(LENOX, Mass.) – Old-fashioned storytelling in new-fashioned dress will return to The Mount, the home of Edith Wharton in Lenox, Mass., with three storytelling events this fall, kicking off on Friday, September 5, at 8pm, with seven award-winning storytellers — H.R. Britton, Jannelle Codianni, Norah Dooley, Liz Martin, Theresa Okokon, Brendyn Schneider, and Darlene White – presenting riveting real-life stories about family, travel, and first times, in “Travel, Temptations, and Tribes: Storytelling at The Mount.”

Upcoming programs include Love and Marriage: Storytelling at The Mount, on Saturday, October 18 at 8pm, with twelve-time Moth StorySLAM champion Matthew Dicks and his Hartford-based group Speak Up, with Barbara Klau, Alan MacKenzie, Diana Spechler, and Tom Reed-Swale, sharing tales of love lost, love found, and love finally understood.

The following day, Sunday, October 19 from 9 am to 1 pm, Dicks will lead Speaking Your Mind: An Introduction to Storytelling, a storytelling workshop designed for anyone who wishes to improve storytelling and public speaking techniques. The workshop will cover idea generation, structure and arc, critical elements, revision, humor, suspense, and performance.

In the few years, The Mount and MASS MoCA have brought live storytelling, an enormously popular source of entertainment found primarily in metropolitan areas, to the Berkshires.

All events will be held at The Mount, located at 2 Plunkett Street in Lenox. Tickets and information for all events can be found online at The Mount.

“The Mount is the perfect venue for storytelling, which beautifully blends entertainment, performance art, and literature,” says Susan Wissler, executive director of The Mount. “It’s no wonder storytelling has cultivated legions of fans in New York, Boston, Los Angeles, and other major cities, and has exploded in podcast popularity. We are looking forward to welcoming these skilled performers as well an enthusiastic audience.”

 

Storytelling event details are as follows:

Travel, Temptations, and Tribes: Storytelling at The Mount
Friday, September 5 at 8 pm (doors open at 7:30)

Seven award-winning performers — H.R. Britton, Jannelle Codianni, Norah Dooley, Liz Martin, Theresa Okokon, Brendyn Schneider, and Darlene White — present riveting real-life stories bring to about family, travel, and first times. Hosted by Norah Dooley, the program will be presented in partnership with Boston-based massmouth, Inc. All tickets $15.

 

Love and Marriage: Storytelling at The Mount
Saturday, October 18 at 8 pm (doors open at 7:30)

Twelve-time Moth StorySLAM champion Matthew Dicks brings his Hartford-based Speak Up to The Mount for an evening of storytelling. Dicks, along with Barbara Klau, Alan MacKenzie, Diana Spechler, and Tom Reed-Swale, will share tales of love lost, love found, and love finally understood. All tickets $15.

 

Speaking Your Mind: An Introduction to Storytelling
Sunday, October 19 from 9 am to 1 pm

Professional storyteller and Moth StorySLAM champion Matthew Dicks will lead a storytelling workshop designed for anyone who wishes to improve storytelling and public speaking techniques. The workshop will cover idea generation, structure and arc, critical elements, revision, humor, suspense, and performance. Workshop fee $25.
In recent years, The Mount has become the literary hub of the Berkshires. The cultural non-profit regularly hosts esteemed writers — including novelists, poets, biographers, scholars, and journalists — for readings and discussions. Writers who have appeared at The Mount include Tom Reiss, Megan Marshall, Stacy Schiff, Simon Winchester, Mary Jo Salter, Adam Gopnik, Claire Messud, Mark Strand, Andre Dubus III, Matthew Pearl, Susan Orlean, John Berendt, Kati Marton, and many others.

In September, the Mount will also host a series of free poetry events, including the Amy Clampitt Memorial Reading featuring Sharon Olds on September 12; readings on September 11 by esteemed poets with ties to the Berkshires; and a poetry workshop for high school students led by Adam Stone on September 13.

The Mount is located at 2 Plunkett Street in Lenox, Mass. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit The Mount or call 413-551-5100.

Literary programming at The Mount is supported by The Amy Clampitt Fund, a fund of the Berkshire Taconic Community Fund, and the Xeric Foundation, Inc.

The Mount is a National Historic Landmark and cultural center that celebrates the intellectual, artistic, and humanitarian legacy of Edith Wharton. We engage a diverse audience by providing context to Wharton’s life and achievements through our educational and public programs and the conservation and preservation of her historic estate and gardens.

Each year, The Mount is host to over 40,000 visitors. Daily tours of the property are offered May through October, with special events throughout the year. Annual summer programming includes a joint exhibit with SculptureNow, Wharton on Wednesdays, Music After Hours, and the celebrated Monday Lecture Series. Exhibitions explore themes from Wharton’s life and work.