Boston Literary History Project
Telling the stories of Boston’s literary past
An initiative of Literary Boston
Learn
People
Learn about the people that built Boston’s literary past: authors, literary organizers, booksellers, publishers, librarians, and more.
Places
Learn about the places where Boston’s literary past came to life: bookstores, publishing houses, libraries, residences, and more.
Literary Works
Explore the literary works written by Boston’s authors of the past.
Articles
Essays, research notes, and reflections on Boston’s literary past.
Boston Literary History 101
“Boston Literary History 101: From the Printing Press to Poetry Slams” is a 70-minute, 11 lesson digital, on-demand mini-course so you can learn at your own pace.
Experience
Take a literary history tour
See the sites. Read the work. Experience literary history.
As we walk the streets of Boston where writers from the past lived, gathered, and wrote, you’ll see that the past and present really do carry on in parallel…
2026 Tours:
The Ink & Cobblestones Tour: A Walk Through Boston’s Literary Past
The Crimson Quills Tour: The Literary History of Harvard Square
The Handmaid’s Tale Walking Tour of Harvard Square
Private tours also available
Literary History experiences and Immersives
Experience a memorable literary day in Boston! These private literary experiences are curated half- or full-day journies through Boston’s, Cambridge’s, or Concord’s literary landscape, combining place, text, and conversation into an immersive and memorable experience.
Take a literature class
There are many more stories to read — so let’s do English class together!
Returning Fall 2026
“As a beginner to literary studies, I absolutely loved this class! Our instructor Jessica truly created a safe space for everyone to share their thoughts. I learned so much from the lively discussions, and the sense of community made it a welcoming environment. Highly recommended!”
Jessica A. Kent, founder and director
Jessica A. Kent is the founder and director of Literary Boston, a cultural initiative that promotes the Boston literary community, past and present, through website resources, social media, a weekly newsletter, literature classes, literary salons, and literary history walking tours.
She holds a BFA in Creative Writing from Emerson and a Master’s in Literature from Harvard, where her thesis on Moby-Dick and Calvinism won the Director’s Prize. Her short fiction has appeared the North American Review, the Emerson Review, and others, and received the Leah Lovenheim Award for Short Fiction. She recently graduated from GrubStreet's Novel Incubator program, where she’s working on a novel about paramedics in 1970s Boston.
Other past literary roles include library assistant, bookseller, lit mag founder, literary marketing consultant, and interim Boston Book Festival director.