so 1812 he moves to amherst. there's the war of 1812, the economy is sinking and webster is making money from the speller, but he wants to cut is expensive because the dictionary is taking longer. so in his correspondence in 1817 he says he is back to see. that's i come up with those letters. in 1821 he is on the h. now about his method. the new public library has the dictionary that he worked on. has his 1799 copy of samuel johnson's dictionary. you can see his annotation. samuel johnson loved shakespeare and his consulate quoting shakespeare to illustrate the meaning of words. webster puts little black marks next to shakespeare. the reason for that is that when webster was a college student at yale, drama was considered to steps away from sex. and students were penalized for attending a play or performing a play, and webster really hates shakespeare, and he rarely quote shakespeare but in his 1820 dictionary, he blames shakespeare for the dirty words. so there's a word like and webster was just right shaq as if

it's weird to be living and teaches at amherst college, named after lord jeffrey amherst. as you remember when we found out about the blain ets for land story, i was really horrifying. buffy st. marie sang a song. that's not my question. my question is you've written so many wonderful what you would call nonfiction books filled with all sorts of just amazing information. and stories. what was it about the novel that grabbed yousome >> guest: well l -- i started out as a poet. and i went to the novel because i couldn't tell certain stories in poetry. i didn't have have -- it was the wrong tomorrow form. so i had to make up the form of the novel. and i really love writing novels. i'm working on one now as well as doing my other research and i have a new book, "indios" coming out this october. which is from a new press that i haven't been with before, wings press, in texas. but they are doing a beautiful job. it's going to be a small hard cover book. it's a performance piece. which is right along your lines. and long poems, both. narrative poem in four parts. >> host: connie

amherst, new hampshire, is the place to be.urth parade, you'll see jon huntsman, mitt romney, both there. simultaneously. i bet they'll keep their distance. michele bachmann, kind of the hottest commodity of late in the presidential race, in iowa. not surprisingly. remember, she's from iowa, she was born in waterloo, iowa. it all just goes to show you that there is no holiday weekend if you're running for president of the united states. and you can't get away from these candidates if you live in iowa or new hampshire. you can't hope to be spared from politics, even on july fourth. >> knowing a lot about iowa and new hampshire as you do and as i do, they don't want to be spared from the campaign. >> they love it. >> amherst is a pretty small town. i don't think huntsman and romney are going to be able to exactly avoid each other in the july fourth parade. >> you know what's interesting about that, too, and this won't come out in the parade, but they do have a little bit of a rivalry. they're both from major well-known mormon fam

massachusetts; worked as a tenement lawyer in boston, teaches at the university of massachusetts, amherst- creative writing, latino poetry, and the work of pablo neruda. he's published 16 books, and his collection of poems, the republic of poetry, was a finalist for the pulitzer prize. >> at 16, i worked after high school hours at a printing plant that manufactured legal pads-- yellow paper stacked seven feet high and leaning as i slipped cardboard between the pages, then brushed red glue up and down the stack. no gloves-- fingertips required for the perfection of paper, smoothing the exact rectangle. sluggish by 9:00 p.m., the hands would slide along suddenly sharp paper, and gather slits thinner than the crevices of the skin; hidden. then the glue would sting, hands oozing till both palms burned at the punch clock. ten years later, in law school, i knew that every legal pad was glued with the sting of hidden cuts; that every open law book was a pair of hands upturned and burning. ( applause )

massachusetts; worked as a tenement lawyer in boston, teaches at the university of massachusetts, amherst- creative writing, latino poetry, and the work of pablo neruda. he's published 16 books, and his collection of poems, the republic of poetry, was a finalist for the pulitzer prize. >> at 16, i worked after high school hours at a printing plant that manufactured legal pads-- yellow paper stacked seven feet high and leaning as i slipped cardboard between the pages, then brushed red glue up and down the stack. no gloves-- fingertips required for the perfection of paper, smoothing the exact rectangle. sluggish by 9:00 p.m., the hands would slide along suddenly sharp paper, and gather slits thinner than the crevices of the skin; hidden. then the glue would sting, hands oozing till both palms burned at the punch clock. ten years later, in law school, i knew that every legal pad was glued with the sting of hidden cuts; that every open law book was a pair of hands upturned and burning. ( applause )

