Celebrating the written word

 

This is the summer of the written word at The Mount in Lenox, the beloved home of famed author Edith Wharton, and the schedule of events includes the inaugural Berkshire WordFest in late July and a stellar series of lectures by biographers and memoirists, as well as visits to the house and gardens and two exhibitions.

 

 

To celebrate the June 5 opening of the summer exhibition Dramatic License: Edith Wharton on Stage & Screen, a look at the film and theatrical adaptations of Wharton’s works, a group of appreciative Wharton fans gathered on the terrace to hear writer Jay Cocks, who wrote the screenplay for Age of Innocence, speak about his experiences making that film. Directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Daniel Day Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Winona Ryder, the film is one of the more successful movie versions of a Wharton work.

 

 

Cocks spoke about the way Daniel Day Lewis immerses himself in his character during filming; about Winona Ryder’s playfulness on set; about the choices that went in to crafting the ending of the film; and about their decision to include a narrator and have Joanne Woodward take that role; and he generously responded to a variety of questions about the film. The exhibit includes some of Cocks’s mementoes from the making of Age of Innocence, as well as posters, images, film clips, and other memorabilia, and will be on view through the end of October.

 

 

Featuring a talk with a writer as accomplished as Jay Cocks was a terrific way to get the season started; and with the Berkshire WordFest and the lineup of lectures still ahead, the written word will be truly front and center at The Mount for the next few months.

 

 

The big event is the first-ever Berkshire WordFest, a three-day festival of the written word, held July 23-25, which brings together acclaimed authors and dedicated readers in the perfect setting: The Mount.

 

 

“A literary festival has been on our radar for some time. Now that The Mount is gathering momentum, we felt this was the right year to make the idea of a literary festival a reality,” says executive director Susan Wissler. “We hope it brings attention to the Berkshires as a national literary destination.”

 

 

The weekend of talks, discussions, interviews, readings, and book signings—the festival includes nearly twenty writers in sixteen events—begins Friday evening, July 23, with a party and keynote talk by novelist Francine Prose, the winner of the 2010 Edith Wharton Achievement Award.

 

 

A series of panel discussions with the theme “Channeling Edith Wharton” begins on Saturday with the topic, “Old Money, New Money,” moderated by Simon Winchester and featuring journalist Tad Friend, poet Katy Lederer, and novelists Martha McPhee and Kurt Anderson. On Saturday afternoon, award-winning journalist John Hockenberry will discuss “Writers in Wartime” with West Point professor Elizabeth Samet. Sunday’s panel includes biographer Judith Thurman, writer Katie Roiphe, memoirist Dani Shapiro, and journalist Laura Miller on the ironic theme of “Well-Behaved Women.”

 

 

On Saturday morning, join novelist Elizabeth Brundage at “Books for Breakfast,” a literary conversation on the terrace; through the day, WAMC’s Joe Donahue will host one-on-one interviews with novelist Jim Shepard, memoirist and critic Ruth Reichl, and award-winning writer Roy Blount Jr. On Sunday morning, novelist Elinor Lipman will lead the breakfast program, and media personality Susan Arbetter will interview journalist Susan Orlean. Book signings, a Saturday evening fundraiser, and readings by Berkshire-based authors round out this weekend worthy of any wordsmith, whether accomplished or aspiring.

 

 

The Mount’s excellent annual lecture series, featuring biographers and memoirists discussing their books, begins July 12 and runs through August 30, with the talks held every Monday at 4 p.m. in The Mount’s Stable auditorium. Tea and a book signing follow each talk.

 

July 12: “The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It” by Tilar J. Mazzeo, author of The Widow Cliquot

 

July 19: “The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt” by Pulitzer Prize winner T.J. Stiles, author of The First Tycoon

 

July 26: “How to Be a Movie Star: Hollywood’s Golden Age with Katherine Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor” by William J. Mann, author of How to Be a Movie Star

 

August 2: “Marco Polo: From Venice to Xanadu” by Laurence Bergreen, author of Marco Polo

 

August 9: “A Mountain of Crumbs: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain” by Elena Gorokhova, author of the memoir A Mountain of Crumbs

 

August 16: “On Garden Design: Beatrix Farrand and Edith Wharton” by Judith Tankard, author of Beatrix Farrand

 

August 23: Lecture to be announced

 

August 30: “The Talented Miss Highsmith and Her Secret Life in Lenox” by Joan Schenkar, author of The Talented Miss Highsmith, with dramatic readings by Kathleen Chalfant

 

It’s an exceptional lineup of writers and events; Edith Wharton would be proud.

 

The Mount

2 Plunkett St.

Lenox, Mass.

413.551.5113