Ruth Bass

Talks

Talk on writing historical novel, Friends of the Berkshire Athenaeum, Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield, Massachusetts; and at Westfield Athenaeum, Westfield, Massachusetts.

Talk on the cult of domesticity, Ventfort Hall's Victorian tea, Lenox, Massachusetts

Talk on writing an historical novel and writing a family history at Greenfield Historical Society, Greenfield, Massachusetts

Talk on gardening at Springside House gardeners' group, Springside Park, Pittsfield, Massachusetts

Reading from "Sarah's Daughter" and talk at Worcester Women's History Project, Worcester, Massachusetts

Talk on writing family history at Berkshire Family History Association, Pittsfield, Massachusetts

Talk on language of an historical novel and book signing at Sheffield Historical Society, Sheffield, Massachusetts

Talk and reading from "Sarah's Daughter," Mason Library, Great Barrington, Massachusetts

Talk and reading from "Sarah's Daughter," Richmond Free Public Library, Richmond, Massachusetts

Book club chats in Belmont, Pittsfield, Lenox, Alford, Stockbridge, Williamstown, Lee, all in Massachusetts

Book signings for "Sarah's Daughter" in Pittsfield and Lenox, Massachusetts and Kinderhook, New York.

"Rose"
Rose, heroine of "Sarah's Daughter," faces many new decisions as she struggles with the separation of her family, now living in three different places. As her romantic interest in Newton grows, she is torn between that and her wish to be a teacher. Love, loss, friendship, family and the problems of 19th century women are all part of her growing up.

"Sarah’s Daughter"
With the accidental death of her mother, 14-year-old Rose Hibbard is suddenly forced to act as an adult on her family’s 19th century New England farm, cooking, cleaning, raising her brother and sister, dealing with her father’s bottomless grief and going to school. A tale of love, hardship and a girl torn between childhood and adulthood in a rural setting.

A series of cookbooks: Herbal Breads, Herbal Sweets, Herbal Soups, Herbal Salads
A review in the Dickinson, North Dakota, Press noted that "the 64-page hardcover books offer a wealth of good recipes – at least 30 in each book – which fill a void in general recipes using herbs. Herbal Breads features both yeast breads and quick breads packed with flavor, such as Thyme and Cheese Biscuits... "

Weekly column, Berkshire Eagle
The column deals with a wide variety of issues and topics, including politics, family events, scooping dog poop, small town problems, national issues, weather, puppies, grandparents, etc.

Photography
Specialties are Berkshire attractions, including scenery and historic sites; Cape Cod; Bar Harbor, Searsport and Rockland, Maine; Florida sanctuaries and historic sites; Okefenoke Swamp, Georgia; Civil War sites and museums in Virginia; St. Simon's Island. Also Wales, England's Lake District, street markets in Paris, Chartres Cathedral, canton of Ticino in Switzerland, etc. Photos are available for publication.

Excerpts from Ruth Bass columns
The column is published Monday mornings on the front of the local news page in The Berkshire Eagle, Pittsfield, MA. It has been running in that spot since 1987 -- or was until November 8, 2010 when it appeared on the third page of the local section, supplanted by a new column by the newspaper's online editor.