Boston Literary History Walking Tours
Walk in the footsteps of literary history…
Boston has a such a rich literary history, from the first printing press in the Colonies to fostering authors and literary movements that changed the world. Our history continues to inspire the great literary community that thrives in Boston today. It’s the past and present continuing on in parallel.
Explore that rich history today by walking in the footsteps of writers and literary luminaries that came before.
Ink & Cobblestones
A Walk Through Boston’s Literary Past
Walk through Boston’s literary history, from 18th century bookstores, to 19th century literary movements, to 20th century poets. We’ll read work from authors of the past as we go.
Location: Downtown Boston and Beacon Hill
I loved being immersed in the sense of Boston as a literary community. And realizing that books were important to Bostonians, even in the colonial era. And that in the 19th century, when so many writers lived in Boston, they knew each other and congregated in places like the Old Corner Bookstore. It's a great sense of community that I think continues on.
– Kathleen
Crimson Quills
A Walk Through Harvard Square’s Literary Past
Discover the literary history of Harvard Square, from the first printing press to modernist poets. We’ll read work from authors of the past as we go.
Location: Harvard Square
I enjoyed being able to read passages written from the authors about the locations we visited. I felt like it was a great way to keep the tour interactive. It also showed how much time and effort you put into researching for your tour. I enjoyed seeing the photos on your tablet. I also liked that you were very open to questions and excited about us being on the tour with you. All of my friends loved the tour and we talked about the tour for a couple days after.
– Tour attendee
Hawthorne’s Boston
Walk in the footsteps of Nathaniel Hawthorne and his characters. We’ll read excepts from Hawthorne’s work as we go.
Location: Downtown Boston and Beacon Hill
Reading various passages made the tour so much more experiential.
– Tour attendee
Revolutionary Words
Read the works that started and inspired the American Revolution.
Location: Downtown Boston
I liked being able to learn things about places I have walked by a million times. I often forget that a lot of the older writers knew each other so it was fun to learn about how they interacted. I appreciated how women were highlighted as well.
– Amanda
The Handmaid’s Tale Tour of Harvard Square
Walk the locations in Margaret Atwood’s classic novel. We’ll read aloud from the novel as we go.
Location: Harvard Square
Walking and talking, with well timed rests and breaks. Great pace. So many authors and sites included in the tour. Snow flurries in Beacon Hill...all the sites were interesting and appealing. Non-stop learning for 90 minutes. Great value for ticket price.
– Elizabeth
Private WAlking Tours
Book a private tour for your book club, school, or group.
Your Tour Guide
Hi! I’m Jessica, and I’m the founder of Literary Boston, which I started in 2012 as a place as a website where people could find everything there was to know about the Boston literary community. But you could say that Literary Boston may have truly started on a trip to Walden Pond in 1999. I fell in love with the literary history of Boston then and I’m still fascinated with it today, so much so that I’ve made it a pillar of my work on Literary Boston.
For the past 25 years, I’ve been studying Boston literary history, from structured study in academic programs to reading historical markers all over the city. Now, I want you to know about our rich literary past, too.
A little bit more about me:
I’m a freelance marketing writer by day and creative writer by night. I’m the founder of Literary Boston, a website that covers the local literary community, and other past literary roles include library assistant, bookseller, and book festival director. I hold a BFA in Creative Writing from Emerson and a Master’s in Literature from Harvard, where my thesis on Moby-Dick and Calvinism won the Director’s Prize. My short fiction has appeared the North American Review, the Emerson Review, and others, and has received the Leah Lovenheim Award for Short Fiction. I recently graduated from GrubStreet's Novel Incubator program, where I’m working on a novel about paramedics in 1970s Boston.