Martha Ackmann
CommentatorMartha Ackmann is a journalist and author who writes about women who have changed America. Her essays and columns have appeared in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and The New York Times.
Ackmann’s books include “The Mercury 13: The True Story of Thirteen Women and the Dream of Space Flight,” “Curveball: The Remarkable Story of Toni Stone, First Woman to Play Professional Baseball in the Negro League,” and “These Fevered Days: Ten Pivotal Moments in the Making of Emily Dickinson.”
A Guggenheim fellow and former scholar in non-fiction at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, Ackmann lives in western Massachusetts, and is at work on a new book about Dolly Parton.
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I recently retired, and have done what many new old fogeys do: I finished a long-term project, renewed my gym membership and — yes — cleaned closets. I… -
Samuel Bowles was the editor of The Springfield Republican. As a young man in the 1850s, he transformed the Republican into one of New England’s most… -
Over his long life, Richard Wilbur was a writer of immense achievement.But in these parts, he also was our neighbor. For decades, Wilbur lived in… -
A number of years ago, a friend invited me to judge a cooking contest in Hawley, Mass. My friend is nothing if not enterprising, and had organized the… -
Friends tell commentator Martha Ackmann that she has odd pastimes. One of them is participating in literary marathons. That's when great literary works… -
For many drivers, GPS is the greatest thing since unleaded gas, anti-lock brakes and cup holders. But for commentator Martha Ackmann, not so much.A while… -
The Red Sox open the season Monday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Fans will head to Fenway for the 2:05 p.m. first pitch. Commentator Martha Ackmann says… -
The toy company LEGO recently announced it would release a new line of plastic figures immortalizing the women of NASA. The new NASA set will feature… -
Emily Dickinson, the great American poet, was born December 10, 1830. Commentator and author Martha Ackmann lives a few miles up the road from Dickinson’s…
