Mabel Loomis Todd was married to the Amherst College astronomer, David Peck Todd, and lived in Amherst from 1881 to 1917. She was a world traveler, author, and editor, who, along with Thomas Wentworth Higginson, was responsible for bringing the poetry of Emily Dickinson into print. She and her husband and daughter were deeply involved in the life of the town, in ways which have not always been recognized.
Author Aife (pronounced ee'-fah), Murray will talk about her new creative endeavor, The Slave is Gone (the title is from Emily Dickinson’s Civil War era poem “The Light Burns Sure”), which aims to expand the audience’s understanding of little known local stories about western Mass and Amherst youth in the podcast and through supplemental features.
On Friday, November 19, Dr. Robert Weir will talk about his new book, Who Knew?, which tells the fascinating tales behind places and objects that we pass by but barely notice, including the Adams Farm memorial on Florence Road. He will describe his sleuthing methods for separating fact from fiction. Who Knew? is a travel guide, an accessible history, and an offbeat love letter to Western Mass wrapped into one volume. I
Author Jacqueline T Lynch will talk about her book, Beside the Still Waters, which takes the reader back to the four towns of Dana, Enfield, Greenwich and Prescott before they were submerged by the Quabbin Reservoir.