Shaggy Muses (MP3): The Dogs Who Inspired Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Emily Bronte, Emily Dickinson, Edith Wharton, and Virginia Woolf

Five intimate biographies of five famous female authors from an entirely new angle.

Maureen Adams presents the never-before-told stories of the relationship between these beloved writers and their dogs, relationships somehow overlooked by numerous biographers. Based on diaries, letters, and contemporary accounts, the stories offer a glimpse of each woman's inner world, and direct quotes from the authors shed light on the power of our relationships with pets. Adams shows how these women were able to overcome depression and anxiety, and to connect with others with the help of their dogs. As Virginia Woolf once noted, "A dog represents…the private, play side of life."