CAM Talk: Honoring 36 Years of “The Writer’s Block” with John Ronan

Description

Since its debut in 1990, The Writer’s Block has welcomed more than 500 guests, including poets, novelists, journalists, and writers of all genres and generations with ties to greater Cape Ann. Widely recognized as one of the longest-running and most successful public access programs in the country, the series has played a vital role in documenting and celebrating the region’s literary voices. In 2025, John Ronan, producer and host of The Writer’s Block, gifted the program’s archives to the Cape Ann Museum. This significant donation ensures the preservation and public accessibility of the series, furthering and advancing the Museum’s commitment to collecting and sharing stories of contemporary Cape Ann. The program will feature a panel of five past guests of The Writer’s Block, who will join John Ronan in reflecting on the show’s legacy and its enduring connection to the Cape Ann literary community.

Celebrating the launch of the 36th season of The Writer’s Block and the gift of the program’s archives to the Cape Ann Museum, this program will feature a panel of five past guests of The Writer’s Block, who will join John Ronan in reflecting on the show’s legacy and its enduring connection to the Cape Ann literary community.

John Ronan, producer and host of The Writer’s Block, is also a poet, writer, filmmaker, teacher, and journalist. Ronan has been a central figure in Cape Ann’s literary life for decades. He is Professor Emeritus at North Shore Community College and served as the City of Gloucester’s Poet Laureate from 2008 to 2010. His work has been recognized with honors including a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, a Ucross Fellowship, and a Bread Loaf Scholarship. He continues to write and publish poetry, most recently with the release of his latest collection, The Idea of Light, underscoring his ongoing commitment to the literary arts.