From the John Ronan Collection of the Cape Ann Museum Library & Archives.
GLOUCESTER, MA. (April 2026) — The public is warmly invited to a special program on Saturday May 2, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., celebrating 36 seasons of The Writer’s Block, hosted by John Ronan, and the gift of the program’s archives to the Cape Ann Museum.
Organized by the Cape Ann Museum, the event will take place at the Janet and William Ellery James Center at CAM Green, 13 Poplar Street, Gloucester. Admission is $5 for CAM Members and $10 for non-members. Advance reservations are required and may be made at capeannmuseum.org.
The program will feature a panel of five past guests of The Writer’s Block, who will join Ronan in reflecting on the show’s legacy and its enduring connection to the Cape Ann literary community.
Since its debut in 1990, The Writer’s Block has welcomed more than 500 guest speakers, including poets, novelists, journalists, and writers of all genres, and occasionally other artists, with ties to greater Cape Ann. Widely recognized as one of the longest-running and most successful public access programs in the country, the series has played a vital role in documenting and celebrating the region’s literary voices.
In 2025, John Ronan, producer and host of The Writer’s Block, gifted the program’s archives to the Cape Ann Museum. This significant donation ensures the preservation and public accessibility of the series, furthering and advancing the Museum’s commitment to collecting and sharing stories of contemporary Cape Ann.
John Ronan, 2026.
“John Ronan’s generous donation of The Writer’s Block film archives is crucial to the documentation of the diverse literary community of Cape Ann’” said Cassie Anderson, the museum’s Librarian and Archivist. “With over 500 guests, John has created an incredible research tool for anyone interested in the history of writing on Cape Ann. We are excited to share these materials with the public on our online catalog, Quartex.”
A poet, writer, filmmaker, teacher, and journalist, Ronan has been a central figure in Cape Ann’s literary life for decades. He is Professor Emeritus at North Shore Community College and served as the City of Gloucester’s Poet Laureate from 2008 to 2010. His work has been recognized with honors including a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, a Ucross Fellowship, and a Bread Loaf Scholarship. He continues to write and publish poetry, most recently with the release of his latest collection, The Idea of Light, underscoring his ongoing commitment to the literary arts.
Dedicated to fostering a love of poetry in the community, Ronan founded a poetry scholarship at Gloucester High School as well as the city’s annual Poetry without Paper contest. Over the years, many distinguished poets have appeared on The Writer’s Block, including Vincent Ferrini, Rufus Collinson, Jay Featherstone, and Heidi Wakeman. Winners of the Poetry without Paper contest have also been featured on the program, reflecting Ronan’s dedication to nurturing emerging voices
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