LENOX,MA –The Mount, Edith Wharton’s Home is thrilled to announce its 2025 Summer Season, Where Stories Come Alive. No one knew better than Edith Wharton the power of storytelling to enrich and shape our lives, deepening our understanding of ourselves and our world. This summer, The Mount offers a vibrant lineup of storytellers and story-making, including three writers’ series: The Summer Author Series, In Conversation with André Bernard, and Building Old New York, along with writing workshops, readings and performances, an outdoor sculpture exhibition, community events, and free youth and family programming.
“Our 2025 season reflects The Mount’s unique intersection of history, literature, the arts, nature, and community. With Edith Wharton as our muse, we are excited to offer an illuminating season celebrating the sharing of ideas, stories, art, and music, while providing space for our community to gather, reflect, and wander in the natural beauty of the Berkshires,” says Susan Wissler, The Mount’s executive director.
Summer Author Series: July 7 – August 26
Since 1993, the Summer Author Series has brought award-winning authors to The Mount. The Series highlights recent publications in the genres of memoir and biography, presenting exciting new research and ideas. This year’s theme is Trailblazers. Over eight weeks, we will explore the stories of groundbreaking visionaries—scientists, activists, thought leaders, and artists who have broken barriers and reshaped the world. From unsung heroes to unexpected perspectives on treasured luminaries, these author talks will celebrate the power of innovation and the voices of those courageous enough to lead the way. This year, The Mount will host:
Michelle Young,The Art Spy: The Extraordinary Untold Tale of WWII Resistance Hero Rose Valland, July 7 and 8.
Andrew Lipman, Squanto: A Native Odessey, July 14 and 15.
Susan Morrison, LORNE: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live, July 21 and 22.
Tess Chakkalakal, A Matter of Complexion: The Life and Fictions of Charles W. Chestnutt, July 28 and 29.
Dava Sobel, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of The Elements of Marie Curie: How the Glow of Radium Lit the Path for Women in Science, August 4 and 5.
Laurence Bergeen, Jules Verne and the Invention of the Future,August 11 and 12.
Amy Reading, The World She Edited: Katharine S. White at The New Yorker, August 18 and 19.
Elyse Graham, Book and Dagger: How Scholars and Librarians Became the Unlikely Spies of World War II, August 25and 26.
In Conversation with André Bernard: June 26 –August 21
In Conversation brings André Bernard, former Vice President of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, together with innovative thinkers whose contributions shape our culture today. Crossing the fields of politics, journalism, social science, and the arts, these conversations will explore fresh perspectives that spark curiosity and ignite new ways of thinking about the world and our most pressing challenges.
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker staff writer and author of All That Happiness Is, June 26.
Danzy Senna, author of the bestselling novel Colored Television, July 17.
Jayne Anne Philips, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist of Night Watch, July 31.
Judy Collins, GrammyAward-winning singer-songwriter and author of Sometimes It’s Heaven: Poems of Love, Loss, and Redemption, August 21.
Justice Stephen G.Breyer, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court (1994-2022) and author of Reading the Constitution, date TBD.
Susan Glasser and Peter Baker, journalists and co-authors of The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021, date TBD.
NEW Building Old New York
In this captivating new Series, we delve into the history and legacy of some of New York City's most iconic institutions, spaces, and landmarks. From the architecture of the Gilded Age to the preservation of historic neighborhoods in the twentieth century, join us as we welcome art and architectural historians to present the stories behind New York's distinctive urban and cultural landscape, highlighting the vision, innovation, and determination that built Old New York.
Anthony C. Wood, Servant of Beauty: Landmarks, Secret Love, and the Unimagined Life of an Unsung New York Hero, July 9.
Jonathan Conlin, The MET: A History of a Museum and its People, July 16.
Henry Wiencek, Stan and Gus: Art, Ardor, and the Friendship that Built the Gilded Age, July 30.
Sara Cedar Miller, Before Central Park, August 20.
