Harvard Club of Washington, DC

A Dinner Conversation with Lesley Lee Francis AB '52, Author of You Come Too

Meet the granddaughter of Robert Frost over wine and beer and a full dinner. Dr. Francis will talk about Frost's time at Harvard as both student and professor and the genesis of her book.

Her new book, You Come Too:  My Journey with Robert Frost (University of Virginia Press, 2015), will be the subject of her talk.  By way of introduction, she will talk about Frost’s time at Harvard as a student and as a professor (included in her article “Robert Frost at Harvard: ‘Imperfectly Academic’” Harvard Magazine, March-April 1984).

During the talk, which will last about 30 minutes and will be followed by a Q&A session and the sale and signing of her book, she will discuss various aspects of the genesis of the book.

Biography of Lesley Lee Francis: 

Lesley Lee Francis is the granddaughter of Robert Frost.

She received her A.B. degree from Radcliffe College and her Ph.D. in Romance Languages from Duke University.

She became a professor of Spanish language, literature, and history at a number of colleges and universities and ran a summer program in Spain.

Having retired from the professional staff of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) in Washington, D. C., she continues teaching and writing and helps organize the annual Frost Symposium.

Dr. Francis has lectured and published extensively on her grandfather; her biographical study, Robert Frost: An Adventure in Poetry, 1900-1918, is available in paperback (Transaction Publishers). Currently she lives in Arlington, VA; her three daughters and six grandchildren live nearby. Her new book, You Come Too: My Journey with Robert Frost (University of Virginia Press, 2015), is now available.

Recent reviews of the work:

You Come Too My Journey with Robert Frost Lesley Lee Francis Foreword by Jay Parini CLOTH · 288 PP. · 6 X 9 · ISBN 978-0-8139-3745-8 · $34.95 

“The word intrepid should move somewhere in the invitational title of this memoir. You Come Too—and hang on, because it’s quite aride. Poetry and the love of books make this memoir go. Lesley Lee Francis brings to life what she calls “the peculiar dynamic” of a literary family like no other I can name.What remarkable women populate this book, its author chief among them, and what a testament they are to a side of Robert Frost that only Francis could have brought between two covers.”—Mark Richardson

“You Come Too meaningfully expands our understanding of Robert Frost by providing us with a rich and vibrant account of him as a family man. As the poet’s granddaughter, Francis has special insight and access to the humanity of this great writer. At last we see Frost as a real man surrounded by the complexities and challenges of family life, especially at that crucial moment of his life, the death of his beloved wife, Elinor. This is a necessary book for any serious study of Frost.”—Dana Gioia

“This is the nearest we can come to being in the same room as the Frost family at key moments, as well as in everyday living. The layers of mythmaking and the years of variably accurate interpretations are pared down to an essential witness. Dr. Francis puts the record straight once and for all, and our understanding of the poetry is the richer for it.”— Seán Street

Please note that a list of best poetry books of 2015 includes You Come Too:  My Journey with Robert Frost (University of Virginia Press)a list of best poetry books of 2015.  http://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/features/18-best-books-of-or-about-poetry?utm_source=Weekly+Update+Subscribers&utm_campaign=09e1b99455-Campaign1_6_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c0dc677ba8-09e1b99455-28469189

 

Members and their guests-$40

Nonmembers-$65.

 

MENU 

wine/beer/ soft drinks 

crab cakes

beef tenderloin

asparagus with lemon

garden salad with balsamic vinaigrette
roasted garlic red bliss potatoes
lemon asparagus

freshly baked bread board 

assorted cookies and bar desserts

coffee/tea/etc.