Boston Classics:

Reading Boston’s Authors of the Past

A 6-Week, In-Person Seminar

with instructor Jessica A. Kent, Founder & Director of Literary Boston

“Being able to deeply discuss a range of texts and bounce ideas off of everyone was my favorite part. Jessica was very open to hearing different points of view and encouraged us to think about how we draw conclusions by backing theories up with the text or further research, which distinguishes this class from the average book club and was exactly what I was looking for.

“I also enjoyed learning the literary history of the Boston area, which I have grown up in and feel a newfound sense of inspiration after learning about all the amazing people that lived and wrote here.”

– Samantha, Boston Classics cohort 1

Boston has such a rich literary history, and there are many stories to read from authors who once called Boston home. Let’s do English class together!

“Boston Classics” is an in-person literature class — more immersive than a book club, but far more accessible than a traditional academic course — where we'll read, analyze, and discuss work by authors who once called Boston home. Together we’ll dig into themes, language, historical context, and connections between authors. I’ll guide the discussion and make the texts accessible, even if you’ve never done close reading before.

Tentative Syllabus

Two novels, two weeks of poetry, one week of essays, and one week of short fiction:

Week 1: Early Boston poets (Anne Bradstreet, Phillis Wheatley, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)

Week 2: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Week 3: Transcendentalist essays (Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Margaret Fuller)

Week 4: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Week 5: Short fiction (Sarah Orne Jewett and Kahlil Gibran)

Week 6: 20th Century poets (Sylvia Plath, Robert Lowell, Helene Johnson, and John Wieners)

An additional Ink & Cobblestones walking tour will be arranged after class ends (included in the cost).

A full syllabus and reading materials will be shared with registered participants in advance of the first class. Poems, essays, and short fiction will be provided to you as part of the cost; you will be responsible for obtaining the two novels: purchasing, borrowing, or reading online.

“I really enjoyed being pushed to read out of my comfort zone. I would not normally read poetry or these kinds of texts, and I really appreciated the exposure to them and the discussion of them with the group.”

– Attendee, Boston Classics cohort 1

Venue

Boston Public Library in Copley Square.

Group Size

Capped at 10 per section.

Class Logistics and Schedule

Meets on Wednesdays, 6pm-8pm, starting April 29:

  • Wednesday, April 29, 6pm–8pm

  • Wednesday, May 6, 6pm–8pm

  • Wednesday, May 13, 6pm–8pm

  • Wednesday, May 20, 6pm–8pm

  • Wednesday, May 27, 6pm–8pm

  • Wednesday, June 3, 6pm–8pm

  • Walking tour to be scheduled after the class ends

Cost

$350, which includes six class sessions and an additional post-class walking tour.

Instructor

Jessica A. Kent, founder and director of Literary Boston. You can learn more about me below!

Cancellation & Refund Policy

Because space is limited and this seminar requires advanced planning, refunds are available as follows:

  • Up to 14 days before class begins: full refund minus a 10% processing fee

  • 7–13 days before class begins: 50% refund

  • Fewer than 7 days before class begins: no refunds

If a spot becomes available, it will be offered to individuals on the waitlist in the order received.

“Everyone in our class was very participatory and loved that everyone's unique experiences and backgrounds brought different perspectives to the discussion. I also loved the variety of material. It really felt like I was getting exposure to new authors and poets I would not have otherwise read. It also helped me to flex my ‘academic’ muscles which have not gotten much exercise since college.”

– Lauren, Boston Classics cohort 1

Your Instructor

Hi! I’m Jessica, and I’m the founder of Literary Boston, a cultural initiative that promotes the local literary community, past and present. Other literary roles include literary history tour guide, library assistant, bookseller at both indies and Barnes & Noble, book festival director and social media manager, lit mag founder, lit org board member — and, of course, writer.

I hold a BFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College and an MA in Literature from Harvard University (Extension), where my thesis on Moby-Dick and Calvinism won the Director’s Prize (yes, I wrote that for fun!). During my time in my master’s program, I tried to take as many classes in American Literature as I could, specifically 19th c. New England literature. And yes, there was a bit of literary theory in there, too.

My writing has appeared in the North American Review, the Emerson Review, Writer’s Bone, and others, and my short story “Rose” received the Leah Lovenheim Award for Short Fiction. I’m also a freelance ghostwriter with over a hundred pieces published out there on the web. You can find my portfolio here.

I recently graduated from GrubStreet's Novel Incubator program, a year-long novel writing craft intensive, where I worked on a novel about paramedics in 1970s Boston (still in progress!).

Finally, my passion for “digging into the text” led me to run a book club for a few years we called “English class over dinner,” as well as a nine-month informal “Moby-Dick Class” where I guided friends through the novel.

“I loved the research and background knowledge you brought to us at the start of every class. Your enthusiasm for the texts and author biographies was infectious and inspired me to read more deeply and with more awareness of the texts’ contexts.”

– Matt, Boston Classics cohort 1

Ready to get reading together?

Register today!

After you click “Book Now” and fill out the form, you’ll finish your booking by going to the Shopping Cart at the top right and checking out!

Boston Classics

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