Lara Wilson, curator of the Concord Festival of Authors and founder of Be Well Be Here, devotes her life to exploring the intersection of personal narrative and mindful wellBEing. Her short stories have been published in The Kenyon Review, StoryQuarterly, American Fiction, and Confrontation, among others. She received a 2010 Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellowship in Fiction, and scholarships from the Sewanee and BreadLoaf Writers’ Conferences.

Concord Festival of Authors

September 15, 2023

Lara Wilson

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Concord’s literary legacy and natural beauty have inspired countless writers and readers to explore the art of storytelling. The 31st annual Concord Festival of Authors (CFA) celebrates the written and spoken word this fall with dozens of literary events throughout town on October 20 – 30. Managed by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library, this year’s CFA also honors the library’s 150th anniversary as a community home for readers of all ages.

Cozy Books for a Winter Day

December 15, 2019

Lara Wilson

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Curl up with a good book this winter.

Harvard’s Year of Exile

Lexington and Concord. April 19, 1775. Where and when the Revolutionary War started is well known. Not so well known is the fact that Harvard played an important, if odd, role afterward in the early days of the Revolution, turning its campus over to the nascent American army. On May 1, 1775, undergraduates were dismissed and given an early summer vacation. Classes resumed on Oct. 5 in Concord, 20 miles away — the beginning of a wartime academic sojourn.

The Spring Issue is Here!

Patriots' Day is almost here, and this issue of Discover Concord brings you a list of events, the parade route, and much more to make your celebration special. Also in this issue is an in-depth look at the new PBS documentary "Henry David Thoreau," a fascinating piece on how the Concord Lyceum came to be, and a look at how Massachusetts civilians on the homefront managed the challenging months of January - May 1776. Freedom's Way National Heritage Area is launching an exciting program you won't want to miss called "Declaring Independence: Then & Now" in more than 20 towns across Massachusetts. With two special fold-out inserts, maps, lists of shops, and so much more, you'll want to get your copy early!

From a New Eden in Concord to Little Women: New Alcott Family Collections

The William Munroe Special Collections at the Concord Free Public Library has recently expanded one of the nation’s most significant archives devoted to Louisa May Alcott and her remarkable family. With the acquisition of several newly discovered letters by Alcott and two important collections assembled over decades, the Library has added new layers of insight into the life, work, and legacy of the author of Little Women.

Lara Wilson

ARTICLES

Concord Festival of Authors

Cozy Books for a Winter Day