January 2002

So it’s a new year, and (at least in theory) we’re all relaxed and restored and energized for things to come. Which is lucky, because there’s a lot coming.

The biggest thing on our horizon is the opening of our new space! As of January 9, Inkberry’s command-central (63 Main Street in North Adams) will be open to visitors Wednesdays through Saturdays, from 1-5 pm. This space will house our offices, classes, and readings, as well as our new resource library. As with our other ventures, the library is starting small but we aim to grow it steadily. It already boasts a fine collection of books about the writing life and the craft of writing everything from poetry to drama to children’s books, some reference works, and assorted journals and other literature. So come down and see us, and browse, read, or write in a friendly place.

(It would be remiss of me not to thank the many volunteers and donors who helped transform an abandoned bookstore into a fit home for Inkberry. So to all our gifted painters, and to all the generous souls who donated furniture, books, and other supplies, our heartfelt gratitude.) (As long as I’m making parenthetical comments about the space, I’ll also mention that we could use more chairs, and maybe a sofa or two, so if you’d like to make a tax-deductible gift to a worthy cause, let us know.)

The first major event in our new space will be a reading I’ve been looking forward to for months now: novelist Claire Messud will inaugurate our offices on Saturday, January 19 at 7:30 pm. I read Messud’s second novel, The Last Life, in the spring, and was just blown away. She’s a hypnotic storyteller with a strong, confident voice, spinning out an impressively sensitive and intelligent coming-of-age story against a background that seems to hold the whole weight of history without faltering. Her most recent book, The Hunters, is a pair of novellas, published by Harcourt Brace this past fall and cited by The New York Times as a “Notable Book for 2001.” The reading will be followed by a reception to celebrate Inkberry’s grand opening, so please join us for what promises to be a very special evening.

January also marks the start of a new class session. We’re mixing things up this winter, offering classes of different lengths and different topics. Starting on Thursday, January 10, Inkberry co-founder Sandy Ryan will teach a ten-week workshop called “The Art of the Journal: From the Journal to the Personal Essay,” in which students will work on capturing their thoughts in daily journal entries and then revising those journal entries into polished essays. In late February, fiction writer Alix Ohlin will present a two-week workshop on “Flash Fiction,” a.k.a. very short stories (2000 words or less). And in early March, Inkberry’s third co-founder, Rachel Barenblat, will lead a one-day class on the ins and outs of getting published. On the book group front, we’re pleased to join forces with Benchmark Kitchens to present a class that takes in two of our favorite things: writing and food. Beginning in early February, the Wandering Chef (Daniel Wallace) will lead “Books Make the Best Eating,” which will meet on three Wednesdays at Inkberry to discuss a trio of great food books, and on three Saturdays in Benchmark’s demonstration kitchen to test-drive those books. So get ready for some delicious discussions!

As always, more information about all of these events is available at our website, www.inkberry.org, where you can also download the registration form for our classes.

Before I leave you, I have to say that I’ve just finished reading a truly stupendous novel. Carter Beats the Devil, by Glen David Gold, is set in California in the 1910’s and 20’s and focuses on Carter the Great, world-class magician. I hesitate to give away any of the plot, as it’s packed with dazzling surprises - like a proper magic show, the book is filled with hair-raising perils and thoroughly entertaining misdirection - but I will say that Gold combines the wonder and excitement of a Harry Potter novel with grown-up literary sophistication and emotional complexity. It’s a wild ride of a book. I’m still reeling.

And on that note, farewell. Come and see us soon.

— Emily