The second installment of the “Newburyport 101” lunchtime series by Ghlee Woodworth will take place on Thursday, June 20, and will focus on prominent artists and authors of Newburyport.

“Newburyport 101” offers an overview of important topics in local history, and takes place on the third Thursday of the month from 12:00-1:00pm, now through November.  The programs are designed to stand alone yet complement one another, so that they can be attended individually or as a complete series.  Attendees are encouraged to bring a brown bag lunch. 

Many acclaimed artists and authors have called Newburyport home throughout its history.  Noteworthy artists include Laura Coombs Hills (1859-1952), known for her colorful floral pastels and delicate portrait miniatures, and Alfred Thompson Bricher (1837-1908), known for his marine landscape paintings.   Local authors Sara Mulliken (1874-1955), Jane Andrews (1833-1887), and Ethel Parton (1862-1944) penned popular children’s books, many of which were set in Newburyport and introduced young readers to the area’s rich history.  James Parton (1822-1891), father of Ethel Parton, was a popular biographer, and wrote on subjects ranging from Voltaire to Aaron Burr. 

Speaker Ghlee Woodworth is author of Tiptoe Through the Tombstones about Newburyport’s Oak Hill Cemetery, and creator of the Clipper Heritage Trail, for which she received an Award of Merit from the American Association for State and Local History.