Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 6:00 p.m.

Thanks to all of you who participated in making the Margaret Fuller Bicentennial a year to remember.  It has been a wonderful year!

To bring Fuller’s bicentennial year to a close, we will be enjoying one last celebration of her legacy, and invite you to join us at the Peabody Book Room at 13 West Street in Boston on her 201st birthday. 

A special dinner at the site of Fuller’s famed Conversations. Fuller offered these “Conversations” for women (and later men) in Boston in the late 1830’s and early 1840’s.

We are pleased to have as our keynote speaker:

Phyllis Cole, author of Mary Moody Emerson and the Origins of Transcendentalism, which was named Finalist (second place) for the James Russell Lowell Prize of the Modern Language Association. This engaging work reveals a well-spring of Emerson’s ideas and has revolutionized the study of his works.  Dr. Cole’s fields of specialization include American Transcendentalism and nineteenth-century American women writers.  She has served as President of the national Ralph Waldo Emerson Society.    

Special remarks will also be made by:

Megan Marshall, author of The Peabody Sisters: Three Women Who Ignited American Romanticism.  Marshall is Assistant Professor at Emerson College, where she teaches narrative nonfiction writing and the art of archival research in the MFA program.  She is the author of The Peabody Sisters: Three Women Who Ignited American Romanticism, winner of the Francis Parkman Prize, the Mark Lynton History Prize, the Massachusetts Book Award, and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in biography.  She is currently at work on a biographical study of Margaret Fuller, The Passion of Margaret Fuller: A Biographical Romance to be published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 

This event is part of the Bicentennial’s Conversations Series, supported by a grant from Mass Humanities and should be an evening to remember.  The event is  sponsored by the Margaret Fuller Bicentennial Committee, and is part of a year-long series of events celebrating Margaret Fuller’s life and work.

Boston Athenaeum Presents:
“Margaret Fuller and her Boston Conversations”

 Wednesday, December 8, 2010, 12:00 P.M.

Boston, MA, November 9, 2010 – Megan Marshall will present “‘My Own Path Leads a Different Course’: Margaret Fuller and her Boston Conversations,’”  on Wednesday, December 8th at noon at the Boston Athenaeum, 10 ½ Beacon Street in Boston.  Marshall is Assistant Professor at Emerson College, where she teaches narrative nonfiction writing and the art of archival research in the MFA program.  She is the author of The Peabody Sisters: Three Women Who Ignited American Romanticism, winner of the Francis Parkman Prize, the Mark Lynton History Prize, the Massachusetts Book Award, and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in biography.  She is currently at work on a biographical study of Margaret Fuller, The Passion of Margaret Fuller: A Biographical Romance to be published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 

“Margaret Fuller was America's first female public intellectual, the Susan Sontag or Mary McCarthy of her time,” says Marshall.  “But Fuller was more than a cultural critic and opinion maker; she took an active part in what she called the 'era of experiment.'  Her Conversations for women in Boston, which took place just a few blocks from the Athenaeum, were the beginning of a crucial decade that culminated with Fuller's involvement in the Roman revolution of 1848-9.  What were the Conversations like?  How did Fuller arrive at this point of radical commitment?  Our conversation on December 8 will, like Fuller's, ask the 'great questions.'” 

 The program is supported by grants from Mass Humanities, the Fund for Unitarian Universalism, and individual donations.  The Conversation is co-sponsored by the Margaret Fuller Bicentennial Committee and the Boston Athenaeum and is part of a year-long series of events celebrating Fuller’s life and work.  It is free and open to the public. Donations will be gratefully accepted. 

RENOWNED SCHOLARS CONDUCT A
MARGARET FULLER-STYLE “CONVERSATION”

“THE RADICALIZATION OF MARGARET FULLER”

Sunday November 7 at 3:00 P.M. at Arlington Street Church

Boston, MA, October 25, 2010 – The Margaret Fuller Bicentennial is pleased to continue its Conversations Series with a moderated panel discussion featuring two prominent scholars. The event will take place on Sunday November 7 at 3:00 P.M. at Arlington Street Church, 351 Boylston Street, Boston. The program is modeled after the “Conversations” that Margaret Fuller offered for women (and later men) in Boston from 1839 to 1844. The Conversation Series intends to provoke thought on how the issues that concerned this trailblazing woman might relate to contemporary life. 

John Matteson, Professor of English at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY, and Pulitzer Prize winning author of Eden’s Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father,  will present “‘Clouded by Secret Sin’: Margaret Fuller and the Darker Side of Woman in the Nineteenth Century.” This revolutionary treatise is widely considered the first book on women’s rights by an American.

