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Boston Literary Cultural District

UPDATE: This district is no longer active.

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About the district

Geography of the District

The district spanned Downtown Boston and the Back Bay. It included historic sites, such as:

  • the homes of Robert Frost and Henry James
  • the “birthplace” of Curious George, and
  • sites that house writers’ conferences, readings, book festivals, signings, and workshops.
History of the District

The Mass Cultural Council designated the district in October 2014. Boston became the first city in the nation to have a literary cultural district. Boston is known for its rich literary history. The City has served as the home to a broad and diverse set of writers. This includes Phillis Wheatley, Henry David Thoreau, Khalil Gibran, Sylvia Plath, Eugene O’Neill, and many more. Boston still has a vibrant community of contemporary writers and readers.

Mission of the District

The mission of the district was to work with local writers, educational, and literary organizations. The goal was to raise the profile of Boston as a literary city, and to get more people to take part in the literary arts. The district launched the first Boston Lit Crawl in 2016.

Map of the district

You can view a map of the Boston Literary Cultural District.

District map
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