Louisa May Alcott is My Passion

January 14, 2022

Book review: “Letters From “Little Women” Craft Intimacy Between Reader and Alcott’s Beloved Characters” (from BookTrib)

What would it be like to read actual letters from the March sisters? How would their handwriting appear? What could the composition of such letters reveal about the characters, and how would it affect your reading experience? from Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Little-Women-Featuring-Characters-Manuscripts/dp/1797208918 You can discover the answers to these intriguing questions and more in an exquisite …

Continue reading "Book review: “Letters From “Little Women” Craft Intimacy Between Reader and Alcott’s Beloved Characters” (from BookTrib)"

January 10, 2022

Review of “The Matrilineal Heritage of Louisa May Alcott and Christina Rossetti”—Discerning Louisa May Alcott’s true intent

In 2016, I had the pleasure of meeting Azelina Flint, a doctoral candidate from England. After giving her a tour of Concord, we sat down to lunch. Flint discussed her research on Louisa May Alcott for her dissertation comparing Alcott with British author Christina Rossetti. Both women share striking parallels, growing up in prominent Romantic …

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January 3, 2022January 4, 2022

It’s out! The first academic study of May Alcott Nieriker is now available.

Titled The Forgotten Alcott Essays on the Artistic Legacy and Literary Life of May Alcott Nieriker, This book is truly a labor of love and I am so grateful to our distinguished editors, Lauren Hehmyer and Azelina Flint for all of their hard work in bringing this book to life. The book is available through …

Continue reading "It’s out! The first academic study of May Alcott Nieriker is now available."

December 9, 2021

Join me for a talk and PowerPoint presentation on the life of Louisa May Alcott

Join me via Zoom on Tuesday, December 14 from 7-8 pm EST for a talk and PowerPoint presentation on the life of Louisa May Alcott, sponsored by the Peter White Public Library in Marquette, Michigan for their month-long "An Alcott Christmas" program. Here are the Zoom details: Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83171753821...Meeting ID: 831 7175 3821Passcode: …

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December 3, 2021

Book Review: “For Both Devoted Alcott Fans and any Christian Little Woman, Here’s a Devotional to Cherish.”

Here is a perfect gift for the Little Women fan in your life, young or old, who enjoys the spiritual nature of Louisa May Alcott's classic coming-of-age story: In her latest work, The Little Women Devotional: A Chapter-By-Chapter Companion to Louisa May Alcott’s Beloved Classic (Barbour Books), Rachel Dodge matches a cherished girl’s book with a core concept often …

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November 29, 2021

How Birthdays Defined the Life of Louisa May Alcott

In honor of Louisa's 189th and Bronson's 222nd birthdays, I am pleased to present this article on how birthdays defined Louisa's life. And you can bet her father had much to do with it! "November 29th, 2021 marks the 189th birthday of Louisa May Alcott, the author of Little Women. In a remarkable coincidence, Louisa …

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October 7, 2021

New young adult biography on Louisa May Alcott offers fresh perspective: My latest review on BookTrib

Little Women, a Civil War-based novel about the four March sisters and derived from the life of its author, Louisa May Alcott, has been a classic for well over 100 years. As a result, much has been written about Alcott, both for adults and younger readers. Biographer and young adult writer Liz Rosenberg takes on the difficult …

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September 20, 2021

Experience The Wayside as Hillside – my latest article in the Fall 2021 edition of “Discover Concord”

When touring The Wayside, have you ever wondered how the house was laid out when the Alcotts lived there? My latest article in "Discover Concord" provides a first floor floorplan and descriptions of each room as it was used by the family. Visit https://issuu.com/discoverconcordma/docs/dcfall2021/48 to read the article. Bring it with you the next time …

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July 27, 2021

“Let Genius Burn” podcast explores the Alcott sisters

The Littlest Woman: The Life and Legacy of Lizzie Alcott, the Real Beth March

Jill Fuller and Jamie Burgess, creators and hosts of the “Let Genius Burn” podcast series, have been thoroughly immersed in the life and legacy of Louisa May Alcott for well over a year. The podcast debuted on July 12 and each week a new episode is released on Mondays. This week’s episode The podcasters focused on the Alcott sisters, discussing each one in depth, along with the relationship that sister shared with Louisa. Any Little Women fan knows how much Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy are derived from Anna, Louisa, Lizzie and May. Fuller and Burgess present many interesting (and lesser known) facts about the sisters along with penetrating insight into the sibling bond that made up this “Golden Band.”

Episode Two of “Let Genius Burn” focuses on the Alcott sisters.

I was most impressed with the presentation on Lizzie. Referring to her by the name to which she was…

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July 12, 2021July 12, 2021

“Let Genius Burn,” a Louisa May Alcott podcast on her life and legacy, co-hosted by Jamie Burgess and Jill Fuller is here!

The wait is over. The long-awaited eight-part podcast miniseries by Alcott scholars Jamie Burgess and Jill Fuller debuted today, July 12. Judging from the first episode, it has been worth the wait! Jill and Jamie are affable and knowledgeable hosts. They aim to tell the story of Louisa's life through a series of "puzzle pieces" …

Continue reading "“Let Genius Burn,” a Louisa May Alcott podcast on her life and legacy, co-hosted by Jamie Burgess and Jill Fuller is here!"

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.

Find out more about the blog.

Contact Susan
Subscribe to the blog.

Listen to the Podcast
Watch on YouTube
(and subscribe to the channel)

For a comprehensive list of blog posts by name, download this document:
Complete list of posts on LMA blog
(note: this is updated periodically)

Recognized for Excellence in 2018
by The Internet Scout Report

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, ” 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)

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

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