Formed in 2005, the Louisa May Alcott Society offers the opportunity for scholars and others to study and appreciate the life and works of Louisa May Alcott. An American Literature Association-allied organization, the Society sponsors panels and other activities at its annual meetings.
For information about other Alcott-focused entities, including Orchard House, the Concord museum and home of the Alcotts, the Facebook group dedicated to Alcott, and other resources, please visit "Helpful Links."
Please use the tabs above to navigate this site. Scroll down to read our recent and past newsletters.
For information about the Society, please contact President Anne Phillips at annek@ksu.edu.
With sincere appreciation to our guides, Melissa Pennell and Jane Sciacca, here are some pictures of the delightful walking tour sponsored by the Alcott Society during the ALA conference in Boston, May 2019. The tour included sites of interest to Louisa May Alcott fans, Lydia Maria Child fans, and those interested in the history of reform and activism in Boston.
Starting out at the monument in memory of the Massachusetts 54th.
Melissa and Jane in action.
The Bellevue, one of the hotels in Boston where Louisa devoted herself to writing.
Melissa, Jane, and the paparazza.
On Friday, 24 May, 2019, we offered the following well-attended and informative sessions at the American Literature Association's 30th annual conference:
Session 1: "Adventures in Alcott Scholarship at the Concord Free Public Library"
Friday, 24 May, 8:10-9:30 a.m. (St. George B)
Chair: Joel Myerson, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of South Carolina
1. “Louisa May Alcott’s Forgotten Flower Fable,” Daniel Shealy, UNC-Charlotte
2. “Archives and Absence: Reading the Alcotts in the Concord Free Public Library,” Krissie West, Independent Scholar
3. “Alcott Collection-Building and Scholarship at the CFPL: Whereto from Here?” Leslie Perrin Wilson, Curator, William Munroe Special Collections, Concord Free Public Library
Session 2: "Notorious Women, Sensational Texts: The Lives, Writings, and Reforms of Louisa May Alcott and Lydia Maria Child"
Jointly organized with the Lydia Maria Child Society
Friday, 24 May, 2:10 - 3:30 p.m. (Essex NE)
Co-Chairs: Sandra Burr, Northern Michigan University; and Sandra Harbert Petrulionis, Penn State Altoona
1. “Queer(ed) Kinship and the Sketch: A Genealogy of Political Care in Child and Alcott,” Elizabeth Dean, Rutgers University
2. “Writers, Reformers, and Neighbors: The Ties that Bind Lydia Maria Child and Louisa May Alcott,” Jane Sciacca, Wayland Historical Society and Minutemen National Historic Park, The Wayside
3. “The Spectacle of the City and the Drama of Charity in Child’s and Alcott’s Writings,” Monika Elbert, Montclair State University
Louisa May Alcott Society Business Meeting: Friday, 24 May, 9:40-11:00 (St. George B), with special guest Jan Turnquist, Orchard House Director.
Photos from our panels at the 2018 ALA conference in San Francisco
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| L to R: Melissa McFarland Pennell, Anne K. Phillips, Christine Doyle, Gregory Eiselein |
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| L to R: Elise Hooper, Marlowe Daly-Galeano, Daniel Shealy, Krissie West, Sarah Wadsworth |
Photos from our panels at the 2017 ALA conference in Boston
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| left to right: Sandy Petrulionis, Anne Phillips, Mark Gallagher, Tracey Cummings |
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| left to right: Mischa Renfroe, Katie Waddell, Arielle Zibrak, Jane Rose, Melissa Pennell, Sarah Grey |
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| left to right: society members pose after the annual business meeting |
Below are photos of society members and guests in May 2015, celebrating our tenth anniversary as an author society!
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| Our host for this event was none other than Louisa May herself, who graciously welcomed us to her home and lawn at Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts! |
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| Free books! Donated by our members, Miriam Reed and Mary De Jong |
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