Whittier Birthplace Among 50 Author Museums to Affiliate with AWM

Whittier Birthplace, 305 Whittier Road, Haverhill.

AWM_LogoWhittier Birthplace is one of 50 historic sites, preserving the works and lives of American authors, to become affiliated with the American Writers Museum (AWM), a new, national museum opening in Chicago in late 2016.

The collaborative forum of author homes and museums supports the museum’s mission with writer-specific knowledge and expertise and fosters a mutually beneficial exchange of ideas and experiences.

“The affiliation will help guide the AWM’s exhibits and further our mission of preserving the works and lives of American writers,” said Malcolm O’Hagan, AWM president. “Like the museum itself, this is an important ‘first’—a collaboration that will help us collectively tell the American literary story. We are proud to bring together these resources throughout the nation for the first time.”

A steering committee of executive directors and curators, announced today, will guide the AWM Affiliates program by exploring cooperative programs, sharing knowledge related to public relations, fundraising, workshops and conferences, and exchanging creative ways to introduce American writers to new audiences.

AWM affiliate program steering committee members include: Miriam Farris of the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site, Flat Rock, N.C.; William Griffith of William Faulkner’s Rowan Oak, Oxford, Miss.; Tad Jones of Will Rogers Memorial Museums, Claremore, Okla.; Kara McLaughlin of The House of Seven Gables, Salem; Janet Mintzer of Pearl S. Buck International, Perkasie, Pa.; Ashley Olson of The Willa Cather Foundation, Red Cloud, Neb.; Allison Sansone of The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park, Oak Park, Ill.; and Julia Whitehead of the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library, Indianapolis, Ind.

The mission of the American Writers Museum is to engage the public in celebrating American writers and exploring their influence on history, identity, culture and daily lives.

More about the museum and a complete list of AWM Affiliate Author Homes/Museums is available at www.americanwritersmuseum.org. For more information about Whittier Birthplace, visit johngreenleafwhittier.com.