My last of three days with Louisa was spent in the most intimate fashion, buried in papers written by the hands of her sisters and father at the Houghton Library at Harvard Square in Cambridge. What is Houghton like? Unlike Harvard’s main library, the Grand Dame known as Widener, Houghton is the little sister tucked …
My 3 days with Louisa May Alcott (part four): connections between Louisa May Alcott and Margaret Fuller
Note: This post is longer than usual. I had considered running it in two installments but thought it would lessen the impact of its message by doing that. So sit back with a cup of coffee, relax and read. 🙂 Two ladies, same vision Two New England feminists, both heavily influenced by transcendentalism. Both in …
My 3 days with Louisa May Alcott (part three): John Matteson talks about his two favorite ladies
This was the day I was waiting for. Ever since I started reading Eden’s Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father, I have been dying to talk to John Matteson. His penetrating insights into Bronson and Louisa have forever changed the way I look at them (most especially Bronson). Unique understanding In …
My 3 days with Louisa May Alcott (part two): “Marmee and Louisa:” author Eve LaPlante unveils her important new book
Everyone knows the phrase, “Behind every great man stands a woman.” In the case of Louisa May Alcott, it’s a “great woman.” Who was the woman that stood behind her? She is Louisa’s mother, Abigail May Alcott, commonly known as Abba. An inside look at the life of Abba Alcott Eve LaPlante, author of Seized, …
Louisa continues to inspire me
Thanks to my involvement with Louisa May Alcott and this blog, the writer in me has reawakened. I wanted to share with you two guest posts that I wrote for a couple of spiritual blogs: On the Spiritual Travels blog -a review of a book that touched me deeply, A Child Lost in Flight On …
The vacation of my dreams: 3 days with Louisa May Alcott
What's your dream for the ultimate summer vacation? Is it a trip to a new and/or exotic place? Is it time all to yourself to do whatever you wish? How about both? That’s been my dream for many summers and this year, it came true. New and exotic places Back in June, our whole family …
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Work: Staring madness in the face
A ticking time bomb lay inside of Louisa May Alcott and she knew it. It went off with her father, her Uncle Junius, and eventually, herself. Her journals alluded to it. Her creativity was fueled by it. And chapter 5 of Work: A Story of Experience gives us a detailed look inside. Companion Having left the …
Work: “Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor” – what could women do?
You’ve come of age and it’s time to strike out on your own. How do you feel? Excited? Fearful? Full of anticipation? Will it be a grand adventure or a dismal failure? In her mid-twenties, Louisa May Alcott was ready to strike out on her own, fueled by her obsessive desire to be a financial …
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Work: Louisa May Alcott writes about bucking the system
What was it like to be a nineteenth century woman who bucked the system? Suppose she didn’t want to marry right away but instead, preferred to seek independence and meaning through work? What if her world didn’t revolve around a man, but herself? How would she fare? Does the answer lie in Jo March? At …
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Announcing the Poet’s Corner Virtual Book Club selection: “Work: A Story of Experience” by Louisa May Alcott
I would like to begin a discussion of Work: A Story of Experience by Louisa May Alcott, the newest selection from Poet's Corner Virtual Book Club. Don't remember how the book club works? Here's the original post about it. Yes, I know, the last time we tried this with Eight Cousins, I didn't finish. I promise …
Louisa May Alcott is My Passion 