5.29.11
This is an Archival Site
There is now a new Rogovoy Report home
5.18.11
Weekend Preview May 19-24
Bob Dylan tributes, Deborah Voigt, Tom Paxton, Bill Kirchen, John Kirk and Trish Miller
5.18.11
Celebrating Bob Dylan's 70th Birthday in Style
Paying tribute to the greatest rock songwriter ever
5.17.11
FILM REVIEW: In a Better World and Of Gods and Men
Review by Seth Rogovoy
5.17.11
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5.12.11
Deborah Voigt Headlines Mahaiwe Gala
Opera star to sing arias, show tunes on Saturday, May 21
5.15.11
Famed Spiritual Teacher to Speak on Nonviolence
Mother Maya in free talk at Sruti Yoga in Great Barrington, Mass., on Friday May 20 at 7pm
5.12.11
Special Effects Wizard to Be Honored by Film Festival
Doug Trumbull to be Feted by BIFF
5.11.11
Weekend Preview May 12-16
Cultural Highlights of the Berkshire Weekend
6.4.09
Talk about a small world
Elaine and I grew up together, but only just recently met....
5.8.11
Berkshire Living to Cease Publication
A Farewell from Publisher Michael Zivyak
5.8.11
twiGs Branches Out
Lenox boutique launches new e-tail site
5.8.11
[MUSIC REVIEW] Avalon Quartet in Close Encounters at Mahaiwe
Review by Seth Rogovoy
5.8.11
[MUSIC REVIEW] Avalon Quartet in Close Encounters at Mahaiwe
Review by Seth Rogovoy
5.7.11
[FILM REVIEW] Bill Cunningham New York
Review by Seth Rogovoy
5.7.11
[FILM REVIEW] Bill Cunningham New York
Review by Seth Rogovoy
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Letter from the Editor of BERKSHIRE LIVING
[from the November-December 2006 second anniversary issue]
11.2.06
FromTheEditor
One of the best parts of my job is getting out of the office and meeting people like artist Walton Ford, whose work I’ve long admired and whom I have the great privilege of profiling in this issue (“The Natural,” p. 30). As it turns out, Walton creates his magnificent watercolors just a few hundred yards from our office, in what would literally be our backyard if we had one.
So for a few weeks, while I was working on the profile of Walton, I’d just get up periodically from my desk and take a quick walk over to his studio, where I got to chew the fat with Walton, who in addition to being one of the hottest artists on the contemporary scene is also a brilliant, fascinating guy who can expound on a myriad of topics. The fact that we’re the exact same age and grew up in pretty similar circumstances and now happily call the Berkshires home just eased our rapport and cemented our bond, and I for one hope that Walton won’t mind if I continue my occasional drop-in visits to see his latest work in progress. Watching Astoria, 1812—the painting he’s working on in the opening portrait—take shape from pencil sketch through primary colors to intensive brushwork and detail was worth at least an entire semester’s course in studio art. And I didn’t even have to pay any tuition (although I suppose I owe the guy a drink … or two).
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: editing Berkshire Living has to be one of the best jobs in the world. It definitely has to be one of the best jobs in magazine publishing. Assembling the mix of stories and images for each issue is a constant reminder of the embarrassment of riches—human, natural, and otherwise—our region has to offer. With so many talented people doing original, creative things (see “All He Wants to Do” by Joseph Mueller, about rock ‘n’ roll poet Wyn Cooper, on p. 38), with so many fascinating places to visit (see “At the Crossroads” by Robin Catalano, about the town of Chatham, New York, on p. 88), it’s a constant juggling act to get it all in. Thought goes into everything: from what the major features will be to the departmental story subjects down to the choice of every small photo we run in the calendar and gallery listings; we mull over what details to emphasize in every photo caption; and throughout the process, we bandy ideas back and forth for how best to keep you, the readers, interested and engaged.
One of the tests, ultimately, is keeping ourselves on our toes—avoiding the tried and true, the easy and the comfortable, challenging ourselves as editors and writers to go beyond our comfort zones into areas that test our mettle. I confess to having done so on more than one occasion (maybe you can guess to which times I’m referring), and I always encourage our staffers and our contributing writers and photographers to do the same. It’s a recipe, I hope, for freshness and surprise in each issue—straight through from the choice of cover image and headlines to the choice of who we feature as the “Backbone” of each magazine and everything in between.
That’s been the modus operandi for the first two years, and I hope it keeps working for us—and most importantly, for you—for many years to come. Thanks for your loyalty and support.
Happy reading,
Seth Rogovoy
Editor-in-Chief
Berkshire Living
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