Talks: Collaborations
Isaiah Stavchansky, What This Place Makes Me: Contemporary Plays on Immigration, June 2, in partnership with Literacy Network and Restless Books. Isaiah Stavchansky, editor of this new anthology, will be joined by one of the featured playwrights for a compelling conversation on the role of theater in showcasing immigrant experiences and their influence on shaping the United States.
Nature Writing Now: with Vanessa Chakour and Jennifer Kabat, co-sponsored with Mass Audubon and Orion Magazine, August 13.
Celebrating Edith Wharton
Wharton on Wednesdays returns June – October, with readings of Edith Wharton’s short stories by local actors. We will also present a staged reading of Cultivated Friendsby John Dennis Anderson and Karen Vuranch, about the friendship between Edith Wharton and the much younger Louis Bromfield, an early proponent of sustainable and organic agriculture in the United States.
The Decoration of Houses: Emily Orlando & Tripp Evans discuss Edith Wharton & Ogden Codman, July 23. Wharton scholar Emily Orlando and art and design historian Tripp Evans will discuss the 2024 re-release of The Decoration of Houses, the 1897 treatise on architecture and design co-authored by Edith Wharton and Ogden Codman.
New Writing Workshops
In addition to hearing stories, visitors will have the opportunity to write their own in several innovative workshops.
Adult writing workshops include Isaiah Stavchansky teaching a class centered on constructing and sharing stories about immigration and family ancestry (in partnership with the Literacy Network). Following up on the Nature Writing Now discussion, author Vanessa Chakour will teach Writing for the Wild, a two-part workshop exploring the powerful intersection of storytelling and nature.
For youths age 10-14, we will offer three workshops: Bestselling author Carolyn Mackler will present a talk and workshop based on themes explored in her middle-grade school novel, Right Back at You. Award-winning illustrator and author of comic and children’s books Ruth Chan will lead a workshop that breaks down the essentials of making comics and then guide participants in creating their own. Poet Margaret Youngwill offer a nature-inspired poetry workshop.
Live Music
The grounds and gardens will be alive with music this summer! Our popular Sounds of Summer Concerts, curated by jazz musician Michael Junkins, return in full force.These free concerts will include Standard Edition on June 24, Gato 6 with Suzi Sternon July 24, Natalia Bernal Community Day Concert on August 10, and George Schuller Quintet on August 28.
We will also host a free kid’s concert series Under the Tent for Kids: Little Roots, on June 15, Wintergreen Trio, on July 13, and Mister G. on August 10.
Free Family and Youth Programs on Sundays
June through August, The Mount will offer free family programming on Sundays. Weekly activities will include arts and crafts, music, movement, storytelling, and more.
Sculpture at the Mount runs May 24 –October 19 and feature works of contemporary outdoor sculpture in a range of media throughout the woods, gardens, and grounds of The Mount. The 2025 exhibition theme, Movement, celebrates kinetic sculpture as well as artwork that speaks to personal transformation, cultural shifts, and natural evolution.
Passes and tickets go on Sale in April 2025.
THE MOUNT, EDITH WHARTON’S HOME
The Mount, Edith Wharton’s Home is a National Historic Landmark and cultural center dedicated to the intellectual, artistic, and humanitarian legacy of Edith Wharton (1862-1937), one of America’s greatest authors. Wharton wrote over 40 books in 40 years, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Age of Innocence.
The Mount presents Wharton’s life and achievements through tours of her house and gardens, along with thematic tours of her library, and a popular ghost tour. The Mount is the literary hub of the Berkshires and hosts lectures by national authors and scholars, panels, and an annual writers-in-residency. The Mount’s grounds, including the gardens and trails, are open free to the public year-round from dawn to dusk.
The Mount is a proud partner of the Lenox Cultural District, one of five designated districts in Berkshire County. We are located at 2 Plunkett Street in Lenox, Massachusetts. For more information, visit EdithWharton.org.
