Louisa May Alcott

An item at American Writers Museum

Daughter of Transcendentalist Bronson Alcott and social worker Abigail May Alcott, Louisa May Alcott grew up surrounded by writers and thinkers. She began her own career as a writer while still in her teens, crafting plays, thrillers, poetry, and short stories, as well as Hospital Sketches (1863), an account of her time as a Civil War nurse.

In 1868, Alcott transformed the field of children's literature with Little Women (1868). Based on Alcott's own upbringing, the novel painted a compelling portrait of family life. Her complex characters-particularly independent Jo-were refreshingly real and relatable.

AMERICAN VOICES

An exhibit at American Writers Museum

American writing is distinctive, diverse, and comes in many forms from across the nation. The 100 authors featured here represent the evolution of American writing. Learn more about each writer on the timeline by turning the panels below their portraits. Explore centuries of writing by pulling, turning, and touching the interactive elements on the counter.

This is not meant to be a list of the greatest or most influential writers. Instead, we present authors and works as part of the American story as it grows and changes. Taken together, this rich literary heritage reflects America in all of its complexity: its energy, hope, conflict, disillusionment, and creativity.

American Writers Museum