Lisa Dolinger Green

My writing moves people.

Subjects and businesses tell me their traffic increases immediately after my story is published. But mostly, readers are touched.

Take Two: Triplex Cinema Reopens As A Nonprofit, Community-Centered Theater

The Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington, which closed for a year-and-a-half during the pandemic, never really was able to recapture its former momentum, and last March developer/owner Richard Stanley announced he was going to close the theater if a buyer couldn’t be found. In record time, community members stepped up, created a "Save the Triplex" campaign, formed a nonprofit organization, and raised enough money to open its doors. Two of the four theaters will reopen on November 17, and you can b

Sitting Pretty In Canaan: Technicolor Chairs Beget A Work Of Art…And A Mystery

At the intersection of Routes 295 and 22 in Canaan, New York, an art installation lines the property of the Canaan General Store. It’s not an intentional one, not really, but the rows of technicolor Adirondack chairs, hues sorted in pleasing patterns, has that effect. The installation has been out there for years, the hundreds of chairs looking at once ghostly and cheerful, day and night, impervious to the elements and never chained up. And I know, I know what you’re thinking, because it’s what

“Organized Escape: Psychoanalysts In Exile” Chronicles Their Journey From Vienna To Stockbridge

In 1950, a group of prominent psychoanalysts, most of them former refugees from Europe, gathered for a conference at the Austen Riggs Center, the psychoanalytic institute in Stockbridge. That such a renowned group came to Stockbridge itself was impressive, made more so because it was organized and facilitated by Anna Freud, Sigmund Freud’s daughter and the leading psychoanalyst of that time. But the real story is what transpired years before, when the psychoanalytic community in Vienna made a pa

Rural Intelligence • August 2023

The Garage At Chatham: A Summer Salon Series In An Intimate Setting

When I first heard about The Garage at Chatham (GAC) concert series — music performed in some guy’s garage in his back yard — I immediately thought of that old “we've got a barn/let’s put on a show” scenario. But once I walked up the driveway to the elegantly outfitted garage and heard The GAC Quartet perform, I knew I had it all wrong. That “guy” is Jon Morell, an opera singer with an international career who, with his wife Adrienne, a former opera singer, and conductor Thomas Bo, has created a

Paul Joffe Brews Up A Kinder World At Flying Church Coffee

When you need a jolt of caffeine and some positive energy, head over to Flying Church Coffee in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Both are produced by Paul Joffe, the owner/coffee roaster, historic building renovator and Flying Church owner. We should add he is also a master at exuding wit, heart, and the ability to find the good in everything and everyone. He spreads that joy to all who enter his world, so his happy place can become yours.

The little yellow cottage at 200 Main Street that is Fl

Wells Provisions Is “Worth The Drive For Gumbo”

In our recent survey, Rural Intelligence readers let it be known that, of the subjects we cover, food and daytrips rise above all the others. That wasn’t really a surprise, of course; we already knew you come to RI to hear about new food finds and places to explore. Which is why I’m so jazzed to bring you the best of both categories. Have I got meal and a day trip for you!

Wells Provisions Café and Market offers, as its website touts, New Orleans food in the hills of western Massachusetts. To b

At Moving Life Stories, Immigrants Embody Their Stories Though Dance

Stories of pain. Stories of overcoming. Lived experiences, held by immigrants to this country, are being shared through Moving Life Stories (MLS), a creative movement class created for and geared toward the Berkshire immigrant population and their allies. For this workshop, the participant doesn't have to be multilingual; the language of movement is what tells the story, fostering connection, healing, and fun.

Berkshire Pulse, the dance and performing arts education center in Housatonic, Massac

Speaking Of Handwashing, Have You Heard About Goatboy Soaps?

The Goatboy Soaps success story may take on more relevance these days because we are all so fixated on washing our hands. But actually, I’ve been obsessed with Goatboy Soaps ever since I discovered them a few years ago at the Elephant’s Trunk flea market in New Milford, Conn. Made with very few ingredients apart from fresh, whole goat’s milk, olive oil and essential oils, these sweet-smelling blocks of perfection inspire simple bursts of joy with every use. And now that I have read other custome

What A Difference A Donut Makes At Hogan’s Cider Mill

I’ll concede that, unless you live in the northeast portion of the northwest Connecticut (aka Litchfield County) part of the Rural Intelligence region, Burlington, Connecticut may be a hike. But hear me out on this. There’s a reward at the end of this particular road trip, a delightful find that’s charming and delicious (not to mention operating at time when that can’t be taken for granted). The destination is Hogan’s Cider Mill. More specifically, it’s a drink called Hogan’s Heartbreaker, a Val

One Of Oprah’s New Favorite Things: Jams From The Hudson Valley’s Joy Economy

“We use joy as our compass,” says Karen Suen-Cooper, speaking of the intention behind The Punctilious Mr. P’s Place Card Co. she and her husband, Martin Cooper, launched in 2018. Bringing purpose and pleasure — to themselves as creators and to their customers — is the prevailing mission behind their brand encompassing personalized place cards, handcrafted notecards and a pantry line of jams, syrups and honey, among other products. They’ve even coined (and trademarked) their concept of purpose an

“Roz Chast: At Home” (In Northwest Connecticut), Pandemic Edition

Who doesn’t love Roz Chast? Who among us cannot relate to the cartoonist/illustrator/writer who displays her anxieties for all the world to identify with? In cartoons for The New Yorker, its covers (one just last week, in fact), in a memoir, in children’s books, her works, said Barbara Hoffman of the New York Post, are “typically sketchy depictions of things that keep her awake at night: rats, water bugs, doctors, Ebola and more.” One can only imagine her panic during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Act

Hudson City Cemetery Is A Restful Retreat — For The Living

This past summer was full of discoveries in the Rural Intelligence region, despite the challenges forced upon us by a certain virus. A one-man sculpture park, a lavender farm, a day visiting a cidery/brewery/winery offered the possibility of at least a few hours that felt almost normal, mask or no mask. Here’s another: a visit to the Hudson City Cemetery.

