The Crane House Speaks (A Quarry Farm Testimonial)
Novelist and Hannibal native, Melissa Scholes Young, reflects on her time as a the recipient of the 2019 Quarry Farm Fellowship for Creative Writers.
Category: Quarry Farm
April in Elmira & Redding (A Quarry Farm Fellow Testimonial)
Larry Howe discusses his recent Quarry Farm Fellowship and his work-in-progress on Mark Twain and real estate.
2019 Summer Institute For Teachers: Mark Twain & Generation Z
Our 2019 Summer Institute for Teachers will be led by Jocelyn Chadwick and, for the first time, include an opportunity for course credit at Elmira College.
Dispatches From Quarry Farm: Sympathetic Funk
Quarry Farm caretaker, Steve Webb, and his feline charge have a nighttime encounter with a skunk.
Lecture focusing on Twain’s friend from New Orleans starts the Fall 2018 Trouble Begins Series
The fall portion of the 2018 The Trouble Begins Lecture Series, presented by the Center for Mark Twain Studies, begins Wednesday, October 10 in the Barn at Quarry Farm. The lecture begins at 7:00 p.m., and is free and open to the public. The first lecture “Getting to Know Mark Twain through the Eyes of Grace King, a Southern Woman of Letters” will be presented by Miki Pfeffer, from Nicholls State University. New […]
CMTS’ Fall 2018 Trouble Begins Lectures Series Set
The fall portion of the 2018-2019 The Trouble Begins Lecture Series presented by the Center for Mark Twain Studies features four lectures, with the first event set for Wednesday, October 10 in The Barn at Quarry Farm. All four lectures begin at 7:00 p.m., and are free and open to the public. Wednesday, October 10 in The Barn at Quarry Farm 7 p.m. “Getting to Know Mark Twain through the Eyes of Grace […]
CFP: Special Issue of Mark Twain Annual & 2019 Quarry Farm Symposium – “Mark Twain & the Natural World”
CALL FOR PAPERS SPECIAL ISSUE: MARK TWAIN AND THE NATURAL WORLD The Mark Twain Annual is seeking article-length submissions that examine aspects of Twain’s work that comment on the relation between human beings and the natural world. This broad scope allows for critical examinations of Twain’s writing about the natural world in any number of ways: as nature writing; as a form of environmentalism; as commentary on animal welfare, […]
Quarry Farm Carpet Leaves For Thirty Years, Goes To Turkey, and Comes Back Home
Here is the story of a 15′ x 11’6” Mahal Carpet once belonging to the Langdon family, how it came to me, and how it was restored through the generosity of Charlotte and Leo Landhuis. In 1988, I was cleaning and restoring carpets for Elmira College. A former employee of the College was volunteering at Quarry Farm and asked if I would offer any advice on the rugs and carpets […]
Quarry Farm Fireplace Writing Contest Gives Local Students A Chance To Visit Mark Twain’s Living Room
During the 2017-2018 academic year, The Center for Mark Twain Studies sponsored a creative writing contest for area students in grades 2-6, encouraging students to explore Mark Twain’s legacy and the importance of the Langdon family in Elmira and the Twin Tiers.
While staying at Quarry Farm, Mark Twain encouraged his children to create and tell their own stories based off the tiles adorning the parlor fireplace. The 24 tiles around the fireplace depict fables written by ancient Greek storyteller, Aesop, who utilized animals, such as crows, snakes, mice, and foxes, to illustrate moral lessons.
Winners Selected for the Quarry Farm Fireplace Creative Writing Contest
Winners have been selected for the Quarry Farm tile fireplace creative writing contest sponsored by the Center for Mark Twain Studies (CMTS). Four area students in grades 2-6, were selected for their creative writings exploring Mark Twain’s legacy in Elmira and the Southern Tier: Tessa Baker, Finn Academy; Alexa Fairbanks, Fassett Elementary; Mayla Falank, Cohen Elementary; and Alana Heath, Hendy Elementary. Mark Twain often encouraged his children to create and […]