Have you ever heard of Jeremiah Hacker? Neither has most of the modern American public, unfortunately! But fear not! Frayed Edge Press author Rebecca Pritchard is ready to educate, and to bring this important but forgotten 19th-century rabble-roused to life at an upcoming event hosted by the Maine Historical Society. Author of at Jeremiah Hacker: Journalist, Anarchist, Abolitionist from Frayed Edge Press, Pritchard will re-introduce the waiting public to Hacker on Saturday, July 27, 2019 from 1:00 to 2:00pm at the Maine Historical Society (MHS) in Portland. This event will feature a slide show and talk by Pritchard, as well as time for Q&A and discussion.

Jeremiah Hacker was an outspoken and controversial journalist based in Portland, Maine, for much of his professional life. He's perhaps best known as the publisher and lead writer for The Pleasure Boat, which has the distinction of being considered Maine's most controversial newspaper. Inspired by his Quaker background, Hacker worked to end slavery, poverty, and inequality of women through his writing. He spoke out against prisons, advocating instead for reform and education. He broke with all forms of organized religion and urged people to leave their churches and find moral direction from within. He promoted no political party, believing people would be better off without government. He was in favor of land for all. The most controversial of Hacker’s radical ideas, however—and the one that lost him the most readers—was his advocacy for peace as the country headed toward Civil War.
 
The Maine Historical Society has as its mission: "Preserving History, Engaging Minds, Connecting Maine." Pritchard's talk promises to do just that. Many of the historical photographs in the book were reproduced with permission of the MHS and came from their collections. To learn more about this book, visit: ​https://www.frayededgepress.com/jeremiah-hacker.html

Jeremiah Hacker was one of the most well-known, and controversial, citizens of Portland, Maine in the 19th century. Frayed Edge Press author Rebecca Pritchard brings this colorful character back to life in her recently published book, Jeremiah Hacker: Journalist, Anarchist, Abolitionist. This weekend, she brings Hacker "home" to Portland, in a reading at Sherman's Maine Coast Book Shop Portland!

Join us on Saturday, June 8, 2019 from  11:30am-12:30pm at Sherman's, located at 49 Exchange Street in the Old Port area of downtown Portland. Copies of the book will be available for sales, and there will be time for questions and answers from the author.

To learn more about this book, visit: https://www.frayededgepress.com/jeremiah-hacker.html 

Frayed Edge Press author Rebecca Pritchard will appear at Sherman's Books of Bar Harbor, Maine on Saturday, April 13, 2019. Pritchard will be reading from her recently-published book on Portland, Maine's radical newspaperman: Jeremiah Hacker: Journalist, Anarchist, Abolitionist. There will be time for questions and discussion as well. All those interested in Maine history are encouraged to attend.

The reading will take place from 1:00 to 3:00 pm at Sherman's Books, 56 Main St, Bar Harbor, ME. 

Books will be available for sale at the event, or get your copy here:
https://www.frayededgepress.com/jeremiah-hacker.html 

Rebecca Pritchard, author of Jeremiah Hacker: Journalist, Anarchist, Abolitionist has been interviewed on Portland, Maine's WGAN news radio by podcaster John McDonald. In this interview, Rebecca speaks about why she wanted to write about this colorful and controversial 19th century American newspaperman and activist, and what relevance Hacker's ideas still have for us today. Listen in on this lively conversation about Maine history and its continuing relevance.

Listen to the full fifteen-minute podcast on the WGAN site here:
https://wgan.com/podcasts/author-rebecca-pritchard

Learn more about the book here:
https://www.frayededgepress.com/jeremiah-hacker.html

Rebecca Pritchard has published the first book-length consideration of a little-known 19th-century radical with Jeremiah Hacker: Journalist, Anarachist, Abolitionist from Frayed Edge Press. Well-known and controversial in his lifetime, Hacker has all but disappeared from public understanding. Pritchard brings this colorful figure back to life, detailing his life and career as journalist in Maine, as well as his progressive social activism on a range of topics: abolition of slavery, women's right, prison reform, and pacifism. 

“Jeremiah Hacker: Journalist, Anarchist, Abolitionist opens a window on a fascinating Maine original, as well as on a whole era of thought, social justice, religion, women’s rights, reform and farming. Maine’s 19th century Jeremiah Hacker and his vehement convictions are at last unbound," writes William David Barry in the Portland Press Herald.

"Rebecca Pritchard has crafted a vivid portrait of one of mid-nineteenth-century America’s most colorful public figures. Jeremiah Hacker--teacher, itinerant preacher, journalist-publisher and uncompromising reformer—roamed city streets his ear trumpet in hand. His deafness proved no impediment to a life of impressive moral activism. Pritchard skillfully reconstructs the life of a now forgotten reformer, but she accomplishes much more. She situates Hacker’s wide-ranging commitment to reform in the hothouse of pre-Civil War idealism. Pritchard tells a remarkable story in engaging, lively prose," say Joseph Conforti, author of Imagining New England and Jonathan Edwards, Religious Tradition, and American Culture.

Find out more about this book here: https://www.frayededgepress.com/jeremiah-hacker.html 

We're pleased to announce the cover reveal for Rebecca Pritchard's forthcoming book, Jeremiah Hacker: Journalist, Anarchist, Abolitionist. This nineteenth-century radical was well-known and controversial in his day, but few people now know of him. Pritchard's book aims to change that, and introduce a contemporary audience to a man who was ahead of his time in terms of many social issues, including women's rights, prison reform, and questioning the roles of organized religion and the government. He was based in Portland, ME for most of his life, where he served as editor and main writer for The Pleasure Boat, known as Maine's most controversial newspaper.

Rebecca M. Pritchard studied writing at the Salt Institute in Portland, Maine, and American & New England Studies at the University of Southern Maine. In school, she became interested in the stories buried in old newspapers and spent her time in libraries poring over their wrinkled pages. She has worked for the Maine Historical Society, the Abbe Museum, and Acadia National Park. She lives with her husband and daughter in Bar Harbor, Maine where she writes for The Mount Desert Islander. This is her first book.

Jeremiah Hacker is now available at a special pre-publication sales price of 20% off list price. For more information, see: https://www.frayededgepress.com/jeremiah-hacker.html