How does “StoryLines New England” differ from the programs featuring other regions?
Being a New Englander, I think we’ve got the best literature, OK? (laughs). It’s going to be the best, that’s why it’s different (laughs). In the West, the much stronger presence of native peoples meant that there’s nationally known contemporary Native American writers. Also, the presence of the frontier is still strong in some of the regions. What gets studied in New England is the incredible four centuries of layering of communities and histories. And I also think the presence of the past. We have a literature that goes back, in terms of printed texts, almost four centuries now. There’s just going to be more historic consciousness, perhaps some more early books, than some of the other series had. How does a region’s culture get represented in literature these days, when information travels so quickly? Great question. That’s not only a question of contemporary media, when things can instantly be everywhere and nowhere, but it’s also a quality of American life. In the global society, a
