Wanda Houston ’ s Unfinished Song
PAVING THE WAY
A Lesson in Playing Nice
ShoutOut
This , that , and the other things
B y L a u r a M a r s
Wanda Houston ’ s Unfinished Song
Since 2006 , singing sensation Wanda Houston has been mesmerizing Berkshire audiences with her unique mix of mid-20th century jazz and R & B . Who is this powerhouse and where does her power — musical and otherwise — come from ? Unfinished Song , a documentary currently in production , peels back the layers of not only Houston ’ s musical life , but also of the connective power of music . “ We desperately need to find the bridges that bring us back together , and I believe music and laughter are two of the strongest ,” says Director Mark Farrell . “ No one I know embodies those two things better than Wanda Houston . Combine that with a heart as big as the moon , and you ’ ve got a very compelling story .” Catch a preview on Sunday , September 29 , at 7 p . m . at Lenox Town Hall . To listen to Houston up front and personal before the screening , reserve a spot at Doctor Sax House at 5:30 p . m . for cocktails , a performance by the Wanda Houston Band ( which will be recorded and become part of Unfinished Song ), and stories from the singer herself . Proceeds will support the efforts of the movie ’ s crew , all local talent , as they prepare it for distribution . unfinishedsongmovie . com
Justin Allen
PAVING THE WAY
Geraldine Ferraro started paving the way years before she ran for vice president of the United States in 1984 . She began before she ran for Congress in 1979 with the campaign slogan , “ Finally … a tough Democrat ,” and before she told her daughter Donna Zaccaro , “ God gave you a mouth , use it .” Forty years after making history in 1984 , on the brink of possibly another historic moment in American politics , Zaccaro ’ s film , Geraldine Ferraro : Paving the Way ( 2013 ), tells Ferraro ’ s story . It will be screened at The Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington on September 15 . “ She would be thrilled that Kamala Harris is running for president ,” says Zaccaro . “ There are so many parallels — they were both prosecutors , both running to make a difference on all the same issues .” The film is not only an opportunity to hear from Ferraro , who died in 2011 — as well as hear from her family and dozens of her political colleagues — but also from Zaccaro , who will do a talkback with Letty Cottin Pogrebin , a founding editor of Ms . magazine . “ The biggest surprise for me was discovering how charismatic and what a natural my mother was ,” says Zaccaro . “ She could talk about any issue on the national stage or in your kitchen . She paved the way because of how she conducted herself .” thetriplex . com
Coming Clean Pittsfield ’ s Berkshire Innovation Center ( BIC ), sparking innovation and sustainable growth of technology-focused companies since 2020 , scored big in June when it was named a Phase II : Create winner for the Department of Energy ’ s Manufacture of Advanced Key Energy Infrastructure Technologies ( MAKE IT ) Strategies Track . BIC was awarded a $ 100,000 prize for their Berkshire Clean Tech Initiative ( BCTI ), a roadmap for growing clean tech manufacturing in the Berkshires and supporting clean tech startups . “ Receiving this award is exciting , but the real work starts now ,” says Ben Sosne , executive director of BIC , which is now eligible to compete in the program ’ s Phase III : Activate . The next step is finalizing their BCTI roadmap and convincing at least one clean energy manufacturer to build a facility in the Berkshires . BIC was selected as one of only seven awardees in the U . S . to be tasked to build out a supply chain road map for climatetech . “ That is incredible and also very inspiring for a young firm like ours ,” says Sosne . Phase III winners will be announced by the end of the year and will each receive $ 250,000 . To see what else BIC is up to — and it ’ s a lot — go to : berkshireinnovationcenter . com
A Lesson in Playing Nice
No matter how hard you try to teach the right thing , some kids need to learn the hard way . MABEL WANTS A FRIEND , written by Ariel Bernstein with drawings by Great Barrington-based illustrator Marc Rosenthal , is a story about a young fox who learns that making a new friend takes more than just wanting one . This beautiful picture book models consequential behaviors like respecting boundaries and genuine forgiveness , critical at any age . Rosenthal will be at The Bookloft in Great Barrington , on Saturday , September 28 , at 11 a . m ., reading MABEL WANTS A FRIEND , doing a drawing demonstration , and signing books . thebookloft . com
LIVE AT LENOX LIBRARY !
From experts on digital media , AI , and the upcoming election , to authors who allow us to escape with a good story , there ’ s a lot going on at the Lenox Library . Here are some of the in-person talks : Sept . 10 , 5:30 p . m ., “ Truth Matters : Confronting Disinformation in Social Media ,” with Andrew Edwards , author of Army of Liars : How Digital Media and Artificial Intelligence Are Corrupting and Endangering Humanity ; Sept . 19 , 5 p . m ., Candice Millard , New York Times bestselling author of The River of Doubt , Destiny of the Republic , Hero of the Empire , and River of the Gods ; Sept . 22 , 4 p . m ., Michael Hannahan , PhD , director of the Donahue Institute at UMass Amherst , on the upcoming presidential election ; Oct . 20 , 4 p . m ., Paul Catanzaro , professor and state extension forester at UMass , co-director of the Family Forest Research Center , member of the Board of the Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition , and chair of the Massachusetts Forester Accrediting Board ; and Nov . 17 , 4 p . m ., State Representative and Interim Lenox Town Manager Smitty Pignatelli . lenoxlib . org
6 // BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE May August Fall 2024 / June 2024 2024
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