S01E06 | Inventing Pacific Northwest Literature: Ella Rhoads Higginson

C19: America in the 19th Century

Why should we care about a once famous, then forgotten woman writer? While conducting research in the Washington State archives, Laura Laffrado (Western Washington University) stumbled upon the twelve linear feet of the papers of forgotten Pacific Northwest author Ella Rhoads Higginson (1862?-1940) and set out to recover Higginson and her storied literary career. Celebrated prize-winning author and first Poet Laureate of Washington State, Higginson was said to have put the Pacific Northwest on the literary map. Weaving together her journey of discovery, her students’ reactions to Higginson, and a local film company’s account of adapting Higginson’s screenplay, Laffrado introduces listeners to a woman who not only penned an impressive range of work but even rewrote The Scarlet Letter for her Pacific Northwest audience. Laffrado’s collection, Selected Writings of Ella Higginson: Inventing Pacific Northwest Literature (2015), brings Higginson’s work back into print and testifies to the enduring value of literary recovery, feminism, and recognizing the women who came before us. This episode was produced by Jeremy Cushman, Associate Professor of English at Western Washington University. The Western Washington University students interviewed in the podcast are Hana Shishkarev, a graduate student in English, and undergraduate Marielle Stockton. The co-owners of the independent film company Talking to Crows who are interviewed are Cassidy Young and Stacy Reynolds. Post-production help from Kristie Schlauraff.