you're on with linda hogan. >> caller: hello again from amherst.'m so delighted to be able to speak with you, linda. >> guest: hi, rachel. >> caller: hi. well, i wish my partner hadn't fallen asleep. he loves greek mythology, and he would have been awed to hear about your medea project. [laughter] but we've read your works aloud to even other, we -- to each other, we really love them. >> guest: thank you. >> caller: and, let's see, i guess i have to frame a question. >> host: no, you don't have to. if you just wanted to call and say hi, we'll move on. >> caller: well, just quickly, i live in a community that's renowned for being very multiculture, and yet i find we're still very isolated within our little cliques and groups and that it's very hard to create those bridges. um, i appreciate how much writing can do that and reading aloud can do that, um, but i wonder if you have any advice or ideas about really breaking those boundaries? also i want to just share a little bit, i was born in mexico to north american jews, i've lived in puerto rico, i'v

former massachusetts governor mitt romney and jon huntsman will be at the amherst 4th of july parade.is slated to walk ahead in the first section of the parade with huntsman in a later group pentagon. that order was only determined by the date when the candidate applications were received. so no innuendos. >> nothing to read into that. >> exactly. meanwhile, congressman michele bachmann who has been on a tour of iowa the entire weekend, as well as former house speaker newt gingrich, are scheduled to participate in the clearlake july 4th parade in iowa. and herman cane will end his day in new hampshire. he's going to throw out the first pitch for the new hampshire fisher cats. but he's going to sart off the day in philadelphia if an independence day tea party rally with former u.n. ambassador john bolton. >> pamela, quickly, i saw e-mails yesterday about a new candidate in the race. tell us about who this is. >> yes, we've got another gop presidential candidate to add to our list. the five-term michigan congressmaned that use mccotter announced on kat at the waam freedom fest in whitte

going to and enough question from anthony from amherst. if you were elected president we engage in foreign military action without a congressional declaration of war? >> the most important thing of course is to protect the american people and there are circumstances where immediacy is necessary but if we are going to engage in more of course you go to congress and received congressional support. and the circumstances would determine the degree of the congressional support necessary but obviously i would intend to follow the constitution. as president of the united states, i first responsibility is to protect the security and and a the life and the well-being of the american people and i would do so. >> not long ago the president outlined his plans for afghanistan and a troop drawdown. what do you think the policy should be there? are there parts of what he is doing that you agree with or disagree with? >> i think the surge was the right course but the president really doesn't have a policy. is more of a hit or miss. he responds to events a

david re hold ins received his ba from from amherst college. he taught english and american studies at northwestern university, barnard college, new york university and rutgers, and then in 1989 he moved to the city university of new york, and he is now distinguished professor of english and american studies at the ph.d. program in english at the graduate center. he's a widely published author, and his books have been recognized with awards including the bancroft prize and the ambassador book award. he was also the finalist for the national book critics' circle award. he was the editor for six books and is the author of "waking giant: america in the age of jackson," "john brown: abolitionist, the man who ceded civil rights." john brown also a connecticutan as stowe is, so you are already seeing some overlaps here. author of "wallet whitman's -- walt whitman's america," a book with the straightforward title, "walt whitman." he's the author of beneath the american renaissance in the age of emerson and melville, and i certainly found that that s w

woodruff: both former massachusetts governor mitt romney and former utah governorç john huntsman were in amherste, at a july 4th parade trying to connect with voters. minnesota congresswoman michele bachmann was at a clear lake, iowa, parade today as was former house speaker newt gingrich, while former senator rick santorum headed to two similar events in that state. and former godfather's pizza c.e.o. herman cain who was in iowa yesterday is starting his holiday off at independence hall in philadelphia, later traveling to new hampshire. >> ifill: still to come on the "newshour": those campaigningç presidential hopefuls launch their money race; both n.b.a. and n.f.l. players now locked out; healthier choices in school cafeterias; women journalists at risk around the world and singer songwriter josh ritter on his debut novel. but first, the other news of the day. here's hari sreenivasan. >> sreenivasan: a major clean-up effort was underway today in montana, after an oil spill spewed up to 42,000 gallons into the yellowstone river. the exxon mobil pipeline ruptured late friday near the town of la

