Mark Twain has many literary sites; yet Henry James has none. You can visit Edith Wharton's house but not Shirley Jackson's. You can walk where Wallace Stevens walked but you can't buy a ticket to go through his front door. And can you believe there's no single museum devoted to all American writers-- yet?
New England is about to get two great new writers’ museums: The Dr. Seuss museum in Springfield, Massachusetts and-- if we're lucky-- the Maurice Sendak Museum in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Today we look at who gets a writer's house and why-- and what sort of experience we’re looking for when we make pilgrimages to the desks of our literary heroes.
GUESTS:
- Allison Devers, creator of the popular catalog of writers' homes, Writers' Houses
- Kay Simpson, Vice President of Springfield Museums
- Jennifer Mathy, The Maurice Sendak Museum Exploration Team
- Chistine Palm, Past President of the Friends and Enemies of Wallace Stevens
- Jim Finnegan, President of the Friends and Enemies of Wallace Stevens
MUSIC:
- “In A Museum” by Don McLean
- “So Long Dr. Seuss” by Tim Harrison
- “Where Is My Home?” by Glass Pear
Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
Colin McEnroe, Chion Wolf, and Catie Talarski contributed to this show, which originally aired on April 30th, 2015.
