In celebration of Boston's 375th anniversary, a panel of authors discuss the lives of Massachusetts Bay colonists between 1630 and 1710. The panel includes Rev Peter J. Gomes, Plummer professor of Christian morals and Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church, at Harvard University; Eve LaPlante, author of *American Jezebel: The Uncommon Life of Anne Hutchinson, the Woman Who Defied the Puritans*; Laurel Ulrich, the author of *Good Wives: Image and Reality in the Lives of Women in Northern New England*. The panel is moderated by author and lecturer Miriam W. Butts.
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1942, The Reverend Professor Peter J. Gomes is an American Baptist minister ordained to the Christian Ministry by The First Baptist Church of Plymouth, Massachusetts. Since 1970 he has served in The Memorial Church, Harvard University; and since 1974 as Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Pusey Minister in The Memorial Church. Widely regarded as one of America's most distinguished preachers, Professor Gomes fulfills preaching and lecturing engagements throughout America and the British Isles. In 2007 he preached at the Inauguration of Deval L. Patrick as Governor of Massachusetts; in 2005 he presented a series of sermons in St. Edmundsbury Cathedral, England, in the presence of Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall; and in 2000 he delivered The University Sermon before The University of Cambridge, England, and The Millennial Sermon in Canterbury Cathedral, England. His New York Times and national best-selling books, *The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Mind and Heart*, (1996); and *Sermons: Biblical Wisdom for Daily Living* (1998), were published by William Morrow and Company, Inc.; *The Good Life: Truths That Last in Times of Need* was published in 2002 by HarperSanFrancisco. In 2005, *The Backward Glance and the Forward Look* was published by WordTech. He has also published ten volumes of sermons as well as numerous articles and papers.
Eve LaPlante's award-winning *Salem Witch Judge (HarperOne, 2007, 2008)* follows *the Boston Globe bestseller American Jezebel (HarperOne, 2004, 2005)* and *Seized (HarperCollins, 1993, 2000)*. She contributed to the essay collection *Why I'm Still Married (Penguin, 2006, 2007)* and has written for *The Atlantic and The New York Times*.
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich is the 300th Anniversary University Professor emerita at Harvard University. She is the author of seven books including A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard Based on Her Diary, 1785 - 1812 and Well-behaved Women Seldom Make History (2007), exploring the popular phrase which she coined. She has received numerous awards and honors including the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1991.