from amherst college and ph.d. from the university california berkeley. he taught english and american studies at northwestern university and barnard college, new york university and rutgers in 1989 he moved to the city university of new york and is now a distinguished professor of english and american studies at the ph.d. program in english at the graduate center. he's in a widely published of reckoned books have been recognized with awards including the bancroft prize and the ambassador book award. he was also a finalist for the national book critics circle award and the editor for six books and is the author of tweaking the giant american in the age of jackson, john brown, al-awja nist the man who killed slavery sparked the civil war and seated civil-rights. john brown also connecticut as stowe so you see overlaps year. author of walt whitman, a cultural biography, e-book with a straightforward title, walt whitman. he's the author of believe the american renaissance the imagination and the age of emmerson and nels will and i found that that word subver

this is from amherst, new hampshire.s saying hello to people along the side. that's what you do when you're running for president. go to the next tape, guess who else was at that parade? jon huntsman. he's running a little faster than romny, maybe that's because he's a little further down in the polls in new hampshire, and he has to greet more voters. >> yeah, he has to run harder and faster. >> it's still early, though. it's not just new hampshire. check out this map we made up here. we have a bunch of candy dates in iowa today. michele bachmann will be there marching in a parade. same parade will be rick santorum and newt gingrich. these states are the first states in the primary caucus. herm is at a tea party event in philadelphia. and he goes to new hampshire later today. >> thad mcconner also joined the race over the weekend. he's saying he wants to restructure government, it should be a big citizen run, not big government, but self-government. >> a lot of people don't know who he is, he's a congressman from michiga

. >> reporter: republican presidential hopeful mitt romney pressing the flesh in amherst, new hampshirechallenger jon huntsman. >> thanks for being here. >> reporter: romney works has been effectively running for president since his unsuccessful 2008 bid took aim at president obama, repeating his stance that the president has made the economy worse. it's a statement that's drawn criticism from the left and from independent fact-checkers. >> president obama did not cause the downturn, but he made the recession deeper and longer than it needed to be, and he has made the recovery anemic. >> reporter: huntsman said out of the fray focusing on making a name for himself just two weeks after officially entering the race. >> this is when people turn out and want to meet some of the early candidates. want to shake your hand and begin to understand what you're all about so this was a must hit opportunity for us. >> reporter: in clear lake, iowa, two other republicans shared the same parade route, newt gingrich and michele bachmann, courting the same key part of the state for conservatives. >> bac

independence day turned independence fray as candidates raced down the parade route, the small town of amherst, new hampshire, simply not big enough to keep them apart. republican mitt romney and jon huntsman met face to face. what did they say? >> it was a nice exchange, a nice greeting. wishing each other luck and being friends. that's the way that all the candidates on the republican side should be. >> reporter: halfway across the country in clear lake, iowa, two other candidates enjoyed the same parade though hardly the same crowds. >> hi there. happy fourth of july. >> reporter: the surging michele bachmann was surrounded by a sparkly throng of supporters and a new campaign bus. the fourth is a glorious day for all americans including candidates. for them, it may be a chance to take a break from their recent big obsession, cash. mitt romney expects to come in somewhere south of 20 million. tim pawlenty, jon huntman and ron paul all way south of that. around 4 million apiece. meanwhile, president obama could raise as much as 60 million, though he spent the day with men and women whose valu

sharing the spotlight in amherst was former utah governor jon huntsman, the most moderate of the candidatesd out competing in iowa and understands new hampshire is a must-win state. >> it is absolutely central to victory. this is a state you must win. >> reporter: in iowa, which votes first in a presidential contest, candidates were fighting for the social conservative vote. there were long shots newt gingrich and rick santorum. as well as tea party sensation michele bachmann. a recent poll has the minnesota congresswoman in a statistical dead heat with romney while gingrich and santorum barely made a dent in the single digits. tim pawlenty also polled poorly there. he raised a disappointing $4.2 million this quarter and has had no public event over the holiday weekend. but those in the bottom half of the poll can take comfort in the fact that the early polls don't tell us that much. this time four years ago mike huckabee was way down at 4% right where rick santorum is today. huckabee ended up winning iowa. >> jan crawford in washington this morning, thanks. >>> joining us from des moines t

