Sally Hirsh-Dickinson (born January 7, 1971) is an American academic who is a producer and host for

New Hampshire Public Radio New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR) is the National Public Radio member network serving the state of New Hampshire. NHPR is based in Concord and operates eight transmitters and six translators covering nearly the whole state, as well as portions ...

, a

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

politician, and an English professor at

Rivier University Rivier University is a private Catholic university in Nashua, New Hampshire, United States. Rivier is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education and approved by the New Hampshire Department of Education. History The schoo ...

, where she teaches courses on American literature, gender studies and public speaking. Previously, she was a professor at Colby-Sawyer College. She is an expert on

Grace Metalious Grace Metalious (September 8, 1924 – February 25, 1964) was an American author known for her novel '' Peyton Place'', one of the best selling works in publishing history. Early life Marie Grace DeRepentigny was born into poverty and a broken ...

. Hirsh-Dickinson is the first person to write a full-length study, ''Dirty Whites and Dark Secrets: Sex and Race in Peyton Place'', on Metalious's magnum opus, '' Peyton Place''.

Early life and education

Sally Hirsh-Dickinson was born on January 7, 1971, in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

. She graduated from Centennial High School in Howard County, Maryland. Hirsh-Dickinson received her B.A from

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) is a public land-grant research university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system and was founded in 1863 as the ...

and her M.A and Ph.D. in English from the

University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire, United States. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant coll ...

Academic career

During Hirsh-Dickinson's time as a graduate student at the University of New Hampshire she was a teaching assistant. Afterwards, she taught at various schools, including as an adjunct professor at

Colby–Sawyer College Colby–Sawyer College is a private college in New London, New Hampshire, United States. It was founded as a coeducational academy in 1837 and sits on a campus. History New London Academy A legislative charter was granted by the State of ...

. While Hirsh-Dickinson was working on her dissertation about ''Peyton Place'', ''Dirty Whites and Dark Secrets Sex and Race in Peyton Place'', she received criticism because

is not considered to be part of the

literary fiction Literary fiction, serious fiction, high literature, or artistic literature, and sometimes just literature, encompasses fiction books and writings that are more character-driven rather than plot-driven, that examine the human condition, or that are ...

genre. However, despite initial opposition in academia during the research process, her book was later acclaimed in ''

The Chronicle of Higher Education ''The Chronicle of Higher Education'' is an American newspaper and website that presents news, information, and jobs for college and university faculty and student affairs professionals, including staff members and administrators. A subscription ...

'' in 2011. Her work on ''Peyton Place'' opened eyes in academia about the interlink of sex and racism in the novel and how the portrayal of racism in rural New England is not far from reality. She has served as a trustee for the New Hampshire Writer's Project.

Radio career

Hirsh-Dickinson joined

in 1999 as an intern. Starting in 2003 she was a producer and host for ''The Exchange'', New Hampshire Public Radio's call-in radio show that ran until 2021, and is the station's Friday night announcer.

Personal life

Hirsh-Dickinson lives in

Penacook, New Hampshire Penacook, originally called "Fisherville", is a village within the city of Concord in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. It lies along Concord's northern border with Boscawen. The name comes from the Pennacook tribe that lived in ...

with her family. She serves as Penacook's School Board Representative to the Merrimack Valley School District.

Publications

* ''Dirty Whites and Dark Secrets: Sex and Race in Peyton Place'' (University of New Hampshire Press, 2011) . * "Becoming a Gardner" (''New Hampshire Home'' magazine, 2019)

References

Living people University of New Hampshire alumni University of Massachusetts Amherst alumni {{catimprove, date=August 2021 1971 births Centennial High School (Howard County, Maryland) alumni People from Concord, New Hampshire School board members in New Hampshire