first of May! In this edition of inkmail: submission opportunities, info about upcoming events, a recap of Inkberry’s April, and reviews of my two current favorite novels.

But first, a quick technical note. We’ve recently learned that we experienced a technical glitch last month. Those who tried to join our mailing list in early April may not have succeeded. So if you’re among those people, please return to our website and submit your information again. Thanks!

April brought an unseasongble warm spell followed by snow: nobody’s idea of a good time. Fortunately, the month also brought the kickoff of spring classes at Inkberry — plus our new window decals and over-the-awning sign. Next time you’re on Main Street in North Adams, take a moment to admire!

Also exciting in April was our visit from poet/midrashist Alicia Ostriker, who gave a poetry reading — and taught an afternoon master class on writing midrash. Inkberry’s done a lot of wonderful things in our first year-plus of programming; for me personally, this may be the most fabulous thing we’ve done yet. The chance to create midrash — writings inspired by, or rooted in, sacred texts — with one of the nation’s foremost contemporary midrashists was really exciting. So was hearing what everyone wrote. I think we all came away surprised by the depths of insight we managed to plumb with only seven minutes of writing time!

We’ve got a lot on the slate for May. Our “Wishes, Lies, and Dreams” workshop, a poetry-writing workshop for children aged 5-10 and their parents, was postponed from its original April date; the new date is May 19th. So if you have children aged 5-10, or know someone who does, please join up or spread the word.

On May 11 and 18th, we’re offering our first-ever songwriting workshop, taught by Bernice Lewis, whose rare poetry reading was such a delight for us in March. Don’t miss this opportunity to pursue songwriting with an artist who’s been called “a songwriter’s songwriter.”

As always, work-study is available for those who would prefer volunteering to paying full tuition. Also as always, our resource library is open from 1-5pm, Wednesdays through Saturdays; come read, browse, research publication opportunities, or just hang out and write in a friendly environment.

Our May reading will also be a gallery opening. On May 18th, we’re teaming up with the Contemporary Artists Center (CAC) and IS183 North (the new North County branch of the former Interlaken School of Art) to host a gallery opening, at Inkberry, of handmade artists’ books. The opening’s at 6:00; at 7:30, we’ll have a reading featuring regional writers Alix Ohlin and Frank Tempone. Frank is nonfiction editor for The Berkshire Review; his work has appeared in 580 Split, The Berkshire Review, The Blue Moon Review, Wired Hearts, and others. Alix’s work has appeared in a variety of publications, including Five Points, Fiction International, The Texas Observer, and Radcliffe Quarterly — and her novel and collection of short stories are forthcoming from Alfred A. Knopf. The evening will feature wine and cheese, art, and wonderful words; we’re looking forward to it already.

In other news, we’re currently working hard on preparing for the joint multimedia arts event and silent auction that we’re presenting with the CAC, Railway Café, and Main Street Stage on June 8th. It will be a day-long event, featuring kids’ entertainment, a poetry reading, live music, improv theatre, visual art, refreshments, and a silent auction benefitting the four collaborating nonprofits. More info about that will be forthcoming in the next inkmail; stay tuned. (If you’d like to donate something to the auction, email rachel@inkberry.org.)

My husband and I took a long weekend in Nova Scotia at the start of the month (it was cold, windy, and totally beautiful), and relished the luxury of being able to lounge around and read to our hearts’ content. Perhaps my favorite two books of the month, both of which I read in and around Halifax, were Julian Barnes’ A History of the World in Ten and a Half Chapters and Tim Powers’ Last Call.

The Barnes book isn’t structured like an ordinary novel. It consists of ten apparently independent short stories, plus a personal essay (the “half chapter” the title references). But the book does cohere, both because of Barnes’ beautiful prose style and because of his recurring themes: the Flood, the nature of art, the nature of story and how stories change depending on who’s narrating them. Just to give you a glimpse of what’s in store: the first chapter is narrated by a stowaway on Noah’s Ark, who quickly sets the reader straight about all of the ways in which our Biblical story is incorrect. The book is a meditation, it’s a romp, and it’s totally worth picking up.

As much as I was glued to the Barnes book, I was even more addicted to Last Call, by Tim Powers. It’s a former World Fantasy Award winner; it weaves together a story about Tarot, archetypes, poker, Las Vegas, chaos theory, gambling, life-and-death, and a whole host of fascinating characters who spring to life right off the page. Many fantasy novels feature interesting stories couched in flawed prose; this one blows that stereotype right out of the water. Here’s proof that a “fantasy” novel can be crafted every bit as well as any work of Great Literature.

Speaking of literature, I’ll close with news about a submission opportunity. Kevin Moran, editor of the North Adams Transcript, has decided to revive the grand old newspaper tradition of publishing poetry. He’s seeking poetry from Inkberry folks and our friends. Submit directly to him at kmoran@thetranscript.com, and spread the word! We look forward to seeing you in print, and also (of course) at Inkberry sometime in the month to come.

— Rachel