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Reverse-Gentrification of the Literary World

Akashic Books

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Laurie Loewenstein on the Smith College Relief Unit

To celebrate the release of Unmentionables by Laurie Loewenstein, we’ve invited organizations to share with us some history related to aspects incorporated in the novel. Today, Laurie talks about her decision to sent her protagonist to volunteer in France with the fictional Fielding College Relief Unit during the Great War. The Fielding College Relief Unit is based on the Smith College Relief Unit, founded in 1917 by Smith College alumna Harriet Boyd Hawes; archivists at Smith College have graciously allowed us to share a photo of and some information about the relief unit.