Mill Talk: KISSING THE SHUTTLE with author Mary Ann Mayer
Premiering on YouTube HERE
Join us for a presentation and reading by the author of Kissing the Shuttle – A Lyric History (Blackstone River Books, 2018) — a collection of poetry, archival images and prose summaries re-enacting a history at risk of being forgotten. The title refers to a common weaving practice that spread tuberculosis. The book explores the nexus between labor and health, and features early public health initiatives to curb the spread of TB. At the turn of the 20th century, it was the leading cause of death in the world; everyone knew someone who had TB.
Experience life in the mills, mill villages, tuberculosis sanatorium, and a 1908 Rhode Island “fresh-air school” which launched a national movement, newly relevant today. This associational history also traces King Cotton and “Cotton Fever,” in poems exploring New England industry’s connection to slavery and collusion between “the lords of the loom and the lords of the lash.” Mayer brings history alive through lyrical rhythms, period details, diverse voices, and silence:“…Under menace of storm clouds / ships slip northward on amnesia, full / of cotton, tobacco, denial / bound for enlightened Providence…”
Mayer, also an occupational therapist, shows the human face of industrialization, and how TB, a “social disease” (without vaccine or cure, beyond “open-air” hygienic living) begat social solutions. In a region best known as the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution, she was inspired by discovering other innovative “firsts.” And, moved by the solidarity and “esprit de corps” behind campaigns to turn an epidemic around…over one hundred years ago! The Historian Laureate of Rhode Island, Dr. Patrick T. Conley describes the book as, “a skillful weave of history with verse to create a tapestry that is a blend of both triumph and tragedy.” It will inform, surprise, and entertain fans of history and poetry alike.
Mary Ann Mayer
Raised in Rhode Island’s Blackstone Valley, Mary Ann Mayer has three poetry collections, including Telephone Man and Salt & Altitudes (Finishing Line Press.) Her poetry has appeared in numerous literary publications and anthologies, including They Worked, We Write – Honoring The Lives Of New England Workers (Ocean State Poets.) Her work has recently been featured at the Massachusetts Poetry Festival. Her honors include GrubStreet’s “Blue Period” Poetry Prize, a Massachusetts Cultural Council grant, and Massachusetts Book Award and Pushcart Prize nominations, among others. Mary Ann volunteers with the Ocean State Poets, promoting poetry in underserved communities. She attended Boston University and Tufts; as a retired occupational therapist, she remains interested in creating environments which enable people to thrive, and stories of resilience.
Contact Mary Ann at blackstoneriverbooks@gmail.com
The Mill Talks at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation are free and open to the public and are made possible by the generous support of the Lowell Institute.
