The bookshelves of American literature are incredible collections that have gathered together centuries of very talented authors. From this continent their fame spread and whilst among their number many are now forgotten or neglected their talents endure. Among them is Martha Gruening.

Amelia Alderson, an only child, was born on the 12th November 1769 in Norwich, England.After the death of her mother on New Year’s Eve 1784 she became her father's housekeeper and hostess.The young Amelia was energetic, attractive, and an admirer of fashion. She spent much of her youth writing poetry and plays and putting on local amateur theatricals. At 18 she had published anonymously ‘The Dangers of Coquetry’.Amelia married in the spring of 1798 to the artist Joh...

Sherwood Anderson was born on 13th September 1876 in Camden, Ohio.When his father’s business failed the family was forced to move on a regular basis before finally settling in Clyde, Ohio.Anderson, one of 7 children, left school at 14 to take a number of jobs to help with the family finances. These were difficult years.He moved to Chicago in search of opportunities before joining the Army for the US-Spanish War of 1898. He then entered Wittenberg Academy in Springfi...

Sherwood Anderson was born on 13th September 1876 in Camden, Ohio.When his father’s business failed the family was forced to move on a regular basis before finally settling in Clyde, Ohio.Anderson, one of 7 children, left school at 14 to take a number of jobs to help with the family finances. These were difficult years.He moved to Chicago in search of opportunities before joining the Army for the US-Spanish War of 1898. He then entered Wittenberg Academy in Springfi...

Sherwood Anderson was born on 13th September 1876 in Camden, Ohio.When his father’s business failed the family was forced to move on a regular basis before finally settling in Clyde, Ohio.Anderson, one of 7 children, left school at 14 to take a nu

Josiah Henson (1789 – 1883) was an author, abolitionist and minister. He was born into slavery in Maryland, and escaped to Canada in 1830, where he founded a settlement for fugitive slaves in Ontario. Henson's autobiography, ‘The Life of Josiah Henson, Formerly a Slave, Now an Inhabitant of Canada, as Narrated by Himself’ (1849), is thought to have inspired the title character of Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel ‘Uncle Tom's Cabin’. The autobiography was written down by the abolitionist Samue...

Sherwood Anderson was born on 13th September 1876 in Camden, Ohio.When his father’s business failed the family was forced to move on a regular basis before finally settling in Clyde, Ohio.Anderson, one of 7 children, left school at 14 to take a number of jobs to help with the family finances. These were difficult years.He moved to Chicago in search of opportunities before joining the Army for the US-Spanish War of 1898. He then entered Wittenberg Academy in Springfi...

What if any dull, stilted exchange could turn into a genuine connection — even if you become a blundering mess around strangers?You are fine with close friends, but the moment a stranger appears you freeze. Your mind goes blank, the silence stretches, and afterward you replay every awkward thing you said.You are tired of feeling anxious at parties, meetings, and introductions, watching other people hit it off effortlessly while you rehearse a line you nev...

David Walker (1796 –1830) was an abolitionist and anti-slavery activist. In 1829, he published ‘An Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World’, a call for black unity and resistance against slavery. Walker challenged the racism of his time, specifically targeting the American Colonization Society, an organization which sought to deport all free and freed blacks from the United States to a colony in Africa. The Appeal described the detrimental effects of slavery and discrimination against...

If there was one thing you could do to change how you think, feel, and act - would you do it?If you feel stressed, anxious, depressed, or unfocused, meditation can help you harness the changing nature of the brain in order to increase peacefulness and quality of life.A practical, research-focused look at mindfulness and meditation that is proven to relieve stress, anxiety, pain, improve your awareness, and help you live a more peaceful life in 8 weeks or ...

Sherwood Anderson was born on 13th September 1876 in Camden, Ohio.When his father’s business failed the family was forced to move on a regular basis before finally settling in Clyde, Ohio.Anderson, one of 7 children, left school at 14 to take a number of jobs to help with the family finances. These were difficult years.He moved to Chicago in search of opportunities before joining the Army for the US-Spanish War of 1898. He then entered Wittenberg Academy in Springfi...

Sherwood Anderson was born on 13th September 1876 in Camden, Ohio.When his father’s business failed the family was forced to move on a regular basis before finally settling in Clyde, Ohio.Anderson, one of 7 children, left school at 14 to take a nu