Essays by Louisa May Alcott – Louisa May Alcott is My Passion

March 21, 2025March 22, 2025

Louisa May Alcott in Dedham, MA Follow-up: The Richardson and Foord Houses

Editor's note: Earlier this year, Lorraine Tosiello wrote about Louisa May Alcott’s “Dedham experience.” Alcott certainly spent time as a companion and housemaid at the Richardson home on Court Street. She mentions later in life that Sophia Foord, her former teacher and mentor, helped her through her difficult time in Dedham. In this article, Aniko …

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Kent Bicknell’s lifelong collection gives a fascinating glimpse into personal lives of the Hawthorne and Alcott families

I am pleased to share a recent presentation by collector Kent Bicknell to the Grolier Club about his impressive collection of artifacts from the Hawthorne and Alcott families. These heirlooms speak volumes about the daily lives of these historic and literary figures.

November 14, 2023November 10, 2023

Louisa May Alcott, essayist — a conversation with author/editor Liz Rosenberg on her new book, “A Strange Life – Selected Essays of Louisa May Alcott.”

Louisa May Alcott has legions of fans worldwide because of a book published in 1868 that targeted younger readers. The author drew heavily upon her family history to create this coming-of-age story that has been cherished and passed down from generation to generation. Yet, the author is far more complex than the book would suggest. …

Continue reading "Louisa May Alcott, essayist — a conversation with author/editor Liz Rosenberg on her new book, “A Strange Life – Selected Essays of Louisa May Alcott.”"

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.

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Recognized for Excellence in 2018
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Discover Concord

Visit https://discoverconcordma.com/ebooks-all to read issues.

Named the New Business of the Year (2020) by the Middlesex West Chamber of Commerce

See Susan’s article, “Alcott as Their Muse: Little Women’s Legacy Honored by Contemporary Authors” on pages 52-53 in the Summer 2023 edition (click here to read)

See Susan’s article, “Beyond Words: The Depth of Louisa May Alcott’s Legacy” on pages 20-21 in the Summer 2022 edition (click here to read)

See Susan’s article, ” Experiencing The Wayside as Hillside, Home of the Alcotts” on pages 48-49 in the Fall 2021 edition (click here to read)

See Susan’s article, “Alcott’s Hidden Critics: An International Sleuthing Project” (co-authored by Lorraine Tosiello) on pages 56-57 in the Spring 2021 edition (click here to read)

See Susan’s article, “Bronson Alcott’s Search for Eden: Fruitlands” on pages 64-65 in the Winter 2020 edition (click here to read)

See Susan’s article on Thoreau on page 44 of Discover Concord magazine’s Summer 2020 edition (click here to read)

See Susan’s article on page 12 of Discover Concord magazine’s Winter 2019 edition (click here to read)

Regular contributor:

The Lives of 5 Historical Figures Intersect in “A Worse Place Than Hell” by John Matteson

“Recently uncovered story by a teenaged Louisa May Alcott creating quite the buzz”

“Louisa May Alcott: Inspiring Women Writers, Rocking the Vote”

“Little Women’s Infinite Playlist”

Read Susan’s book reviews on BookTrib

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Susan Bailey’s book reviews on Discovery

Quoted in IODonna Article

Little Women 2020: why it is better to reread the book before seeing the film
Note: Open in Google Chrome to translate into English

Quoted in
Penguin/Puffin Article

4 things you didn’t know about classic Puffin children’s books

Mentioned in Vanity Fair

Little Women Audio Play

Reading Little Women blog

Louisa May Alcott: Illuminated by The Message: “Susan Bailey's new book is part of a series called Literary Portals to Prayer, which is meant to encourage a kind of literary lectio divina, a form of contemplative reading that is a pathway to prayer. An intriguing idea for a book, no? And there’s no better person to write it than Susan Bailey.” Lori Erickson, The Holy Rover on Patheos

“I never fully realized how much spiritual content is integrated into her body of work. Ms. Bailey extracts beautiful and uplifting passages and pairs them with Biblical ones that make similar points. It includes some of Alcott’s less well known works which makes me want to read those that I have missed.” Diane Brandi

Susan Bailey has compiled a remarkable edition of side by side texts, demonstrating a deep understanding of the life, world, and spirituality of Alcott. The matches [with the Bible} are spot on and insightful. Eileen Charbonneau. award-winning author

River of Grace: Susan Bailey’s powerful and beautifully-written book is much more than an insightful spiritual memoir. River of Grace is also a brilliant reflection on the connections between creativity and grace. A book one to cherish. Amy Belding Brown, author of Mr. Emerson’s Wife and Flight of the Sparrow

Susan Bailey is an accomplished researcher of all things pertaining to Louisa May Alcott. I found joy in the way that [she] shares about her favorite authoress. Miss Alcott's books wedged themselves into Susan's soul and allowed her to identify parallels and discover herself again. This is not a story of how to get over grief fast -- but how to deal with it and give your afflictions to the Almighty. Tarissa, In the Bookcase blog