Geek of the Week

Occupation: Teacher

Why do you come to the library? I come to the library with my daughters. We love the children’s room! It makes us happy to see the latest books on the shelves! I also love to read local authors like Elin Hildebrand and Jodi Picoult.

What do you geek? Reading New England authors.

Lawrence Library geeks reading New England authors, too! A rich and diverse group of authors has hailed from the northeast, including Edgar Allan Poe, whose first published work was simply signed, “A Bostonian.” Other poets include Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost and Ralph Waldo Emerson, all of whom are represented in “An Anthology of the New England Poets from Colonial Times to the Present Day.”

There are lots of authors from the area, including Louisa May Alcott and Herman Melville, with whom many are already familiar, but not as many people know that comedienne Mindy Kaling, author of “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)” is from Cambridge. Dennis Lehane, author of “Gone, Baby, Gone” and “Mystic River,” is a native or Dorchester, and both thriller-writer Robert B. Parker and children’s author Dr. Seuss lived in Springfield.

Fantasy fans may prefer to read Leominster’s own R.A. Salvatore, while fans of horror will embrace Maine native Stephen King. Also from Maine is award-winning children’s author Lois Lowry. Connecticut can boast being home to both Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe, who lived next door to each other and were good friends. John Irving, author of “The Cider House Rules” and “A Prayer for Owen Meany,” was born in Exeter, N.H., and may have even set some of his short stories in the town.

There is something for everyone when it comes to New England writers. Perhaps you’re more a fan of romance? Try books by Wellesley alumna Lisa Kleypas; not only did she live in the state for many years, she was actually Miss Massachusetts in 1985!

There are several current and former Pepperell residents who have been published, including Inanna Arthen, author of “Mortal Touch,” and young adult authors Susan Soares, who wrote “My Zombie Ex-Boyfriends,” and Stephanie Blackburn, author of “Summer at 19.” Children’s book authors and illustrators Annette Cate and Timothy McLean are also from town. Our library also was featured in a book! Caldecott winner Barbara Cooney was a resident of Pepperell for many years, and featured our building as the library in “Miss Rumphius.”

The library can help everyone explore the things they geek. For information, stop by Lawrence Library.