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.
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 …
I had the pleasure last night of attending a presentation by Elise Hooper regarding her new book, The Other Alcott (see previous post for review). Among the many interesting aspects of her talk was the idea of women and artistry and the difficulty in claiming your vocation as an artist. May’s dilemma Elise pointed out …
Continue reading “May Alcott’s call to the creative life is our call”
I am pleased to present this guest post by Helen Batchelder — she had the privilege of visiting the birthplace of Bronson Alcott. You can still sign up to attend Helen’s two lectures on Alcott at the Fruitlands Museum – call 978-456-3924, ext. 291. Cost is $12 for members, $20 for non-members. * * * …
Continue reading “Pilgrimage to the heart(h) of Bronson Alcott”
Dust off your books and library cards–it’s time again for the Louisa May Alcott Reading Challenge sponsored by In the Bookcase. Already there are some terrific books lined up by readers including An Old-Fashioned Girl, Proverb Stories, March by Geraldine Brooks and even my own Louisa May Alcott: Illuminated by The Message. I am already about …
Continue reading “Time again for the Louisa May Alcott Reading Challenge! What will you be reading?”
This comment from Diana regarding a previous post prompted a discussion on whether or not Louisa May Alcott was gay: “What is your opinion of the evidence that she may have had some suppressed passion, such as crushes, on girls? Remember she said in an interview that she had been in love with so many …
Are you taking part in the Louisa May Alcott Reading Challenge, sponsored by this blog and In the Bookcase? It’s not too late to jump in! After reading this post, head on over to In the Bookcase and read all about it. My choice is Rose in Bloom and here is my first post on it: …
I am pleased to announce that my very first book, River of Grace: Creative Passages Through Difficult Times will be released this Fall, published by Ave Maria Press! You can pre-order it now on Amazon.com. A memoir with life application River of Grace is a faith-based memoir (written from my Roman Catholic tradition) with life …
Continue reading “Announcing my first book, “River of Grace,” to be published this Fall!”
In the early twentieth century the world was changing at a breathtaking rate. As a country we moved onto the global stage with the Great War. Dazzling technological innovations created time- and work-saving devices along with new entertainment venues. Medical breakthroughs promised longer and healthier lives. Now that day-to-day survival was no longer the all-consuming …
Continuing our discussion … Looking at fiction Little Women was a subversive work in many ways, putting new ideas into the heads of children while managing not to upset their parents. One such idea was its endorsement of reading fiction. According to Beverly Lyon Clark, a leading authority on children’s literature, children were not encouraged …
I am grateful to be able to attend again the annual Summer Conversational Series at Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House this year. The theme concerns talent versus genius, and the abundance of genius that existed in Concord, Massachusetts in the 19th century. I was not able to take in all five days of the series …
Louisa May Alcott is My Passion 