"One of the many virtues of this book is that it will spark a renewed and deserved interest in some of these writers."—Bill Kauffman, author of Ain’t My America: The Long, Noble History of Antiwar Conservatism and Middle-American Anti-Imperialism
"Resting Among Us: Author’s Gravesites in Upstate New York is a must read for anyone who loves American history and literature. Edna St. Vincent Millay wrote: 'Into the darkness they go, the wise and the lovely.'
Steven Huff shines a light on them all."—Stephen Kuusisto, author of Planet of the Blind"Truth be told, I first learned about more than half the authors included in the skillfully-woven, fact-filled chapters of Steven Huff’s new book, Resting among Us: Author's Gravesites in Upstate New York. What better or wittier guide could we find to uncover the rich, literary necropolis beneath our feet in the Empire State?"—William B. Patrick, author of Metrofix: The Combative Comeback of a Company Town
Description
Too often, the lives and works of authors who called Upstate New York home are overshadowed by the icons of New York City. Resting among Us uncovers the region’s rich literary heritage through Steven Huff’s journeys to the graves of writers both famous and celebrated as well as those that have been forgotten. While most Upstate residents are aware that Mark Twain’s grave is in Elmira and that James Fenimore Cooper’s is in Cooperstown, many people don’t realize a noted author may be buried in their local cemetery. For instance, Paul Bowles is buried in Lakemont, John Gardner in Batavia, Rod Serling in Interlaken, John Burroughs in Roxbury, and Adelaide Crapsey in Rochester. Interwoven with these remarkable literary lives are the connected stories of the region’s history and Huff’s own encounters and friendships with some of the writers included in the book. With directions to each author’s grave, as well as photographs of the graves and authors themselves, Resting among Us is the perfect companion for your own enlightening literary pilgrimage.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction 1
East
1. Albany: Charles Fort
2. Auriesville: Daniel Berrigan
3. Austerlitz: Edna St. Vincent Millay
4. Cooperstown: James Fenimore Cooper, Susan Fenimore Cooper
5. Kingston: Walter B. Gibson
6. Roxbury: John Burroughs
7. Saratoga Springs: Mansfield Tracy Walworth, Charles Brackett
8. Stamford: Ned Buntline (Edward Zane Carroll Judson)
9. Woodstock: Howard Koch, Hervey White, Paula Danziger, Janine Pommy Vega
Central
10. Clinton: Alexander Woollcott
11. Elmira: Mark Twain
12. Fayetteville: Matilda Joslyn Gage
13. Geneva: Sarah Hopkins Bradford
14. Hamilton: Walter R. Brooks
15. Interlaken: Rod Serling
16. Ithaca: Carl Sagan, Deborah Tall, A. R. Ammons, William Strunk Jr.
17. Lakemont: Paul Bowles
18. Newark: Charles R. Jackson
19. Ontario / Furnaceville: Jane Roberts
20. Port Byron: Clara Barrus
21. Syracuse: Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews, Edward Noyes Westcott
22. Pulaski: Claude Bragdon
23. Utica: Harold Frederic
24. Watertown: Frederick Exley
West
25. Allegany / Olean: Robert Lax
26. Arcade: Fran Striker
27. Batavia: John Gardner
28. Brockport: A. Poulin Jr., Mary Jane Holmes
29. Buffalo: Al Boasberg, Shirley Chisholm, Leslie Fiedler, Anna Katherine Green, Edward Caleb Randall, Edward Streeter
30. Canandaigua: Austin Steward, John Chapin Mosher
31. Coldspring: Governor Blacksnake
32. Fredonia: Grace S. Richmond, Olive Risley Seward
33. Geneseo: Carl Carmer
34. Kendall: Anthony Piccione
35. Mayville: Albion Tourgée
36. Rochester: Susan B. Anthony, Adelaide Crapsey, Algernon Crapsey, Frederick Douglass, Lewis Henry Morgan, Lillian Wald, Edward R. Crone, Louise Brooks, Henry Clune, Arch Merrill
37. Rushford: Philip Wylie
About the Author
Steven Huff teaches creative writing in the Solstice Low-Residency MFA Program at Lasell University in Boston. He is the former publisher and managing editor at BOA Editions, Ltd. and the founder of Tiger Bark Press.
October 2023