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Tuesday, September 15, 2026

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Laurily Epstein

Laurily Epstein, an Iowa native, has lived in the Berkshires since 2001, and was a second-homer before then. Her Ph.D is in political science, which she taught at Rutgers before her stint at NBC news, where she worked on polling and election projections. A widow, she has two children and three grandchildren. She serves on the boards of Berkshire Grown, Berkshire Natural Resources Council, Green Berkshires, and Project Native.

written articles

Food

WHAT’S COOKIN’: Leslye Heilig’s chicken soup

Making dinner is not the only culinary activity in Heilig’s life. She and Linda Baxter, a retired nurse midwife, founded a local chapter of Dining for Women, a national organization with chapters all over America.
Food

WHAT’S COOKIN’: In the kitchen with Barbara Bonner

Recently, Bonner made a batch of putanesca, an Italian tomato sauce, while I watched. She likes it partly because it is easy to make and hearty to eat.
Life In the Berkshires

Backyard Bounty: Alleviating hunger in the Berkshires

Berkshire Bounty’s creation is an example of ingenuity and compassion, two characteristics that help define the culture of the Berkshires.
Life In the Berkshires

St. James Place: Soon, a downtown cultural and civic center

What started as a heartfelt attempt to save the structure from possible destruction has morphed into a major cultural and civic center that will have activities seven days a week, all year long.
Life In the Berkshires

Railroad Street Youth Project: Helping teens navigate being teenagers — and beyond

Now Railroad Street Youth Project provides apprenticeships in computer coding and robotics, photography, theatre appreciation and directing, cosmetology, and culinary arts.
Arts & Entertainment

LAURILY EPSTEIN: CATA’s spotlight on ‘ability within disability’

What makes CATA such a well-respected part of the Berkshire community is that it provides people with disabilities the opportunity for creative self-expression.
Life In the Berkshires

Town wide celebration for reopening of renovated Stockbridge Library

As issues of accessibility and appropriate preservation of a historic building were raised, the library's staff and board knew that a full upgrade was in order.
Life In the Berkshires

Hands in Outreach: Sponsoring girls’ education in Nepal

“Nepal felt like a forgotten place, and I could make an impact there, improving the quality of life for marginalized people.” -- Ricky Bernstein
Arts & Entertainment

WAM: Theatre as philanthropy

WAM Theatre donates a portion of its proceeds to organizations around the world that benefit women and girls, thus far $20,000 to 8 local organizations.
Arts & Entertainment

Celebrating the creative voice: Berkshire Festival of Women Writers

The primary purpose of the Festival is that we all -- every one of us — have stories to tell. That should be told. And heard.
Life In the Berkshires

Music in Common: Bridging cultural divides

Created in the memory of Daniel Pearl, Music in Common performs here in the Berkshires, across the country, and in Israel, where they work with Arab and Jewish students.
Environment

B.E.A.T., guardians of the (Berkshire) environment

No Fracked Gas in Mass is a relatively recently initiated B.E.A.T. program. Organized by Rose Wessel, it opposes the Kinder Morgan pipeline.
Life In the Berkshires

Laurel Hill Association: Stockbridge’s guardian angels

Laurel Hill Association, established in 1853 , is the oldest village improvement association in America. In its first year, 400 trees were planted, and that was just the beginning. It was so successful that it became a model for civic beautification organizations all over the country.
Life In the Berkshires

Stanton Home: Sanctuary for those with special needs

There is a great need for homes for people with special needs in western Massachusetts, particularly in the Great Barrington area.
Arts & Entertainment

Portrait of a writer: Loet Velmans’ ‘From P.O.W. to C.E.O’

“I was born a writer. I wrote in prison camp, and after the war I worked at a newspaper in Singapore. I’ve always written. I’ve never stopped writing.” -- Loet Velmans
Food

Jan Johnson at Mill River Farm: The four-season farmer

By helping to control the internal temperature of the greenhouse, plants that would otherwise remain dormant grow happily. The heated greenhouse also opens up a new category of plants that can tolerate darkness but not frost.
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