Rose O'Neill Literary House
Edith Wharton - not the famous 20th Century author of Ethan Frome, but the famous Literary House cat-in-residence.
Meet the Staff
Joshua Wolf Shenk
Director of the O'Neill Literary House. An acclaimed essayist and author, Shenk has contributed to The Atlantic Monthly, Harper's Magazine, The Economist, and many other journals. His first book, Lincoln's Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness, was a New York Times Notable Book of 2005, was named one of the best books of the year by The Washington Post, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; and won citations from the Abraham Lincoln Institute and the National Mental Health Association.
Before joining Washington College in July 2006, Shenk taught creative writing at the New School University and New York University. He has also been a resident fellow at the MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, and the Blue Mountain Center. Shenk's other honors include a Rosalynn Carter Fellowship in Mental Health Journalism from the Carter Center, a Fellowship in Non-Fiction Literature from the New York Foundation for the Arts, and a scholarship at the Bread Loaf Writer's Conference.
Shenk is the third permanent Director of the Rose O'Neill Literary House, following Professor Robert Day and Professor Robert Mooney. He is also a lecturer in the Washington College English Department, focusing on creative-non fiction. He lives and writes in Chestertown, Maryland.
Kathryn Bursick
Assistant Director to the O'Neill Literary House. A Pittsburgh native, Bursick holds a B.A. in English literature from Franklin & Marshall College, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the College Dispatch and was a recipient of the 2004 William Uhler Hensel Prize in English. She researched the rise of the novel in England, America, Nigeria, and the West Indies as a Hackman Scholar. In addition to freelance writing and editing, she enjoys researching historical piracy and execution sermons.
Owen Bailey
Administrative Assistant to the O'Neill Literary House. Born and bred in Chestertown, Maryland, Owen holds a B.A. in American Studies from WC, having been a transfer student from Western Maryland College. The runner-up in the Upper-Shore Poetry contest, Owen is interested in creative writing and is currently an English Masters student at Washington College. His interests are in 19th century literature, Gothic literature and short stories as well as religious studies.
300 Washington Avenue, Chestertown, Maryland 21620 | 410-778-2800 | 800-422-1782