How a Box Became a Novel

By Melora Fern

I didn’t plan to write a novel. My immediate goal was to help my dad get the collections of stuff my mom had hauled from Hawaii cleaned out from under their bed. We had just moved her to assisted living now that her Alzheimer’s had advanced. In the six years since they had relocated, she hadn’t touched any boxes that she insisted she needed. At that time, my frustration overpowered my curiosity.

And then I opened the box marked “Kurtz family history” in my mom’s kindergarten teacher’s block print. My maternal grandmother was the youngest of eight Kurtz kids born and raised in Eastern Pennsylvania. Theirs was a family like so many others and their past had become family lore—limited to fading memories. As I sorted through the stacks of sepia photos, pages of mimeographed genealogy, and newspaper clippings, I discovered something that would change my life. 

Unbeknownst to me, my maternal grandmother, Verna Kurtz Lambert, had been a professional concert whistler and traveled across America with the Swarthmore Chautauqua circuit from 1925-1927. I had no idea what either of these were when I found the Chautauqua circuit brochures, featuring her and other members of her troupe in that box. Thanks to the many rabbit holes the internet provides, I became a moderate expert on Chautauqua circuits, professional whistlers, and the 1920’s. Realizing I couldn’t tell my grandmother’s story, I started dreaming up my own characters while sipping a well-deserved Rosé after cleaning out those piles of old memories from under my parents’ bed.

Before I knew it, the characters living in my head demanded to have their story told. I can’t explain why, but I can tell you that once a story gets a hold of you—it eventually has to be written or you’ll lose all sanity. I’m not one of those who dreamed of writing from an early age. I had always been an avid reader but made a C in my high school creative writing course. I didn’t try writing again until I was well into middle age. My career was in accounting—I knew how to tick off columns and count “beans”—not write a story, let alone a novel. So, I took writing workshops, attended conferences, studied through on-line courses, and met with writer critique groups. Over time with much research, my novel began to take shape, and my characters became more developed. After much editing, reading, and more editing, my writing got better. The characters that had taken up residence in my mind were now living on the pages of my manuscript, train-traveling across rural America, performing daily with their Chautauqua circuit.

I imagine you’re now as curious as I was. Let me save you some time: The Chautauqua Movement, an American phenomenon at the turn of the 20th century, began as a Sunday school teacher’s camp in upstate New York in 1874. Loosely translated from the Haudenosaunee indigenous people language, “chautauqua” meant “two moccasins tied together” (which some say describe the shape of the nearby Lake Chautauqua). American history has appropriated the word Chautauqua to be defined as “any of various traveling shows and local assemblies that flourished in the U.S. in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.” The Chautauqua Institute is still thriving as an educational and recreational lakeside destination in upstate New York.

However, the traveling Chautauqua circuits are what brought the arts, educational lectures, and cultural enrichment to small-towns all over North America. Their highbrow entertainment and lectures are considered as the forerunner to TED talks of today. They also influenced modern journalism, radio, television, and podcasts. 

Many lyceums, universities and even enterprising businessmen jumped on the Chautauqua circuit movement. Their purpose was to stimulate thought and discussion on significant political, social, and cultural issues of the day. Chautauqua upheld the Victorian morals that many communities clung to during a time where urbanization was threatening traditional values. 

 Any town could host a Chautauqua circuit, as long as the community leaders ensured the required number of season ticket sales. Circuits were a win-win for educating rural America—the circuits provided the tents, chairs, stage, talent, lecturers, and the town provided the ticket sales and people. And educate they did! In 1924, considered the circuits’ peak, there were over 1000 circuits in at least 10,000 towns providing culture to as many as 40 million people! 

From around 1910 to 1930, circuit Chautauqua’s tents were set-up in tranquil areas—by a river, park or among trees and all daily activities were stopped so the townspeople could dedicate a week of their life to learn, be entertained, and connect with their families and communities. With the invention of the radio, the effects from the Great Depression, and how people’s interests changed, the Chautauqua circuits ran their course by the late 1930’s. 

As fate would have it, discovering that box of family history ignited a story in me. Chautauqua circuits are continuing to educate people even today, including me. My characters grew into their story which became a manuscript that is now being published. Whistling Women and Crowing Hens, my debut historical fiction about a young woman who finds her voice while whistling and traveling with a Chautauqua circuit will be released by Sibylline Press Digital First on May 16th. 

I’d be absolutely delighted if you connected with me! To buy my book or get in touch, visit my website melorafern.com. You can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Substack. 

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The only constant in life is change—so after multiple doozies, Melora Fern moved from Texas to North Carolina to become herself. Growing up a perpetual new kid she persevered by making-up stories and learned to hone that skill into writing fiction. As a recovering CPA, she now counts treasures and words discovered on her hikes. Turning the pages of her grandmother’s Chautauqua scrapbook has opened infinite research rabbit-holes and ignited her debut historical fiction. In addition to all there is with writing she enjoys her rescue cats, gardening, and losing herself in novels of all genres. Find out more about Melora on her website https://www.melorafern.com/

WHISTLING WOMEN AND CROWING HENS

It’s the 1920’s, and Birdie is whistling on a train-traveling roadshow

To escape her strait-laced overbearing sister, Birdie Stauffer auditions for the all-female Versatile Quintet, Chautauqua circuit’s opening act. Through this train-traveling roadshow she experiences the tumultuous 1920’s, a modern era of shocking flappers and smuggled whiskey, with the camaraderie of newfound friends. 

Her exceptional gift of concert whistling entertains more than songbirds as she gains national notoriety and she’s soon entangled in two romantic relationships. Birdie discovers even the best relationships can be filled with misunderstandings. She learns to trust her intuition yet it may cost her love interests, her sister, and maybe even herself.

“Sexy, smart, and irresistible, this is historical fiction of a very high order—I literally could not put it down! Highly recommended.”

~Lee Smith, NY Times bestselling author

“…a thoroughly immersive and uplifting tale, deftly exploring female ambition in the riotous 1920’s.”

~Heather Bell Adams, author of Maranatha Road and The Good Luck Stone

 

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: On Writing