New England Literature Program (NELP)

01/21/2024

I joined a new gym in September (this is Aric writing, btw) and of all the people I’ve met in the past few months, one in particular has stood out as particularly awesome—a physician named Jane, a little older than me, who has been in a lot of the classes I’ve taken. We just started chatting, and I immediately thought, I could be friends with this lady! Well yesterday she asked me what I do, and as I was explaining my job this big smile spread across her face and I asked, You’ve heard of NELP?! And then she told me that she did NESME (for those who don’t know—NESME was a semester-long NELP that they experimented with a few times in the 80s…) and ONCE AGAIN I was left wondering, Of all the people I could have become friends with here, how did I manage to find the one NELPer?! Either the program creates very cool people, or it attracts very cool people, or some combination of the two.

Who else has stories like this?!? I know they’re out there.

And while I have your attention: It’s official—NELP has a new, permanent Director, James Pinto. Now that that’s settled, I’m going to transfer ownership of this page to him. It was my great honor to run NELP for those 15 years, and I know James will be a fabulous leader going forward. Welcome, James! Long live NELP!!

09/21/2022

In case you missed it on the NELP Alum page—

A big announcement: After 25 years of NELP and 15 years as NELP Director, I need a break! And maybe more than a break... There was a time not long ago that I thought I’d continue running NELP right up into retirement. But the past few years have been so full of challenges—all of which we’ve met with great success, each year bringing the NELP experience to another cohort of extraordinary students. Making that happen, though, meant an already tough job becoming even more difficult; this summer I started testing the waters for a possible replacement. And after lots (and lots!) of meetings, it’s official: James PInto, a lecturer in the English Department and former NELP instructor of several years, will take over as Interim Director of NELP starting October 1 and will see the program through its 2023 season. After that, if James decides to pursue it, we’ll work on making that interim appointment permanent. And if not, I’ve promised the English Department that I’ll return to run the program again, hopefully refreshed and rejuvenated. I’m very grateful that the current teams of administrators in the English Department and LSA have agreed to this transition plan; it’s not always been the case that they’ve understood that NELP needs someone running it who knows the program already and will carry on our traditions.(Get Lost Day! The NELP journal! Mt. Chocorua! Work Groups!) James will make sure that those parts of NELP we know to be fundamental to the program will remain intact, while helping NELP continue to navigate the challenges that come with a constantly changing world. I’m tremendously grateful to him for stepping in.

As for me—my time with NELP isn’t necessarily over. Part of me would love to return this spring and enjoy the experience of teaching in the program without being in charge of it. Another part of me would like at least a year fully away—to see the lilac bush in my front yard bloom, maybe even to attend a gay pride parade or two, which always happen while I’m at NELP (where I’ve spent every spring of my life since I was 20 years old!) If and when I return to join the NELP staff remains to be determined. For now, I’m just thrilled to welcome James back to NELP (he’s not on Facebook, but I think he likely will be soon) and to know that the program is marching strong towards its 50th anniversary, coming up in just a few years. Hopefully, we’ll celebrate it as we did the 40th—and maybe even some of us will get to contradance with each other again!

As ever,
Aric Knuth

09/26/2021

Lots of NELP-thinking reflected in this great NYT article…

Americans are not just burned out and underpaid — our entire relationship to work is broken.

05/02/2020

Diane Cook, Ryan Babbitt, Maya West, Rachael Cohen, Dargie Anderson, Hannah Ensor, Aisha Sabatini Sloan, Kristin Saba Fisher, Emily Hilliard, Ryan Walsh (not pictured) Alistair Bomphray, and Rachel Bomphray got together to surprise longtime NELP staffer Rebecca Wright with an online NELP Staff Meeting for her birthday today. Give us any problem, and we will fix it!! ❤️❤️❤️

03/19/2020

03/08/2020

BIG CONGRATS TO NELP ALUM AND FORMER NELP STAFFER JILLIAN WALKER!! Go see her show if you’re in NYC!!

On a set that transforms the Bushwick Starr into a cave beneath a tree, Jillian Walker tells a story of her family, and of blackness in America, that aches with hope.

03/01/2020

Congrats to NELP Alum Derek Aguirre who started this amazing organization in Detroit, which is now in its tenth year. (And recent college grads: now and then they’re hiring, so keep this on your radar!)

The Racquet Up program will celebrate 10 years of youth success stories this spring through squash and education.

02/17/2020

Lots of you will remember Carolyn Chute. (If you meet her, you can't forget her...) Her latest novel is out this week, and here she is in a long interview and Q&A on Maine Public Radio's "Maine Calling." At one point a fan calls in to say how much he loves this line from the new book:

"The law locks up the man or woman who steals the goose from off the Common, but lets the greater villain loose who steals the Common from the goose."

That is, without question, a flash from the mind of Carolyn Chute. She's a strange, wild, brilliant person--and she loves NELP as much as we love her. Here's her strange, wild, brilliant interview:

https://www.mainepublic.org/term/carolyn-chute

02/03/2020

Oooooh and one more that someone just sent in:

Britons are skipping the heated pool and rediscovering the pleasures of lakes, rivers, and seas—even in winter.

02/03/2020

ICYMI: Here's an article that people keep sending my way--for good reason. I think some of you will be interested, too...

As so-called intentional communities proliferate across the country, a subset of Americans is discovering the value of opting out of contemporary society.

01/28/2020

Some of you have surely stood at this very same spot on Chocorua Lake Road.