In 1907, Marian MacDowell planted the seed of the MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, N.H., where thousands of writers, poets, artists, composers, playwrights, filmmakers and others have produced creative works of astounding impact on the American culture.

Think of Thornton Wilder (Our Town), DeBose and Dorothy Heyward and George Gershwin (Porgy and Bess), Leonard Bernstein (Mass), Willa Cather (Death Comes for the Archbishop), Alice Sebold (The Lovely Bones), Aaron Copland (Billy the Kid) and very many more — all working artists in temporary residence at the Colony.

The goal of MacDowell Colony is to provide artists two weeks or two months in isolated studios-in-the-woods with unlimited, uninterrupted, precious time to focus on their work.

Appledore Books congratulates the MacDowell Colony for its persistent zeal and respect of artists.

Appledore has some books and creators associated with the Colony — Taylor Morris (Message from the Sparrows, All the Clouds’ll Roll Away); artist Paul Polaro and composer Laura Clayton who are portrayed in Fleur Weymouth Photographs; Julia Older and Steve Sherman who include pages about the MacDowell Colony in Grand Monadnock.

The centennial celebration continues throughout 2007 with many events in New Hampshire and New York.
See www.macdowellcolony.org/centennial/.

Dedicated to the art of story in poetry, Turning Point Books has released Tahirih Unveiled by Julia Older, her ninth book of poetry, several of them published by Appledore Books.

Tahirih of Persia (1818-1854) was a religious prodigy. She was denounced by her Mullah father, led women in their fight for equality, was exiled and executed. "Kill me if you like," she said, "but you cannot stop the emancipation of women!"

Tahirih’s poems went up in flames when she did. Only seven of these poems remain. Older is now translating them from the Persian.

Both Tahirih’s own poems and Older’s lyrical sequence open new perspectives on the Perisan culture of yesterday and today.

Book columnist Rebecca Rule said of Tahirih Unveiled, "Older doesn’t just understand Tahirih, but channels her."

Tahirih Unveiled is available at independent bookstores or at www.turningpointbooks.com/older.html.