Author Conversations

Your Town in 3 Minutes: Author Tim Carroll

Author Tim Carrol takes 3 minutes to tell us about his town, Akron, OH. 

Abandoned Northwest Florida

Known as a top tourist destination due to its white sand beaches and emerald waters, Northwest Florida is a place for sun, sand, and swimming, as well as springs and cave systems millions of years old. Along with the natural beauty of this area lies the abandoned, forgotten, and left behind. From buildings to boats and planes, Northwest Florida has a lot to offer the urban explorer.Whether it's a building that housed one of the fastest growing sports in the country or the dark history of a conspiracy uncovered after decades, Northwest Florida combines the beautiful and the abandoned.In Abandoned Northwest Florida, photographer Kim Hill allows a glimpse into the beauty of what has been left behind.

Lower Missouri River History in 3 Minutes

Husband and wife author team Jim and Vicki Erwin join us again to give us a bit more history about life along the Lower Missouri River. 

Vicki Berger Erwin has written twenty-nine books in varied genres: picture books, middle-grade mysteries and novels, local histories and true crime. Her husband, James W. Erwin, has written only four previous books, three on the Civil War in Missouri and a history of St. Charles, Missouri. They owned a bookstore in St. Charles for eight years before they retired. Vicki and Jim met in the Ellis Library at the University of Missouri–Columbia; they checked each other out, and the rest is history. They live in Kirkwood, Missouri. This is their first book together.

Small Town Memories with Tom Poland

Author Tom Poland tells us about what life was like growing up in a small Georgia town and how life there hasn't changed too much. 

Tom Poland grew up in Lincoln County, Georgia, and graduated from the University of Georgia with degrees in journalism and education. He taught at the University of Georgia, Columbia College and the University of South Carolina. He writes about nature and the South and its people, traditions and lifestyles. His work appears in books and magazines, journals and newspapers throughout the South. He’s a member of the South Carolina Humanities Speaker’s Bureau. In October 2018, Governor Henry McMaster conferred the Order of the Palmetto upon Tom. He lives in Irmo, South Carolina.

Confederate General Stephen Elliot

From the Battle of Port Royal, to Defending Fort Sumter, to the Crater at Petersburg General Stephen Elliot was there. 

General Stephen Elliott rose from captain of a militia artillery battery to command of an infantry brigade. His early war reputation as a daring raider and superb artilleryman grew to true hero status through his exemplary service at Fort Sumter. Handpicked to defend Sumter to the last extremity, Elliott performed so well that his Yankee foes saluted him by dipping the Union flag in recognition of his courage and steadfastness. Wounded on five separate occasions, Elliott exemplified courage and inspirational leadership that justified promotions advocated by Generals Robert E. Lee and P.G.T. Beauregard and President Jefferson Davis. In the first in-depth study of Elliott, D. Michael Thomas presents the life of a renowned soldier with fresh, previously unpublished material.

Your Town in 3 Minutes: Napa Valley

Author Alexandria Brown takes us to the Napa Valley today. 

Your Town in 3 Minutes

Introducing "Your Town in 3 Minutes" 

During this time we all need a reminder of the incredible places we call home. We have asked authors to tell us in 3 minutes (or around 3 minutes) what makes their hometown, county or state, so special. 

What binds us all together is community. From the local bookstore, to the local parks, to our favorite eateries. Even though the majority of us now find ourselves isolated we are all a community of history lovers. 

 

World War II Political Cartoons

Akron Beacon Journal cartoonist Web Brown was one of the best political cartoonists in America during World War II. After serving in the Spanish-American War, Brown returned to the States and began a forty-six-year career lasting from 1899 through 1945. Before and during the Second World War, Brown’s cartoons lampooned Hitler, Mussolini and Japan with a strong sense of justice, humor and history. Featured six days a week in the Journal, his work boosted morale at home and lifted the spirits of soldiers overseas. Compiling more than two hundred of Brown’s best cartoons, Akron native and author Tim Carroll recalls the history of World War II through the outstanding creations of one of Akron’s most prolific and noteworthy artists.

The Battle for Civil War Missouri

Today I am honored to be joined by retired Lt. Col Joseph W. McCorskie who’s new book The War for Missouri 1861-1862 will be available beginning April 27, 2020. 

Missouri was filled with bitter sentiment over the Civil War. Governor Claiborne Jackson had a plan to seize the St. Louis Arsenal and arm a pro-secessionist force. Former governor and Mexican-American War hero Sterling Price commanded the Missouri State Guard charged to protect the state from Federal troops. The disagreements led to ten military actions, causing hundreds of casualties before First Bull Run in the East. The state guard garnered a series of victories before losing control to the Union in 1862. Guerrilla and bushwhacker bands roamed the state at will. Author Joseph W. McCoskrie Jr. details the fight for the Show Me State.

Lost and Underwater Towns of North Georgia

They are the sites that capture our imaginations as we try to imagine life in a place that seems devoid of life. These are lost towns or maybe you call them ghost towns. However, there is life when you look. Especially in Georgia's ghost towns where kudzu reclaims structures and animals make nests or fish now inhabit remains of buildings of towns now under man made lakes. Lisa Russel will be our guide into what happened to these town of Georgia’s past. Lisa not only tells us of the fates of these towns but of their interesting pasts.