Free Poetry Reading at the Mason Library

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GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Friends of Great Barrington Libraries and the Board of Library Trustees invites the community to a free poetry reading at the Mason Library on Saturday, April 25, 2025, 4 -6 pm. 
 
Poets Kate Colby and Ann Lauterbach will read from their works. 
 
Wine, cider and food provided by the Friends of Great Barrington Libraries.
 
About the poets
 
Kate Colby's most recent book is "Paradoxx," published last year. It was listed as one of the five most notable of 2025 by Literary Hub, as well as one of CLMP Members' Most Celebrated Books of the year. She has received awards and fellowships from the Poetry Society of America and the Woodberry Poetry Room at Harvard University, where she was a fellow in 2018. She is also a founding board member of the Gloucester Writers Center. Her work has recently appeared in The Brooklyn Rail, Conjunctions, Harper's, Lana Turner, Literary Hub, The Nation, The Paris Review and Poetry.
 
Ann Lauterbach is the author of eleven poetry collections, several chapbooks and three works of prose, including The "Night Sky: Writings on the Poetics of Experience." "Her Or to Begin Again" was nominated for a National Book Award. Her most recent book "Door" (2023), was a finalist for the International Griffin Poetry Prize. She's received grants from the Guggenheim Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation and the New York Council of the Arts. She was co-chair of Writing in Bard College's MFA program from 1992 to 2020, where she continues to teach as the David and Ruth Schwab Professor of Languages and Literature.
 
The OtherWords reading series, co-curated by Michael Gottlieb and Evelyn Reilly, is sponsored by Friends of Great Barrington Libraries and the Board of Library Trustees. 
 
Mason Library is located on 231 Main Street, Great Barrington
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Lee Breaks Ground on Public Safety Building

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Lee Town Administrator Chris Brittain says the community voted to invest in its future by approving the new $37 million complex. 

LEE, Mass. — Ground was ceremonially broken on the town's new public safety building, something officials see as a gift to the community and future generations. 

When finished, Lee will have a 37,000 square-foot combined public safety facility on Railroad Street where the Airoldi and Department of Public Works buildings once stood. Construction will cost around $24 million, and is planned to be completed in August 2027.

"This is the town of Lee being proactive. This is the town of Lee being thoughtful and considerate and practical and assertive, and this project is not just for us. This project is a gift," Select Board member Bob Jones said. 

"This is a gift to our children, our grandchildren."

State and local officials, including U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, gathered at the site on Friday, clad in hard hats and yellow vests, and shoveled some dirt to kick off the build. 

Town Administrator Chris Brittain explained that officials have planned and reviewed the need for a modern facility for the public safety departments for years, and that the project marks a new chapter, replacing 19th-century infrastructure with a "state-of-the-art" complex.

"The project is not just about concrete and steel, it's a commitment to the safety of our families, the efficiency of our first responders, and the future of our community," he said. 

He said he was grateful to the town's Police, Fire, and Building departments for their dedication while operating out of outdated facilities, and to the Department of Public Works, for coordinating site preparation and relocating its services. 

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