Several summers ago, Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie was staged on a fire escape in the Central West End. It wasn’t just any fire escape–it was the one just outside Williams’ former home that presumably inspired the famous play. The play served as a connection to the past and as a reminder of the rich literary tradition that exists in the Midwest. If you’re a bibliophile looking for a new way to explore the region, here are literary gems that you don’t want to miss.
ST. LOUIS
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A stroll down the St. Louis Walk of Fame on the Delmar Loop will take you by the stars of literary legends: Maya Angelou, Tennessee Williams, T.S. Eliot, Kate Chopin, William S. Burroughs.
In Calvary Cemetery and Mausoleum (5239 W. Florissant), you’ll find the graves of Kate Chopin and Tennessee Williams.
Writer’s Corner, located at the intersection of Euclid and McPherson, features sculptures of four prominent writers who once lived in the Central West End: Chopin, Williams, Elliot, and Burroughs. Nearby, in the Central West End and in Compton Hill, you can also find the former homes of several authors:
- Kate Chopin, 4232 McPherson
- T.S. Eliot House, 4446 Westminster
- Tennessee Williams, 4633 Westminster (Williams’ former apartment is also available to rent on Airbnb.)
- William S. Burroughs, 4664 Pershing
- Maya Angelou, 3130 Hickory
BEYOND ST. LOUIS
Hannibal, Missouri (2 hours): At the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum in Hannibal, you can learn about Samuel Clemens and his life growing up in the Midwest. You can also visit the Huck Finn House, see the outside of Grant’s Drug Store, and pay tribute to Huck and Jim’s journey down the Mississippi River on the Mark Twain Riverboat. If you’re a fan of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, you’ll want to visit the Mark Twain Cave Complex that directly ties to scenes in the book. 120 N. Main, Hannibal.
Mansfield, Missouri (3 hours): If you’re a Laura Ingalls Wilder fan, you’ll want to travel to the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum in Mansfield. The museum is located at the last of Wilder’s homes and at the one said to have inspired her Little House on the Prarie books. 3060 Highway A, Mansfield.
Indianapolis, Indiana (4 hours): The Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library celebrates the author and his beliefs of “free expression and common decency.” The museum provides a historical look at the Vonnegut’s life and has duplicated his writing space. While in Indianapolis, look for many other tributes to the author, including murals, drinks on menus, and even a restaurant named after Vonnegut’s book Bluebeard. 543 Indiana, Indianapolis, Indiana.
Iowa City, Iowa (4 hours): Shaped by the legacy of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Iowa City is a literary haven and a recognized UNESCO City of Literature. Browse Prairie Lights Bookstore, attend readings at the Iowa City Public Library, and wander the Iowa Literary Walk with its bronze plaques that honor writers who have ties to the famed city. For those interested in the Workshop’s history, you don’t want to miss the Dey House and Glenn Schaeffer Library on the University of Iowa campus.
Oak Park, Illinois (4.5 hours): While Ernest Hemingway may be more frequently associated with Paris, Spain, or even Key West, he was born in Oak Park, Illinois, and you can visit his birthplace. At the museum, you’ll learn more about the first 20 years of Hemingway’s life, which shaped him into the writer he later became. 339 N. Oak Park, Oak Park, Illinois.
Red Cloud, Nebraska (8 hours or a nonstop flight to Wichita): Since 1955, the Willa Cather Foundation has worked to preserve the significant locations and archival material associated with the life and writings of Willa Cather. A visit to Red Cloud, Willa’s hometown, should begin at the National Willa Cather Center, an award-winning museum that features several collections related to her work and life. Visitors can take a guided tour of the many historic sites, including her childhood home, the Burlington Depot, the J.L. Miner House, the Red Cloud Opera House, and several significant churches. Just outside of Red Cloud, in rural Webster County, you’ll find the Pavelka Farmstead, which is featured in My Ántonia. 413 North Webster, Red Cloud.
Cleveland, Ohio (8 hours or a nonstop flight): Langstan Hughes spent his junior and senior years of high school living alone in an attic apartment in Cleveland after his family moved to Chicago for work. The years were formative. Hughes began writing and taught art to children at the Karamu House. You can view the outside of the house, which is a recognized national landmark. 2266 East 86th Street, Cleveland.
St. Paul, Minnesota (8.5 hours): Take a walking tour of the Summit Avenue neighborhood and the location of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s childhood home. Fitzgerald once noted that he grew up in “a house below the average on a street above the average,” which potentially laid the groundwork for The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald’s home is located at 599 Summit; the tour begins at 240 Summit.
