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.
Here's a great essay by Klara Stephanie SzlezĆ”k where she concludes that staging is critical to the success of an historical homestead. Kudos to Orchard House for the brilliance of its staging which so beautifully captures not just the era Louisa May Alcott lived in, but her home, her family and her classic, Little Women. …
Continue reading "What makes Orchard House such a compelling historical site?"
I've created a separate twitter account (@LMAismypassion) just for this blog and you can see the posts on this site (just scroll down a bit). When I don't have time to to write a full post, I'll tweet instead. I've had to take time to prepare a talk and have had to devote all my …
I wanted to share a wonderful post I found on Dawn's "She's Too Fond of Books" blog where she describes an outing with her girl scout troop to Hapgood Wright Town Forest in Concord, where Louisa May Alcott roamed with Henry David Thoreau. As you may recall, Thoreau had a magical way of teaching nature …
There can't be a better place in the world to celebrate Patriot's Day (celebrated in April) than Concord, MA where the "shot heard round the world" was fired, and America was on its way to becoming a nation. Watch the Orchard House staff and friends celebrate in the town's annual parade.
Here's a brand new start-up company founded by two enterprising women who offer in-depth tours of the literary treasures of Concord, MA.Ā Gatepost Tours began last February and is taking off like a rocket. Friends Joan Spinazola and Alida Bailey are the co-owners. Sounds like a great way to spend a summer vacation! Check out …
Continue reading "Want to book a vacation in Concord touring its literary treasures?"
Kelly O'Connor McNees, author ofĀ The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott (now available in paperback), wrote an article recently about Fanny Kemble, a 19th century actress whom Louisa May Alcott greatly admired. There's a wonderful scene in Lost Summer where Louisa gets to perform in front of Kemble and I could just feel the …
Continue reading "Louisa the actress: meet her idol, Fanny Kemble"
This article from Nurse.com provided some excellent background for the emergence of women in nursing during the Civil War. It was truly new and Louisa May Alcott was right in the forefront, volunteering her services. She of course wrote about those experiences in Hospital Sketches. The Civil War and Nursing By Cathryn Domrose Friday April …
Continue reading "Here’s some good background for “Hospital Sketches”"
Hereās an interesting article about Dorothea Dix, the powerhouse behind the organizatio of women nurses for the Civil War (the first time women were allowed to serve as nurses). Louisa May Alcott served under Dix: ā . . . Thirty-year-old Louisa May Alcott, the author of Little Women who nursed at Union Hospital in Washington, …
Continue reading "Why Louisa May Alcott has Dorothea Dix to thank for her nursing career"
My book arrived yesterday in the mail and I was so happy to have it back in my library! I look forward to reading this book. It seems so appropriate to have an 85 year-old copy of a book with the title, An Old-Fashioned Girl. I've assembled all the illustrations into a slide show; they …
I found something wonderful today and it makes up for something dumb that I did last year, before I started this blog, and before I knew just how passionate I was about Louisa May Alcott. My sister, brother and I spent last spring cleaning out our parents' house and in the course of things, we …
Louisa May Alcott is My Passion 