"Not MY Laura!": Laura Ingalls Wilder, Girls Literature, and the Stories We Hold Onto

What exactly is girls’ literature? What do we learn about Laura Ingalls Wilder when we study her work critically? What problems are inherent in being protective of "my" Laura?

And what if there's more than one Laura?

Today's guest, Dawn Sardella-Ayres, Ph.D, is a scholar in girls' literature who has written extensively about Louisa May Alcott, Lucy Maud Montgomery, and Laura Ingalls Wilder. She was a contributor to the 2019 essay collection ⁠⁠Reconsidering Laura Ingalls Wilder: Little House and Beyond⁠.

For the past few years she’s been teaching virtual girls' literature classes through the Newberry Library in Chicago. Her next ⁠class on Laura Ingalls Wilder⁠ starts in March 2026.

===================Theme music is "Roll the Old Chariot Along" from the album Green Willow by the Dreadnaughts. Used with permission.====================

Girls Lit Reading Group (https://hollinsgirlslit.wordpress.com/)