OtherWords Reading Series Welcomes Cynthia Zarin, Michael Gottlieb

11:50AM / Monday, January 19, 2026Print Story | Email Story

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Friends of Great Barrington Libraries and the Board of Library Trustees present an evening of poetry and prose featuring writers Cynthia Zarin and Michael Gottlieb as part of the OtherWords Reading Series.

The event will take place on Saturday, Jan. 24, from 4:00 to 6:00 PM, at the Mason Library on Main Street in Great Barrington, and will be hosted by poet Evelyn Reilly.

Cynthia Zarin is the author of the new novel "Estate,"" as well as the novel "Inverno" and six books of poetry, including "Orbit and Next Day: New and Selected Poems." A longtime contributor to The New Yorker, Zarin teaches at Yale University and lives in New York City.

Michael Gottlieb will read from his new poetry collection, "Next!" He is the author of twenty-four books spanning poetry, memoir, and essay. His most recent publications include "Selected Poems, Collected Essays, and Collected Memoirs."

The OtherWords Reading Series brings nationally recognized writers to Great Barrington for intimate, community-centered literary events. This reading is free and open to the public.

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Great Barrington Unveils 9/11 Memorial Featuring World Trade Center Steel

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
12:58PM / Saturday, September 12, 2026

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — A piece of history will now stand in front of the Great Barrington Fire Department, serving as a lasting reminder of the courage, sacrifice, and heroism of those who rushed in, stepped forward, and answered the call on Sept. 11, 2001.

Hundreds of community members gathered outside the Fire Department for the unveiling of a 9/11 memorial featuring a steel I-beam salvaged from the wreckage of the World Trade Center.

The monument marks the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, and its effect reached far and wide beyond New York, said Deputy Fire Chief James Mead.

"There are moments in our lives that become markers of time. Moments when we remember not only what happened, but where we were, who was beside us, and how the world somehow felt different afterwards," Town Manager Liz Hartsgrove said.

"For those of us who experienced September 11, 2001 — it is one of those moments for us to share."

The acquisition of the beam was a multi-year effort initiated by the late Andy Moro, former commander of American Legion Post 298 in Housatonic, and was carried on by the Legion's second vice commander, John Morris.

Morris said he was able to obtain the warped steel I-beam through connections he made during his time as a New York City firefighter.

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