Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women: Home

Memorial Library at Berry College is pleased to announce a series of reading, viewing, and discussion programs focused on Lousia May Alcott's life and the historical and cultural context that inspired her remarkable body of work. Seven programs in September 2011 will re-introduce audiences to Louisa May Alcott's story.

 Alcott is recognized around the world for her novel Little Women, but few know Alcott as the bold, compelling woman who secretly wrote sensational thrillers, lived at the center of the Transcendentalist and Abolitionist movements, and served as a Civil War army nurse. Memorial Library's public programs present a story full of fresh insights about Alcott and a new understanding of American culture during her lifetime.

 Programs are led by Project Scholar Dr. Christina Bucher, Berry College Associate Professor of English, Rhetoric and Writing.

Use the tabs above to explore:

• the Lecture Series, with sessions on Alcott and the Civil War, Transcendentalisim, and women's rights; the rediscovery of Alcott's thrillers; and discussions of the biography and documentary film Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women
• the Alcott Extravaganza, an afternoon devoted to making connections between Alcott and the 19th century, between Alcott and Berry College, and between Rome/Floyd County and the 19th century
• background information on the central themes of Alcott's lesser-known works
• biographical information about Alcott, her family, and their circle, which included Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau
• links to lesson plans for including Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women in your secondary classroom

All events have been approved for Berry College CE credit. All events are free and open to the public; no reservations required.

Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women is a documentary film co-produced by Nancy Porter Productions, Inc. and Thirteen/WNET New York’s American Masters, and a biography of the same name written by Harriet Reisen. Louisa May Alcott programs in libraries are sponsored by the American Library Association Public Programs Office with the support of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Thanks to Berry College Departments of English, Rhetoric, and Writing; History; and Religion and Philosophy; as well as the Women and Gender Studies program, for co-sponsoring the lecture/discussion series by providing funding for refreshments.

Thanks to CitizensFirst bank for committing volunteers for the Alcott Extravaganza on September 25.