Thank you!
Your support is sustaining the future of local news in our communities.

‘In the Heights’ creators at virtual Merritt event

‘In the Heights’ creators at virtual Merritt event
Quiara Alegria Hudes, co-writer of the book the hit movie, “In the Heights” was based on, signed copies of her memoir, “My Broken Language,” at Merritt Bookstore in Millbrook on Sunday morning, July 4. Photo submitted

MILLBROOK — Merritt Bookstore has been hosting events this summer centered around the Tony award-winning Broadway play and major motion film, “In the Heights.” 

First Merritt held a virtual event on June 15 at 8 p.m., with famed Broadway and Hollywood actor and producer Lin-Manuel Miranda, along with Quiara Alegria Hudes and Jeremy McCarter, the co-writers of the book, “In the Heights Finding a Home.” Miranda based his popular musical and film on Hudes and McCarter’s novel.

The three discussed the play, film and book, which have received rave reviews. The stories are of community. 

Tickets for the virtual event were $9, and included a copy of the book. Those who participated could forward questions ahead of time to be answered during the program. 

An added attraction for Merritt customers was the book signing by Hudes for her memoir, “My Broken Language,” which was held at the bookstore on Sunday,  July 4. 

Hudes is also a Pulitzer Prize winner. She won the coveted literature prize for “Water by the Spoonful.” 

Signed copies of “In the Heights” and Hudes’ memoir may still be available at Merritt Bookstore at 57 Front St., Millbrook; call 845-677-5857 for more information.

— Judith O’Hara Balfe

Latest News

A life reshaped by clay in “Matin”

Left to right: Hannah Wheeler, Matin Malikzada and Yonah Sadeh.

D.H. Callahan

On Monday, Oct. 26, a group of students, teachers and local residents gathered at the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville for a screening of the new short documentary “Matin.” The film tells the story of Matin Malikzada, a seventh-generation Afghani potter making a new life in New Milford, Connecticut. The film was made by local filmmaker Yonah Sadeh, creator of the Video Wall at the David M. Hunt Library, and Berkshires-based potter Hannah Wheeler, who were both present for the screening, along with Malikzada himself.

As a member of the seventh generation of his family to master the art of pottery, Malikzada had done things the way his family had for over a century. Istalif, the village where his family has lived for generations, was known throughout Afghanistan for its pottery, with wares sent across the country for use as everyday cups, bowls, plates and other vessels. The pottery-making families of Istalif gathered clay from the same mountain, about 30 to 45 minutes away by donkey. Every July, they would head north toward the Uzbekistan border to gather ishkar, a plant they processed by hand to make their signature glazes.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

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

Meg Sher finds her calling among the stacks

Meg Sher, executive director of the David M. Hunt Library in Falls Village.

L. Tomaino

When Meg Sher came to Falls Village in 2006 from Old Lyme, Connecticut, where she grew up, she never imagined she’d someday be the executive director of the David M. Hunt Library.

Although, in hindsight, perhaps it makes sense.

Keep ReadingShow less
Crescendo’s 23rd season speaks to the heart and mind

Christine Gevert, founding artistic director of Crescendo, conducts the audience at a performance.

Steve Potter

For Christine Gevert, founding artistic director of Crescendo, music from centuries past is anything but a relic. It is a living, breathing art form, full of drama, emotional complexity and, occasionally, surprises. As the regional choral and period-instrument ensemble launches its 23rd season, Gevert is once again bringing forgotten masterpieces into the present.

“Early Music has been my lifelong passion and the focus of my specialization in Europe and South America,” Gevert said. “Bringing this repertoire to our audiences in a nuanced way that does justice to its incredible depth, intensity, and beauty is deeply important to me.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Close Encounters with Music celebrates 35 years of musical discovery

Close Encounters with Music’s 35th season opens with “Saluting the Clarinet” featuring clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein.

Provided

For 35 years, cellist Yehuda Hanani has been inviting audiences to experience classical music in unexpected ways. As founder and artistic director of Close Encounters with Music, Hanani has built a concert series that goes beyond the music itself, exploring connections to literature, history, politics and the human experience.

This year, Close Encounters celebrates its 35th season with “Celebration & Discovery,” a seven-concert series that opens Sunday, Nov. 1, at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington.

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.