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.

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!

West Side Story

Concord Center takes justifiable pride in its history, but today great things are happening in West Concord. Innovation and self-reliance are nothing new on the west side of Route 2; they’ve defined the community for centuries.

Established for Social & Mutual Improvement: The Concord Lyceum

The Lyceum Movement started in New England in 1826, when educator and scientist Josiah Holbrook founded the first lyceum in Millbury, Massachusetts. Inspired by the classical Lykeios (Λύκειος) in Ancient Greece, where Aristotle taught, the movement was created to bring education to ordinary people through lectures, debates, and readings. Lyceums quickly spread across New England, fostering education, self-improvement, and civic engagement, and many towns soon formed lyceums of their own, including Boston in 1829 and Salem in 1830. By the 1830s, there were Lyceums across the country.

Lara Wilson

ARTICLES

Concord Festival of Authors

Cozy Books for a Winter Day