“Most people who think about Fuller tend to regard her principally as an extraordinary intellect,” Matteson observes. “However, she was also the most passionate of the great transcendentalists, and her fascination with forbidden sexuality underlies much of the thinking that went into Woman in the Nineteenth Century. Her arrival in New York coincided with her developing a powerful interest in women of ill fame. Unlike most reformers, who saw prostitutes only as victims to be rescued, Fuller wanted to understand and sympathize with them.”

Daniel McKanan, Ralph Waldo Emerson Unitarian Universalist Association Senior Lecturer in Divinity at Harvard Divinity School will present “Margaret Fuller and 1848: Forging a United Radical Tradition.” McKanan is the author of the forthcoming 200 year history of religion and radical politics in the United States, which includes Margaret Fuller’s friendship with Italian revolutionary Giuseppe Mazzini.

“2010 marks the bicentennial of many leading figures in the Transcendentalist movement,” says McKanan, “but Margaret Fuller is special-both because she was left out of the celebrations one hundred years ago and because she linked spirituality to radical activism in a way that can still be a model for us today.”

The panel will be moderated by Rev. Kim Crawford Harvie. There will be time for conversation and questions following the presentation. The traveling display, “Why Margaret Fuller Matters,” will be on location for viewing. Refreshments will be served.  The program is free and open to the public.

The program is supported by grants from Mass Humanities, the Fund for Unitarian Universalism, and individual donations. It is co-sponsored by the Margaret Fuller Bicentennial Committee and Arlington Street Church.

First Parish Church in Concord Presents
“Margaret Fuller in Italy”
Thursday October 21, 2010 at 7:30 P.M.- 9:00 P.M.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: Carla A. Gomez
(978) 502-3113        
margaretfullerpr@gmail.com

Concord, M.A. October 4, 2010 - Reverend Jenny Rankin will present a lecture and slideshow, “Margaret Fuller in Italy” at the First Parish Church in Concord, Unitarian Universalist, 20 Lexington Road, Concord, Ma., on October 21 at 7:30 P.M.  Reverend Rankin traveled to Rome to research Fuller’s experiences in Italy and retrace her steps.  She has created this presentation based on her research.

From the time she was a young girl growing up in Cambridge, Margaret Fuller had dreamed of going to Europe, and especially to Italy.  She had studied the Italian language, knew its literature and poetry, and followed its politics.  Her dream was deferred, however, due to the sudden death of her father.  Margaret took over as “head of household” working to earn money to support her family.  Finally, in August 1846, her dream came true as she sailed from Boston to Liverpool.   She toured England and France before arriving in Italy in the spring of 1847.

“I was lucky to be able to travel to Rome last March during a sabbatical,” says Rev. Rankin.  “I worked at the library of American Academy of Rome which is located across the street from the building that was Garibaldi’s headquarters during the Roman Republic.  Consequently, I was “right on location” to research the Roman Republic in which Margaret was so involved in the spring of 1849.”

Rev. Rankin’s lecture will trace the story of Margaret’s time in Italy, from her arrival as a “tourist” to her settling down in Rome, working as a journalist, falling in love, giving birth and participating in the Revolution which swept Rome in the spring of 1849.  Slides will show 19th century images of Italy and Rome as well as contemporary photos of sites in Rome where Margaret lived and worked.

Rev. Jenny Rankin is a Unitarian Universalist minister at First Parish in Concord, Unitarian Universalist.  She has taught classes on Transcendentalism and Margaret Fuller.
The lecture is free and open to the public.  Donations will be gratefully accepted to support the Margaret Fuller Bicentennial and ongoing classes and discussion groups of the Wright Tavern Center for Spiritual Renewal.  Refreshments will be served following the program.

This event is part of the Bicentennial’s Conversations Series, supported by a grant from Mass Humanities and modeled after the “Conversations” which Margaret Fuller offered for women (and later men) in Boston in the late 1830s and 1840s.  The event is co-sponsored by the Margaret Fuller Bicentennial Committee, First Parish in Concord, and the Transcendentalist Council of First Parish, and is part of a year-long series of events celebrating Margaret Fuller’s life and work.  For a complete list of the other programs, please visit: www.margaretfuller.org.

