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This bonus travelogue traces a walk through Concord, Massachusetts, as we step into the living neighbourhood behind some of the most influential American writers and ideas. 

Last week, we celebrated the 300th episode with a visit to the legendary site of Henry David Thoreau’s cabin on the shores of Walden Pond, where he wrote the famous book going by the pond’s name. The next day, we drifted into the town of Concord to visit the Thoreau family home, Henry David’s birthplace. 

Then, on our way to his mentor Ralph Waldo Emerson’s place up the road, we came across another famous house - Louisa May Alcott’s family home. They were family friends of Emerson and Thoreau, and Louisa became another famous writer in town, as the author of Little Women. 

We didn’t have time for the tour, but to our great delight, the two elders who were running the tours, Beth and Anne, were out front and became fascinated by our tour of the country. We were then regaled with some of the awesome stories behind the stories, including of the hundreds of thousands of visitors coming from around the world, often with some surprising connections. They also had plenty to say on the spirit of places like this. They’re in no doubt of it.

After that, we made it to Emerson’s place. But first, the Thoreau’s, reflecting along the way on friendship, mentorship, and the journal practice Emerson urged Thoreau to keep. The thread tying it all together? Perhaps it's attention: noticing what a landscape is asking of us, and deciding how we want to live in response. 

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Chapter markers & transcript.

Recorded 11 September 2024.

Title image: Thoreau's birthplace.

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Music:

Working the Fields, by Falconer (from Artlist).

Regeneration, by Amelia Barden.

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