In Their Own Words: The MacGowan Sisters’ Literary Legacy in Carmel with author and journalist Joy Lanzendorfer
Carpenter Hall at the Sunset Center
Wednesday, September 17, 2025
7:00 PM, Carpenter Hall at Sunset Center
Questions: info@carmelpubliclibraryfoundation.org or call 831-624-2811
Join us for a compelling program on the lives and literary impact of sisters Alice MacGowan and Grace MacGowan Cooke—two professional writers who played a key role in establishing the artists’ colony and enriching the cultural fabric of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Arriving in 1908, the MacGowan sisters were among the first writers to settle in Carmel, and their unerring work ethic and willingness to collaborate put them among the most successful novelists in the area. Between them, the MacGowan sisters published dozens of popular books, ranging from historical romances to children’s stories to mystery novels. They survived failed marriages, burning buildings, and even an attempted murder, and through it all they maintained a feminist focus on their work, determined to prove that women could support themselves as writers. Their home, the Grace MacGowan Cooke House, remains a living symbol of their lasting contribution to Carmel’s vibrant literary heritage.