Mark Twain Forum Reviews: “Gravity: Selected Letters of Olivia Langdon Clemens”

Kevin Mac Donnell gives a review of Barbara Snedecor’s new edition of Livy’s letters

Olivia Langdon Clemens

Birth Olivia Louise Langdon Clemens, middle child of Jervis and Olivia Lewis Langdon, was born 27 November 1845 in Elmira—a progressive, nineteenth-century city in western New York. Prior to her birth, Olivia’s parents, with their adopted daughter, nine-year-old Susan Dean Langdon, had moved to Elmira, where Olivia’s father would achieve success in the lumber and […]

Michael J. Kiskis Quarry Farm Fellowship

It took Michael Kiskis time to walk across the Elmira College campus, and not only because he moved at such a leisurely, languid pace. It was a rare day when Michael made it to his office without being stopped by students who wanted to talk over their ideas (or problems) , ask a question about […]

Grace King: A Southern Woman of Letters

Near the end of Grace King’s long life (1852 – 1932) — and before William Faulkner wrote that the past is not even past– she claimed in her memoir: “The past is our only real possession in life. It is the one piece of property of which time cannot deprive us; it is our own […]

Quarry Farm Testimonials

We occasionally feature testimonials from recent Quarry Farm Fellows and Residents, which combine conversational illustrations of their research and writing process with personal reflections on their experiences as Twain scholars, teachers, and fellows. Applications for Quarry Farm Fellowships are due each Winter. Find more information here.