Macon Magazine

August/September 2026| maconmagazine.com 33 Paige Henson will present a free, three part series for readers of ALL ages to discuss Nancy Drew and Friends on August 10, 17, and 24 from 5:30-6:30 p.m., on the second oor of Washington Memorial Library in Macon. Jason of the Argonauts, and Indiana Jones. DeCaprio believes Nancy Drew and the Hardys easily fi t that pattern, too, and I wholeheartedly agree. There exists some visceral appeal to Nancy Drew's indomitable spirit that some of us are continually drawn to. Q When did you fi rst recognize the virtues of Nancy Drew? A I have loved Nancy since I was eight years old! Around 1989-1990 one summer I was teaching children's creative classes at the now-defunct YWCA in Downtown Macon. I taught writing, the medieval world of knights and damsels, and a Shakespeare class (with a young Carrie Preston — Macon's own "Elsbeth" — who was then a high school student). I also came up with this idea to present a fun class for kids about my old friend Nancy Drew. The Saturday morning that we opened the doors for registration, the lines to get into the Nancy Drew class were down the street and fi lled with mothers, fathers, grandmothers, and children. So many people came, we had to turn some away and present another class! Some years later, I directed a play at Theatre Macon featuring the Hardy Boys, and it sold out immediately, with a waiting list. So that just proves the point I made earlier — there exists an undeniable, spellbinding appeal to these classics. Hardcore fans even hold annual ND conventions. This year it's in St. Louis in October with a theme based on the Nancy Drew mystery, Message in the Hollow Oak, #12 in the original "canon." Q What else do you read? A I am actually a non-fi ction afi cionado. In other words, a snobbish, nerdy reader in Nancy Drew disguise. year it's in St. Louis in October with a theme based on the Nancy the original "canon." Q A afi cionado. In other words, a snobbish, nerdy reader in Nancy Drew disguise. fashion sense, social changes, and modern lifestyles. You can almost pinpoint a woman's age by the Nancy editions she grew up with — such as the "blue tweed" editions, the "yellow spine picture cover" editions, and the newer, modern Nancys for younger readers in paperback, which are still popular today. I'd like to report that the Nancy Drew books were fl awless, but unfortunately, I can't. There is a prejudicial tone in the early volumes that should be addressed, which I will do in this lecture series. Despite that controversy, one Nancy Drew author, Betsy DeCaprio, cites the psychologist Carl Jung and his theories on book characters embarking on a "hero's journey" like that of Odysseus, Paige Henson presented Nancy Drew at Macon's YWCA in 1989. Photo by Maryann Bates, The Macon Telegraph. LEFT Now older, Paige continues to read Nancy Drew under the covers with a fl ashlight. Classic book covers. Simon & Shuster Inc. pinpoint a woman's age by the Nancy editions she grew up can't. There is a prejudicial tone in the

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