Wednesday, October 21, 2026 · 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Community Room — 100 Webster St., Whitman, MA
Massachusetts author, travel writer, and historian Alison O'Leary will join us to go beyond the myths to examine the hysteria, legal battles, and human stories that defined the tragic chapter of witchcraft in American history. She will analyze the historical record and explore how fear and suspicion tore a local community apart. O'Leary is a longtime journalist who has worked for newspapers from Austin, Texas, to Reno Nevada to Bath, Maine, and suburban Boston. She was previously a correspondent for the Boston Globe, and editor for The Boston Parents' Paper and skirt! magazines. Most recently, O'Leary published "Abandon Ship" a middle reader book with NYT bestselling author Michael Tougias. She has also collaborated with Tougias on writing "Attacked at Sea," a middle reader adaptation of "So Close To Home," published in 2016. An avid outdoorswoman, O'Leary published "Inns and Adventures" with Tougias in 2016. Additionally, she was part of the Appalachian Mountain Club's tradition of publishing guidebooks as she helped write, "Best Day Hikes Near Boston." O'Leary has won awards for writing and editing over the years: a 2017 Charlie Award (silver) for history writing from the…