Virtual Reading | Hidden in the Archives: Publishing the Lost Works of Literary Legends

Why do works of great literary luminaries remain unpublished during their lifetimes, and what does it mean to bring a forgotten story to readers today? Co-organized by Andrew Gulli, editor of The Strand Magazine, this panel explores the discovery, editing, publication, and reception of previously unpublished works by literary icons. Joined by Laurence Hyman, son and manager of the estate of Shirley Jackson, Isabelle Parsons, Edith Wharton scholar and professor at The Open University, UK, and Jan Turnquist, Executive Director of Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House, Gulli will delve into the detective work behind these literary mysteries, the decisions involved in bringing them to print, and the new perspectives they can offer on writers we thought we knew. Featuring works by Edith Wharton, Shirley Jackson, and Louisa May Alcott, the conversation offers a rare glimpse into the archives, and the stories still waiting to be told. IMPORTANT EVENT INFORMATION: This is a virtual program hosted on Zoom. Registration is recommended to receive the Zoom link via email. Join here! Andrew Gulli is the managing editor of The Strand Magazine, where he’s published newly discovered works by iconic writers such as John Steinbeck, Shirley Jackson, Louisa May Alcott, and more. He also curates original short fiction from today’s leading authors and is co-editing The Best of The Strand Magazine: 25 Years of Twists, Turns, and Tales. When he’s not working on the magazine, you can find him uncovering lost literary treasures in university archives, playing pickleball, painting, and even stamp collecting! Laurence Jackson Hyman is the eldest child of famed novelist Shirley Jackson and literary critic and teacher Stanley Edgar Hyman. Over the decades he has worked as a reporter-photographer for the Providence Journal-Bulletin and Berkshire Eagle newspapers; served as Director of Public Relations and Publications for Bennington College; taught Still Photography and Darkroom Arts at Bennington College; founded and managed Woodford Publishing and Woodford Press in San Francisco for 25 years, where he produced many award-winning books and monographs; owned and managed Crescendo Studios, audio post-production in San Francisco; and since 1995 has managed his mother’s literary estate—Shirley Jackson Literary Properties. Laurence has collected and edited two volumes of his mother’s previously unpublished short stories, Just an Ordinary Day (1996), and Let Me Tell You (2015), and edited The Letters of Shirley Jackson (2021). Laurence has also served as Executive Producer for many film and stage adaptations of his mother’s work, including “We Have Always Lived in the Castle,” 2019. Sixty-five of his black-and-white photographs are in the permanent collection of The Bennington Museum. Laurence has also worked as a professional jazz trumpet player all his life since the age of 14. He currently resides in Western Sonoma County, California, surrounded by redwood trees. Isabelle Parsons is an associate lecturer and honorary associate in English and Creative Writing at The Open University, UK. She wrote The Secrets and Silences of Edith Wharton’s Women, and her articles have appeared in the Edith Wharton Review. These include an analytical reading of ‘The Men Who Saved the World’, Wharton’s recently published short story that she encountered in the Beinecke Library as the recipient of an Edith Wharton Society Award for Archival Research in 2019. She has a background in archaeology but, having completed her PhD on Wharton in 2021, returns often (and eagerly!) to this novelist’s doings. Jan Turnquist has been Executive Director of Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House since 1999, recently served as historical consultant to the Masterpiece Little Women miniseries (2018), and is also an internationally acclaimed portrayer of Louisa May Alcott. In addition to educational outreach for Young Audiences of Massachusetts, Jan has portrayed “Miss Alcott” throughout the United States, for First Lady Laura Bush, and across Japan, where she was invited to the Imperial Palace to meet Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko due to the Empress’ abiding appreciation of Little Women.