Roxana Robinson receives Authors Guild award

Roxana Robinson receives Authors Guild award
Roxana Robinson, right, received an award for distinguished service to the literary community by The Authors Guild in New York on May 9. Pulitzer Prize author Elizabeth Strout, left, presented the award. Photo submitted

NEW YORK — The Authors Guild Foundation’s 31st Annual Benefit packed The Plaza Hotel’s Grand Ballroom in a celebration of writers and the power of the written word on Tuesday, May 9. 

The Guild paid tribute to three honorees, including Roxana Robinson, the recipient of The Authors Guild Foundation Preston Award for Distinguished Service to the Literary Community.  presented by Pulitzer Prize winning author Elizabeth Strout.

Robinson is the author of ten books, nine works of fiction and the biography of Georgia O’Keeffe. She lives in Cornwall and has contributed columns to this newspaper.

Others honored were Christopher Finan, the recipient of The Authors Guild Foundation Award for Defending Free Speech and Expression, and Angie Thomas, the recipient of The Authors Guild Foundation Award for Literary Activism

Robinson underscored the power of writing when she said, “In a democracy we needed to know the truth about civic life, public life, and it was writers who set down those truths. Their stories have informed us what it means to be human.”

“Through their written work and their bold advocacy, each of tonight’s honorees has demonstrated the critical importance of the written word and the dire need to protect it. We honor their courage and passion, more important than ever in this unsettling period of growing book censorship and intolerance,” said Mary Rasenberger, CEO of the Authors Guild and Authors Guild Foundation.

“Chris, Angie, and Roxana exemplify the mission of the Authors Guild and the Authors Guild Foundation to advance the rights of today’s writers and foster an ongoing commitment to the artistic and educational benefits that a vibrant American literary and creative culture offers,” she added.

Latest News

A new life for Barrington Hall

A new life for Barrington Hall

Dan Baker, left, and Daniel Latzman at Barrington Hall in Great Barrington.

Provided

Barrington Hall in Great Barrington has hosted generations of weddings, proms and community gatherings. When Dan Baker and Daniel Latzman took over the venue last summer, they stepped into that history with a plan not just to preserve it, but to reshape how the space serves the community today.

Barrington Hall is designed for gathering, for shared experience, for the simple act of being together. At a time when connection is often filtered through screens and distraction, their vision is grounded in something simple and increasingly rare: real human connection.

Keep ReadingShow less

Gail Rothschild’s threads of time

Gail Rothschild’s threads of time

Gail Rothschild with her painting “Dead Sea Linen III (73 x 58 inches, 2024, acrylic on canvas.

Natalia Zukerman

There is a moment, looking at a painting by Gail Rothschild, when you realize you are not looking at a painting so much as a map of time. Threads become brushstrokes; fragments become fields of color; something once held in the hand becomes something you stand in front of, both still and in a constant process of changing.

“Textiles connect people,” Rothschild said. “Textiles are something that we’re all intimately involved with, but we take it for granted.”

Keep ReadingShow less

Sherman Players celebrate a century of community theater

Sherman Players celebrate a century of community theater

Cast of “Laughter on the 23rd Floor” from left to right. Tara Vega, Steve Zerilli, Bob Cady (Standing) Seated at the table: Andrew Blanchard, Jon Barker, Colin McLoone, Chris Bird, Rebecca Annalise, Adam Battlestein

Provided

For a century, the Sherman Players have turned a former 19th-century church into a stage where neighbors become castmates, volunteers power productions and community is the main attraction. The company marks its 100th season with a lineup that blends classic works, new writing and homegrown talent.

New England has a long history of community theater and its role in strengthening civic life. The Sherman Players remain a vital example, mounting intimate, noncommercial productions that draw on local participation and speak to the current cultural moment.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

Reimagining opera for a new generation

Reimagining opera for a new generation

Stage director Geoffrey Larson signs autographs for some of the kids after a family performance.

Provided

For those curious about opera but unsure where to begin, the Mahaiwe Theater in Great Barrington will offer an accessible entry point with “Once Upon an Opera,” a free, family-friendly program on Sunday, April 12, at 2 p.m. The event is designed for opera newcomers and aficionados alike and will include selections from some of opera’s most beloved works.

Luca Antonucci, artistic coordinator, assistant conductor and chorus master for the Berkshire Opera Festival, said the idea first materialized three years ago.

Keep ReadingShow less
BSO charts future amid leadership transition and financial strain

Aerial view of The Shed at Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts.

Provided

The Boston Symphony Orchestra is outlining its path forward following the announcement that music director Andris Nelsons will step down after the 2027 Tanglewood season, closing a 13-year tenure.

In a letter to supporters, the BSO’s Board of Trustees acknowledged that the news has been difficult for many in its community, while emphasizing gratitude for Nelsons’ leadership and plans to celebrate his final season.

Keep ReadingShow less
A tradition of lamb for Easter and Passover

Roasted lamb

Provided

Preparing lamb for the observance of Easter is a long-standing tradition in many cultures, symbolizing new life and purity. For Christians, Easter marks the end of Lenten fasting, allowing for a celebratory feast. A popular choice is roast lamb, often prepared with rosemary, garlic or lemon. It is traditional to serve mint sauce or mint jelly at the table.

The Hebrew Bible suggests that the last plague God inflicted on the Egyptians, to secure the Israelites’ release from slavery, was to kill the firstborn son in every Egyptian home. To differentiate the Israelites from the Egyptians, God instructed them to mark their doorposts with the blood of a lamb. Today, Jews, Christians and Muslims generally believe that God would have known who was Israelite and who was Egyptian without such a sign, but views of God’s omnipotence in the Abrahamic faiths have evolved over the millennia.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.