Right off the bat, there are a few things you should know. It’s not a morbid experience. Neither is it one of those ghost tours that appear o

Blue Vista Motor Lodge: A High-Altitude Welcome At The Top of The Mohawk Trail

The Elk on the Trail Monument still stands. Installed in 1923, it was paid for by the Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks to honor those killed in WWI.

“This place is all about the view,” says Stella Downie of her new venture, Blue Vista Motor Lodge in Florida. But this is Florida, Massachusetts, so instead of referring to palm trees and ocean, she’s talking about the mountain view from the peak of the Whitcomb Summit, located on the scenic Mohawk Trail between Charlemont and North Adams. You

The Serendipity Of A Day In Canaan, Connecticut

“All roads lead through Canaan, Connecticut,” says Ian Edwards, co-owner of Tenuta Market, which sits “at the intersection of the Hudson Valley, Litchfield County, and Sicily,” as stated on its website.

Maybe not all roads, but the one I took certainly did, and it led me to two discoveries: Tenuta, an Italian specialty foods store, and Flea At 99, an indoor antiques and vintage collectibles Shangri-la. Not exactly from the sublime to the ridiculous, but definitely from high-end taste to tchotch

Sequestered At Home, Keeping Up Appearances Falls Into A Gray Area

Last week, a friend posted this on Facebook: “Feels like we’re three to four weeks from learning everyone’s real hair color.” Indeed, by the time we’re allowed to burst from our bubbles, roots might become the new fashion statement. Spearheaded, perhaps, by Kelly Ripa, who kicked off a “roots watch” on her Instagram feed to document her gray hair growth while social distancing. Bold move.

Let me just say at the outset that I’m aware hair color is hardly the most pressing issue right now. (And,

The Fremonts Share TMI, Delightfully, In “The Failure Cabaret”

The Fremonts, a husband-and-wife duo now appearing at the Apple Tree Inn in Lenox, describe their cabaret show, "The Failure Cabaret," as “one part music, one part comedy special, with dash of comedy snark.” I’d like to add another part: heart. For the months of October and November, they’ve been oversharing in song and story on Friday nights at the inn’s Bellflower Restaurant and Terrace. Not only have Stephanie Dodd and Justin Badger been airing their “failures,” they’ve been stealing hearts,

“Strict Beauty: Sol LeWitt Prints” Opens At Williams College Museum Of Art

For someone who is familiar with the conceptual artist Sol LeWitt (1928-2007) only through his wall drawings at MASS MoCA, “Strict Beauty: Sol LeWitt Prints” currently on exhibit at Williams College Museum of Art in Williamstown, Massachusetts is a window into what the artist was doing before, during and after he was creating the instructions for the wall behemoths. For those, you have to stand back to take them in. At “Strict Beauty,” the inclination is to come close, to examine the intricate l

Existential Crisis, 99¢: Signs Of Our Times At South And Housatonic

At a busy intersection in Pittsfield, you can get Hard Knocks for Buy 1 Get 3 Free, Known Unknowns, 5 for a $1, and Democracy on a Fire Sale. The “market” where these sentiments are sold is located in the windows above the storefronts at South Street and West Housatonic. Since 2001, these signs have provided drivers and pedestrians brief, thought-provoking moments as they wait for the light to change. The window signs are part of an ongoing series titled “BIG SALE,” and are the creation of artis

At Milk House Chocolates, The Magic Is In The MooMilk House Chocolates at Thorncrest Farm in Goshen, CT pampers its cows to get the best milk possible, and it shows.

Thorncrest Farm, home of Milk House Chocolates in Goshen, Conn. is the Kripalu for cows. It's hushed in the barn — no cranky mooing going on. A fiber diet consists of organic sweet hay. Sleeping conditions are cushy: beds of straw are lined with thick, rubber mats. The Thorn family — Kimberly and Clint, and their sons, Garret and Lyndon — are there to attend to each cow’s needs and wants, providing comfort and a stress-free zone. You can taste it in their milk and in the chocolate that comes fro

Flights Of Fancy: Berkshire Botanical Garden Presents Jewelry Artist Mindy Lam

Her reverence for nature, a deeply spiritual soul and a lived experience of illness and healing all go into the work of jewelry artist Mindy Lam. You don’t necessarily have to know all that about her, of course, but you’ll sense it when you peer at the intricate worlds that exist in each of her highly adorned pieces. Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge, Mass. has them on exhibit in “Flights of Fancy: The Botanical and Bejeweled Universe of Mindy Lam” running through June 6 in the Center Ho

Recipe: Nana’s Passover Buns

It’s around the week before Passover that my sisters and I turn into a trio of seven-year-old boys. That’s because it’s time to pull out our grandmother’s revered Passover recipe that we lovingly call Nana’s Buns. It makes us giggle every time we say it (no disrespect to Nana), and that’s fun, so we say it a lot. You’d think that after blankety-blank years it wouldn’t be so funny anymore. Nope. It just is.

Some call these rolls, or popovers, but they’re neither of those. They’re sweet, dense an

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