Boston Literary History Walking Tours
See the sites. Read the work. Experience 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.
Upcoming Tours
Saturday, July 4 at 11:00am:
Revolutionary Words: A Literary Walk Through the Writings that Inspired Independence
Saturday, July 11 at 11:00am:
Ink & Cobblestones: A Walk Through Boston’s Literary Past
Saturday, July 18 at 11:00am:
Ink & Cobblestones
A Walk Through Boston’s Literary Past
All the classics, from downtown through Beacon Hill. Alcott, Hawthorne, Wheatley, Plath, Frost, the Saturday Club, the Old Corner Bookstore, and more... We’ll read work from authors of the past as we go!
Location: Downtown Boston and Beacon Hill
Crimson Quills
The Literary history of Harvard Square
Harvard Square’s poets, bookstores, hidden plaques, and literary firsts. Bishop, Sexton, Atwood, Fuller, Bradstreet, Heaney, Du Bois, Widener Library, Harvard Yard, and more.... We’ll read work from authors of the past as we go!
Location: Harvard Square
Revolutionary Words
A Literary Walk Through the Writings that Inspired Independence
Learn about Boston’s role in the American Revolution through the writers, printers, poets, booksellers, and public voices — Wheatley, Adams, Franklin, Warren, and more — who helped create the language of independence.
Location: Downtown Boston
What They’re Saying…
“The walk, the information, your joyous presentation were all fun.” – Ellen, Ink & Cobblestones
“This was great for me as someone who doesn't know a lot about Boston history outside of what we're taught in US history.” – Tour attendee, Ink & Cobblestones
“Loved the short readings in front of relevant locations!” – Sarah, Ink & Cobblestones
“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, Ink & Cobblestones
“I really enjoyed how being physically present in the moment gave me glimpses into the lives of different writers who once shared the same spaces, it felt like a thread connecting all of us. Walking the streets and seeing each corner through their eyes made the experience feel alive. I especially loved hearing how a tombstone in the old burial ground inspired The Scarlet Letter, and learning about Fanny Goldstein and her role in creating Jewish Book Month.” – Lena, Ink & Cobblestones
“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, Ink & Cobblestones
“The readings! Well-chosen spots that give a good sense of both American and Boston history.” – Marisa, Ink & Cobblestones
“Learning about the Beacon Hill connections of Robert Frost, Sylvia Plath, and a few others. The readings were a great innovation.” – Elizabeth, Ink & Cobblestones
“Liked seeing the tombstone with the engraved "A" that may have inspired Hawthorne, and really enjoyed the excerpts selected for the group to read.” – Denise, Ink & Cobblestones
“Reading various passages made the tour so much more experiential.” – Tour attendee, Ink & Cobblestones
“Walking through the neighborhoods of Boston, connecting the content to real life people and places. Knowledge of guide.” – Heather, Ink & Cobblestones
“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, Ink & Cobblestones
“I liked the printed literature that everyone had a chance to read. I love walking around Boston.” – Sarah, Ink & Cobblestones
“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, Ink & Cobblestones
“Jessica is an engaging tour guide who has spent years researching local history; she's so passionate about her work that her tour is an absolute delight. I've been to Boston often, and I learned a lot from "Ink and Cobblestones"! I now have a new appreciation for the literary history surrounding the Beacon Hill area.” – Lori, Ink & Cobblestones
“Jessica's contagious enthusiasm for her subject.” – Marylisa, Ink & Cobblestones
“I loved the literary quotes mixed into the historical narrative. So fun and informative!” – Lisa, Ink & Cobblestones
“Learning about writers I hadn't heard of or knew little about, and the inclusion of so many women. We see or pass many of the stops on the tour often, but have a very different appreciation of them now!” – Tour attendee, Crimson Quills
Your Tour Guide
Hi! I’m Jessica, and I’m the founder and director 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 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.