 
 
CONVERSATION VIDEOS

Over the course of the Bicentennial celebration the Committee, in partnership with Mass Humanities, has hosted five Conversations thus far.  Hopefully many of you were able to attend a few of these interesting and entertaining events.  If you were not able to enjoy them in person, we hope you have enjoyed the descriptions and updates available on our web site, the Mass Humanities web site, or via newsletters, Facebook, and press releases.

Thanks to a recent grant from the Fund For Unitarian Universalism for documentation of the Bicentennial, we are very pleased to announce that we now have 19 video clips available for viewing on www.youtube.com.  The clips were shot at four of the Converstions including: seven clips of  "Why Margaret Fuller Matters," which took place at the Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House (her birthplace) on May 15, two clips from  "Margaret Fuller in Groton: Shaping a Life, Framing a Mind," which took place on Sunday May 16 at First Parish in Groton, five clips from the memorial service at Mt. Auburn cemetery on July 18, and finally, five clips from the Conversation between Margaret Fuller and Edgar Allen Poe at the Old Manse in Concord on August 19.   Relive your favorite parts of the program, or enjoy ones you missed, by visiting the official Bicentennial Committee channel on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/FullerBicentenniel. 

The Committee would like to thank cameraman William Reilly for his work filming the event at MFNH, camerawoman Donna Clifford for her work at First Parish in Groton, and camerawoman, and videographer, Josephine Sedgwick for her work filming at Mt. Auburn and the Old Manse, as well as for editing and posting the footage to the Committee's YouTube channel.  Footage taken of our upcoming events will be available on this channel in the future, so consider subscribing.

Good news; there is still more to come!

Save the dates for these upcoming Conversations:

Thursday, October 21, 2010, 7:30 PM, at First Parish In Concord, Unitarian Universalist.  “Margaret Fuller in Italy,” lecture and slides by the Rev. Jenny Rankin, who traveled to Rome to research Margaret Fuller's experiences in Italy and retrace her steps. Co-sponsored by First Parish and the Transcendentalist Council of First Parish. 

Sunday, November 7, 2010, 3 PM, at Arlington Street Church, Boston. “Margaret Fuller’s Network: How Politics, Literature, and Art Crossed in the World Around Her,” with John Matteson, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Eden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father and Associate Professor of English at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY; Daniel McKanan, Ralph Waldo Emerson Unitarian Universalist Association Senior Lecturer in Divinity at Harvard Divinity School, and author of forthcoming book featuring Margaret Fuller’s friendship with Italian revolutionary Giuseppe Mazzini; with an introduction by the Rev. Dr. Dorothy Emerson, coordinator of the Margaret Fuller Bicentennial, and author/editor of Standing Before Us: Unitarian Universalist Women and Social Reform 1776-1936; and moderated by the Rev. Kim Crawford Harvie. Co-sponsored by Arlington Street Church.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010, 12 noon at the Boston Athenaeum. Program has changed. Check back for details. 

 We plan to film highlights of these events as well, so be sure to visit our YouTube channel if you are unable to attend. 

BICENTENNIAL HIGHLIGHTS

The following report, with additions and edits by Communications Assistant Carla Gomez,  was prepared by Bicentennial Coordinator Reverend Dorothy Emerson to recap the events which have taken place thus far as part of the Bicentennial Celebration.  At the report's conclusion, please look for the exciting upcoming events to add to your calendar.

RECAP

The celebration of Margaret Fuller’s Bicentennial is now in full swing. We have held the first five of our series of Conversations. The programs have been publicized to all of you via our newsletters and web site, as well as through the Mass Humanities website, Facebook, and press releases.  The traveling display, “Why Margaret Fuller Matters,” has been shown in twelve locations in Massachusetts, including four of the Conversations programs. 

The first Conversation, “Why Margaret Fuller Matters,” was held at the Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House (her birthplace) on Saturday, May 15. As participants entered, they had an opportunity to see the traveling display in the library where Margaret read her first books. We were welcomed by Barbara Kibler, executive director, who told us about the facilities and programs the House provides for the community today. The program was moderated by project director, Dorothy Emerson, who presented a biographical sketch of Margaret’s life, focusing on her life in that house and on her growing up and young adult years in Cambridge. Our project Humanities Scholar, Laurie Crumpacker, Professor of History at Simmons College, then spoke about Margaret Fuller’s work, especially her front page articles in the New York Tribune, of which she had brought samples for us to see. A lively discussion followed. Refreshments were provided by the co-sponsor, the Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House.

