Recently, I was fortunate enough to find myself at a new place of employment. I'm thrilled - I am now working as the fundraising and development person for a (very) small, local charity whose mission is to preserve the culture and history of the county in which I live. I will be spending my days cultivating donors, assisting with event planning, and sustaining relationships with the board and corporate donors. Many of you know I live in Salem, Massachusetts - home of the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. I didn't grow up here, but was drawn to the city because of its incredible history and its attitude about using that history to prevent such a horrific event from happening again. As I've spent more time here, I have also grown to know that Salem has a great maritime history. Museums all over town, and even our city logo portray this, and it's a great way to help the city become better known for something positive.
Since starting my new job, what I recently began thinking more about is the area's literary history. I suppose it's well known that Thoreau's Walden Pond is nearby. And that Nathaniel Hawthorne was born right here in Salem.If you've been reading my few posts in the last year, you may know I bought a new house, had a baby, and got a new job. I haven't had much time for blogging! Now that things are settling down and no giant life changes are knowingly in my immediate future, I'm introducing a new blog segment. We will be traveling around New England visiting the homes & graves of some of the famous authors in the area. My hope is to involve my family a bit in my literary adventures. My plan is to chose a New England author, read his or her book(s) - hopefully it's on my fantasy list! - visit the grave or homesite to take some pictures, then blog about the experience.
To get started, I picked up Carved in Stone at my local book store, Wicked Good Books. I've always had a curiosity about gravesyards and the people buried there. I'm excited to include my sweet baby and my love in this reading adventure, and I hope to post more frequently.
*These images are not mine and I claim no ownership or rights to them. I googled and found two awesome shots of two incredible graveyards in Salem. The B&W is an image of Broad Street Cemetary - which was in the backyard of the first apartment I had in Salem. The second is Old Burial Point, which is where Nathaniel Hawthorne's infamous Grandfather Judge is buried.
