Dogtown Common is the theme of the JBS 2022 conference, to be held in what Bayliss calls "Cape Gloucester," Gloucester and Rockport.

Dogtown Common ("Purdeyville" and "Tir-na-Dog" in Bayliss's novels) is a wild area in the middle of Cape Ann, which is, as the author says in Gloucesterbook, "next to the harbor itself our most precious public possession."  Dogtown's history, ecology, legends, and influence on writers and painters will be the subject of conference walks, talks, readings, and more.

Registration: The conference is open to all. Early registration is advised to be sure of a place. You may register for the entire conference or for individual components, and you may register for your guest(s). 

Payment: The base charge is a nonrefundable registration fee, needed to help offset fixed costs. Other charges are refundable upon written cancellation received by September 1.  Payment may be paid by credit card online or a check mailed to Jonathan Bayliss Society, 11 Rocky Pasture Road, Gloucester MA 01930. 

Provisional Program

SATURDAY DAYTIME

Based at Windhover Performing Arts, 257R Granite St., Rockport MA

• Talks by John Day (on Bayliss's novels and Dogtown), Cindy Dunn (overview of Dogtown geography and preservation),  and Chris Leahy (the natural history of Dogtown)
• Late morning options:  

- 45-minute walk (weather permitting) to Dogtown's famous Whale's Jaw (shuttle service to start location will be provided)
- Visit to Sandy Bay Historical Society to see part of its large collection of Dogtown-related objects
- Free time

• Box lunch at Windhover with seating available outdoors and in tent
• Talks by Mary Ellen Lepionka (indigenous history) and Mark Carlotto (colonial and other historical aspects)
• Late afternoon options:

- Visit to Sandy Bay Historical Society
- Free time

SATURDAY EVENING

Windhover Performing Arts

• Buffet dinner served under the tent followed by evening entertainment based on Percy MacKaye's poem Dogtown Common 

SUNDAY MORNING (weather permitting)

• Several guided small-group walks in Dogtown will be offered Sunday morning by local experts on different aspects of its history and ecology. These walks will likely last 2-3 hours. 

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Cape Ann Museum (2 to 3 pm)

• A celebration of Dogtown-inspired art and literature sponsored by Cape Ann Museum and the Gloucester Writers Center. Free to JBS conference attendees. See details.

MORE FROM OUR PARTNERS

In conjunction with "Celebrating Dogtown Common," the Sawyer Free Library will provide a bibliography and a special display about Dogtown, and the Gloucester Writers Center will offer a Friday evening reading and social event to kick off the weekend.