The second Conversation, “Margaret Fuller in Groton: Shaping a Life, Framing a Mind,” was held on Sunday, May 16, at the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church in Groton, which co-hosted the event and provided refreshments. We were welcomed by the Rev. Elea Kemler, who explained that this was the church attended by the Fuller family while they lived in Groton. The program was moderated by Dorothy Emerson, who began with a biographical sketch of Margaret Fuller’s life focusing on her time in Groton. Marcia Synnott, Professor of History at the University of South Carolina, spoke about the importance of Margaret’s work and ideas, and Fritz Fleischmann, Professor of English at Babson College, spoke about Margaret’s time in Europe and the significance of her reports to the American public published in the New York Tribune. Another lively discussion ensued.

 The third Conversation, "Portraying Margaret Fuller and Friends Onstage," was held on June 19 at the First Church in Belmont.  In conjunction with one of the evening productions of the play, “The Margaret Ghost.” The author of the play, Carole Braverman, had been scheduled to speak but was called away by a medical emergency. Instead, Dorothy Emerson read portions of the playwright’s essay, “Searching for Margaret Fuller: Dramatizing Literary History.” Elizabeth Hunter, director of Theatre@First, spoke about her experience of producing the play several years ago and again this year as part of the Bicentennial. Actor Andrea Humez shared her experience of portraying Margaret. This event was also a fund-raiser, with refreshments donated by Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s (Alewife stores).

The fourth Conversation was the memorial service Margaret Fuller never had. Held in Bigelow Chapel at Mount Auburn Cemetery on July 18, this “Celebration of the Life and Legacy of Sarah Margaret Fuller Ossoli” was co-sponsored by the cemetery, which provided refreshments and donated a wreath for the celebration. The program was conducted by the Rev. Rosemarie Smuzinski and featured remembrances by key friends of Fuller, who appeared in historical dress.  Rob Velella researched and prepared the script based on what these people wrote about her.  Actress Jessa Piaia, dressed as Margaret Fuller, also wrote and delivered remarks regarding Margaret's "Premonitions."  Wendell Refior appeared as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Richard Smith as Henry David Thoreau, Rob Velella as James Freeman Clarke, Dorothy Emerson as Elizabeth Peabody, and Deb Goss as Julia Ward Howe. A pilgrimage to the Fuller Family Lot followed the service. The wreath was laid there, and Jessica Lipnack invited participants to come forward, take a flower, lay it on the cenotaph (monument), and share reflections on what Margaret Fuller means to them today.

The fifth Conversation took place on August 19 at the Old Manse in Concord. The program featured a dramatic dialog between Margaret Fuller and Edgar Allen Poe, portrayed by Jessa Piaia and Rob Velella. The Trustees of Reservations held special tours of the Manse, led by the co-sponsors, focusing on Margaret’s visits to the house. The dramatic presentation was followed by a question and answer session, with time at the conclusion for refreshments and casual conversations with attendees, staff, and performers.

 The programs have been a resounding success. Charles Capper, Fuller biographer, stated that this is the largest and most comprehensive bicentennial ever held for an American author.  We are grateful to Mass Humanities for supporting these programs as part of this amazing Bicentennial year.

SAVE THE DATE

Thursday, October 21, 2010, 7:30 PM, at First Parish in Concord, Unitarian Universalist.  “Margaret Fuller in Italy,” lecture and slides by the Rev. Jenny Rankin, who traveled to Rome to research Margaret Fuller's experiences in Italy and retrace her steps. Co-sponsored by First Parish and the Transcendentalist Council of First Parish.

Sunday, November 7, 2010, 3 PM, at Arlington Street Church, Boston. “Margaret Fuller’s Network: How Politics, Literature, and Art Crossed in the World Around Her,” with John Matteson, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Eden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father and Associate Professor of English at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY; Daniel McKanan, Ralph Waldo Emerson Unitarian Universalist Association Senior Lecturer in Divinity at Harvard Divinity School, and author of forthcoming book featuring Margaret Fuller’s friendship with Italian revolutionary Giuseppe Mazzini; with an introduction by the Rev. Dr. Dorothy Emerson, coordinator of the Margaret Fuller Bicentennial, and author/editor of Standing Before Us: Unitarian Universalist Women and Social Reform 1776-1936; and moderated by the Rev. Kim Crawford Harvie. Co-sponsored by Arlington Street Church.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010, 12 noon at the Boston Athenaeum. Program has changed. Check back for details.

 [1] Charles Capper, in a panel presentation at the Unitarian Universalist General Assembly, Minneapolis, MN, June 25, 2010.