Louisa May Alcott is My Passion
Begun in 2010, this blog offers analysis and reflection by Susan Bailey on the life, works and legacy of Louisa May Alcott and her family. Susan is an active member and supporter of the Louisa May Alcott Society, the Fruitlands Museum and Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House.
I went to Concord yesterday afternoon full of anticipation at meeting an email friend in person. I've met many such email friends and it's always a thrill. Gabrielle Donnelly, author of The Little Women Letters has become such a friend through stories exchanged about our favorite felines, and our favorite author. Little did I know …
Continue reading "A Meet and Greet full of pleasant surprises"
I am very excited to be able to finally meet Gabrielle Donnelly, author of The Little Women Letters. We have been corresponding since last summer and have spoken on the phone. She is doing a presentation at Orchard House tonight in the parlor on her book. I relish the opportunity to spend more than a …
Continue reading "Meet and greet with Gabrielle Donnelly at Orchard House tonight"
I was flipping through Harriet Reisen's fine book, Louisa May Alcott The Woman Behind Little Women and found this poem by Louisa (on page 112) that she published in her family's weekly newspaper, The Olive Leaf (the real-life version of The Pickwick Papers in Little Women). It so totally described how I feel about my …
Continue reading "Louisa’s ode to her cat could be an ode to mine"
I had the very rare opportunity yesterday of actually having 2 hours of free time lining up with beautifully warm weather in the middle of October! I jumped on it. 🙂 I grabbed the Sylvia Yule and went down to the local boat launch to take a final kayak trip before the cold weather settles …
Continue reading "A last journey on the Sylvia Yule before the winter comes"
I am trying to find a rare book called Critical Essays on Louisa May Alcott (Critical Essays on American Literature), edited by Madeleine Stern. I've searched Amazon, Ebay, etc., nobody has it (almost got it from Amazon but the seller messed up and now no longer has it!) Any leads would be most helpful! I …
Continue reading "Any of you know where I can find the following rare book?"
Remember Louisa May Alcott's first poem, written when she was 8? To the First Robin Welcome, welcome little stranger, Fear no harm, and fear no danger, We are glad to see you here, For you sing, "Sweet Spring is near." Now the white snow melts away; Now the flowers blossom gay; Come dear bird and …
You know how they say that behind every great man is a great woman? How about behind every great woman? In studying the life of Abba Alcott through the reading of Marmee, the Mother of Little Womenby Sandford Meddick Salyer, there indeed was a great woman behind Louisa May Alcott. She was a mother whose …
Continue reading "Abba Alcott’s contribution – behind every great woman stands a mother"
As mentioned in yesterday's post, Alcott scholar Roberta Trites wrote a book published by the University of Iowa Press in 2007 called Twain, Alcott, and the Birth of the Adolescent Reform Novel. I have one more short interview with Trites, conducted by WGLT host Charlie Schlenker where she talks about the beginnings of what she …
Recently the Milner Library at Illinois State University hosted a series of programs as part of the ALA's "Louisa May Alcott The Woman Behind Little Women"; they were one of many libraries around the country that received grant money from the NEH and the ALA. The series is based upon the best-selling biography of the …
Continuing on with Marmee, the Mother of Little Women*by Sandford Meddick Salyer: Louisa bound to duty I think everyone can agree that Louisa May Alcott was a duty-bound woman. Duty motivated and justified her need to write for money (molding her into the professional that she was known and respected for). Duty bound her to …
Louisa May Alcott is My Passion 