Literary Scene: Salem, Massachusetts

Used to be, Salem was no fun. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find a more sinister and dangerous place in the Puritan New World, particularly for women, and most especially women with imaginations.

330 years later, it’s a different story. In 21st Century Salem, you are encouraged to be exactly who you want to be. Wear whatever you want, eat whatever you want, think whatever you want, do whatever you want. Crawling with extravagantly costumed revelers from far and wide in October, Salem is vastly more than a Halloween mecca throughout the rest of the year.

(List of Book Fairs and Book Festivals by State.)

For writers, Salem is a paradise of diversity and liberation. The vibrant literary scene offers something for everyone, an abundance of opportunities to attend readings, join a writing group, bask in words at a variety of writing and art festivals, or simply sit at an outdoor cafe on the cobbled pedestrian mall sipping a half double decaf cap with a twist of lemon and watching the world go by. Don’t be surprised if local author Brunonia Barry or Katherine Howe takes a seat right beside you.

Coming right up in May, Salem will again host the Massachusetts Poetry Festival, which features over 150 poets and all kinds of readings, workshops, performances, panel discussions, and more. This year’s headliners include January Gill O’Neil, Kimiko Hahn, and Matthew Olzmann.

Book lovers will want to come back in September for the Salem Lit Fest, organized largely by the Salem Athenaeum and featuring a variety of readings and other events held in historic nooks and crannies in and around town.

But the festivals are just icing. Salem State University is a hub for active and involved writers including local luminaries J.D. Scrimgeour, M.P. Carver, and Kevin Carey among many others. Their “Writers Series” brings in some big (and soon-to-be-big) names with remarkable frequency: Naomi Shihab Nye, Richard Hoffman, and P. Djeli Clark this year, to name just a few.

Find an open mic night just about every week at the Walnut Street Coffeehouse, Me & Thee in nearby Marblehead, or the hip and happening Gulu Gulu Cafe right downtown near the ridiculous but very popular Bewitched statue. And if you’re really lucky and find yourself at a laundromat or tattoo parlor, your visit might coincide with a stop on the Improbable Places Poetry Tour, hosted by local poet Colleen Michaels. You never know–in Salem, poetry can happen anywhere, any time.

What lit scene would be complete without a selection of small presses? In its publications of local poetry, Derby Wharf Lightbox does for Salem what Ferlinghetti’s City Lights did for San Francisco. Other indie presses abound, many publishing specialized genres including poetry, historical fiction, local history and, of course, the occult. Literary magazines Soundings East and Molecule: a tiny lit mag, both out of Salem State, publish a fantastic variety of work from across the globe.

Readers and writers will want to investigate some key literary landmarks. Salem was, of course, home to Nathaniel Hawthorne, born only three blocks from the Salem Custom House made famous in his introduction to The Scarlet Letter. From the Custom House, it’s an easy stroll past the Salem National Maritime Historic Site, Mercy Tavern, and Ye Olde Pepper Company candy store to get to The House of the Seven Gables. Now a center for historic preservation and settlement work, H7G offers house and garden tours that bring the world of Hawthorne’s 19th century stories up close and personal. And there is a secret staircase!

There are plenty of other stops along a literary tour of the city. The stately Salem Athenaeum offers workshops and cultural programming year round and a peaceful garden in the warm months, perfect for picnics and good books. Head across the street to the cool and quirky public library, built in 1855 for sea captain John Bertram. Peruse the shelves at Wicked Good Books along pedestrians-only Essex Street, or check out the more specialized selections at one of the many purveyors of all things witchy and magical.

When you need a break to gather your thoughts, park yourself by the window at Jaho Coffee Roaster and Wine Bar, Front Street Coffeehouse, or Lulu’s Bakery and Pantry. Sink yourself and your notebook into an overstuffed chair or sidle up to the historic Tavern bar at the Hawthorne Hotel for a cocktail and Bavarian pretzel. Grab a beer at the Notch Brewery and Tap Room and play a little skeeball, or just watch the river go by. Wander out to the lighthouse at Derby Wharf or find an Adirondack chair on the waterfront.

Salem accommodations fill up quickly. Go historic at The Salem Inn, the newly remodeled Coach House, or the Hawthorne Hotel. Prefer something modern? Try the Salem Waterfront Hotel and Suites or the brand-new Hampton Hotel. Or enjoy the comfortable and friendly Northey Street House Bed and Breakfast just a couple of blocks from Salem Commons.

You don’t need a car! Salem is accessible by train or bus, and transportation within the city is decent, including the city trolley making its rounds several times a day from one end of town to the other. There is a bikeshare system and plenty of Ubers. Or you could rely on your own two feet. Even with so much to do and see, the city really isn’t that big.

Salem is a spirited and inviting place for writers and readers. Bring your notebook.

(Editor's note: I'd like to thank Maile Black for kicking off what I hope will turn into a series of posts on various literary scenes. If you think you can write effectively about a literary scene in your corner of the universe, please pitch me with the subject line "Literary Scene Pitch" at rbrewer@aimmedia.com).