Join in the group read/re-read of Little Women

Because of all the upcoming events in Concord with regards to the centennial of Orchard House as a museum (many of the directly related to Little Women), I've started re-reading Louisa's classic. Jillian from A Room of One's Own is also re-reading (I actually got the idea from her). I invite you all to join …

Promo film for Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House centennial celebration

The time is drawing near for Orchard House's Centennial! Here's a promo film they just released - lots of interesting pictures! Visit the Orchard House website for more information on centennial celebrations this spring. Are you passionate about Louisa May Alcott too? Send an email to louisamayalcottismypassion@gmail.com to subscribe, and never miss a post! Facebook …

Louisa makes her mark in the Civil War

I found this great article on Louisa May Alcott's contribution to the Civil War. Brief as her service was, it was immortalized in her writing and helped her find her voice. The article was found on the History in an Hour blog - here's a teaser: Louisa May Alcott and the American Civil War Posted …

Concord’s all a-buzz about the centennial of Orchard House

Thursday's Boston Globe (March 8, 2012) ran a wonderful spread in their Globe West section on all the festivities taking place this spring in Concord in honor of Orchard House's centennial as a museum. Here's a teaser with a link to the rest of the article. The online version didn't carry the great pictures so …

Access to scholarly study online, FREE!

I wanted to share with you a link to a virtual storehouse of very cool scholarly information on Louisa May Alcott, and anything else you care to study. The site is known as JSTOR; I discovered it through Google Scholar. You need to be affiliated with a participating university or public library in order to …

Eight Cousins: What would you do if you couldn’t read?

"Now, Mac, listen to me," Rose said very earnestly, though her voice shook a little and her heart ached. "You know you have hurt your eyes reading by fire-light and in the dusk, and sitting up late, and now you'll have to pay for it; the doctor said so. You must be careful, and do …

“Our Little Ghost”

I couldn't help but think that Louisa might be musing about Lizzie when she wrote this (even if the description sounds more like May). I know it made me think of her. Judging from the date, a dear departed soldier could be imagined too (despite the description) What do you think? OUR LITTLE GHOST by: …

Interested in 19th century fashion reform? Here’s some references.

Following up some more on chapter 5 of Eight Cousins (A Belt and a Box), another member of the Louisa May Alcott Society, Melissa M. Pennell, Ph.D., Professor of English, UMass Lowell, Lowell, MA provided some texts from the 19th and 20th centuries (including two by Bronson Alcott's cousin, Dr. William Alcott)Ā  if you wanted …

Becoming Louisa May Alcott

A few posts back we were discussing fashion as it related to Eight Cousins, chapter 5. In my attempts to find out more, I posted on the Louisa May Alcott Society listserv to see if any of the scholars there could share some information. As a result, I met Frances Miriam Reed. She has portrayed …

Do take-offs on classics always work? Little Women and Me by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

I thought for fun I would try one of those fiction books based on Little Women. The premise of Little Women and Me by Lauren Baratz-Logsted looked interesting: a 14-year-old high school freshman (Emily March) must write a paper for English class on a favorite book, where she is to pick three things she loved, …