the former massachusetts governor shaking hands at an independence day parade in amherst talking aboutis plans for the future of the country. >> it's the greatest country in the history of the earth, and we think -- [cheers and applause] we face extraordinary challenges right now. our president has failed us, the recession is deeper because of our president. it's seen an anemic recovery because of our president. alisyn: the romney campaign is continuing a tour of new hampshire with stops in andover and la cone ya. bill: as you know, one of the central issues will be the future of health care in america. more american companies adopting a strategy building state of the art, on-site medical clinics for their employees. health care only steps away from your cubicle. is this one of the answers? dr. marc siegel is a member of our fox news medical a-team. terrific panel here. laid key -- ladies first, doctor, is this answer? >> i'm not so sure. i mean, they always had occupational health clinics, but now they're trying to branch out and do preventive medicine and have extensive services. you

. >>> now something that will unfold in amherst today.e fourth of july parade. romney will go first because he applied first. neither will lead the parade. it's reserved for kids on bikes. i did not mean to imply you were coming in on bicycles, by the way. i just meant that activity itself. before we got into the weekend, the numbers were required to be reported on the amount of money raised. joe, when you look, start with you, at the numbers here, mitt romney is saying he got $20 million. much expected. ron paul, tim pawlenty, jon huntsman in the $4 million range and cain at 2$2.5 million. >> huntsman just got in the race. there's a lot of excitement. mitt romney is way ahead. you have to raise -- whoever the nominee is, they have to raise a lot of money. president obama is planning to raise $1 billion. the republicans have to work hard to be competitive. >> richard, when you look at the numbers, they are lowing than last year at this time, understandably, because of many reasons including the economy. should we associate the buzz with a

. >> amherst. >> this is really good. two years ago you went there. >> isn't it beautiful? purple valley. >> i understand you actually won the nashville? >> i live in nashville. we did a thursday night football game. you did saturday. >> big college. >> come on. >> very cute. >> let me tell you something, the feel on a saturday night, you better buckle up. >> their quarterback, though. you better watch out. a >> you laugh. you laugh. >> we'll take it. if we must, we'll talk about joe's school, alabama. how do they look this year? are they going to be back? >> they have five straight national champions. if you look at all the teams on paper, alabama is probably going to be the leading candidate to be the sixth straight team. they have to replace the quarterback. they have to start from scratch there. everything else is in place. >> can you believe how good this team was last year and how many losses they had. to be blunt, i think there's bad coaching. >> are you kidding? you have one of the best coaches in america. >> i know. when you are passing the ball left and right. >>

mitt romney and john huntsmen will be at the amherst fourth of july parade, while michelle bachman anda. >>> "american idol" winner is kicking off the washington dress rehearsal. ♪ o say can you see by the dawn's early light ♪ >> jordan sparks, as you see, josh grogon some of those to perform on the west lawn honoring our country, even comedian steve martin brought his banjo. >> i thought we were going to play on the fourth of july here at the capitol, i wrote a song, especially for the occasion. it's written from point of view of paul revere's horse. ♪ >> the show ended with a spectacular fireworks display across the potomac river. those are your headline. >> let's go down to clayton with an all american segment. >> hey. some people are laughing at me and i'm not sure why. i don't know what they're laughing at. we celebrate our country's independence day, what better way to show your patriotism than by buying products made entirely in the united states, including this hat at a store in upstate new york called made in america. gives you the opportunity to do just that. joining us is th

. >> our next team the question comes from anthony from amherst. if you are elected president, will you engage in foreign military action without a congressional declaration of war? >> there are circumstances where immediacy is necessary, but if we're going to engage in war, you go to congress and received congressional support. the circumstances would determine the degree of the congressional support necessary, but obviously, i would intend to follow the constitution. but as president of united states, my first responsibility is to protect the security and the life and the well-being of the american people and i would do so. >> outline what you think is the best course of action. >> i think the surge is the best course. he response to events as they occur. any policy that has the characteristics coming u.s. successes and failures. i think the surge was a big success. i think a failure was announcing to the taliban we were going to withdraw. while they may not have watches, they do have calendars. [laughter] you drive them away if they know they on