Whittier Birthplace Curator Gus Reusch shares a curious tale about a dime found in the museum.

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I’m thrilled to announce that the anthology Snowbound with Zombies, a collection of horror stories inspired by the supernatural tales of the poet and abolitionist John Greenleaf Whitter, will be released at a free special event this weekend.

The event will take place Saturday September 26 at the Whittier Birthplace in Haverhill, Massachusetts, from 1 PM to 3 PM. All proceeds will benefit the 327-year-old birthplace museum, which is a favorite educational field trip destination for students of all ages in the Haverhill area.

My story, “Shreds of Black,” is based on his poem “Telling the Bees” and accompanies stories by twenty-two others; I’ll join writers Judi Calhoun, Roxanne Dent, Suzanne Dent, David Goudsward, Scott Goudsward, John McIlveen, Gregory L. Norris, and Faye Ringel (who will also provide a selection of 19th Century songs for the afternoon) on Saturday, and yes, we’d be happy to sign your copies. Refreshments and free tours of the birthplace will also be available (and their gift shop of books on Whittier is definitely not to be missed).

In order to get a better sense of the setting for “Shreds of Black,” Nathan and I spent a day up at the Whittier Birthplace in May, where Curator Gus Reusch treated us to several hours of fascinating history. Here we are in front of the fireplace.

The author’s afternoon is part of Haverhill’s 375th anniversary programming, and because it is also Trails & Sails weekend, there will be plenty to do in the area. For more information, visit the John Greenleaf Whittier Birthplace press page here.

This may not be the greatest video as it’s jumpy, but these are new beehives which were placed on the property earlier this year in the hopes of recultivating the small orchard.