A PHOTO BLOG OF MY GREENVILLE, MS TRIP

Here are some photos of my weekend as the featured speaker and performer for “Down Home in the Delta”, 57th Annual Mississippi Division, Children of the Confederacy Convention, June 6-7, 2008.

First of all, here is the Confederate Memorial constructed by the United Daughters of the Confederacy and and the group of Confederate graves surrounding it. The men buried here came from all over the South. It was a ceremony entirely led by the Children and was very touching.

Next we have one of me, making my speech at the Greenville Yacht Club. Next to me is the President, Richard Fairchild (he also had a twin brother there) and Hannah Bariola, Convention Chairman.

Here are two photos of me and some of the group gathered in the Greenville Inn Courtyard, swapping ghost tales! Kathy is the pretty lady in the second photo. Her daughter, Kaley Anderson, is the Division Chaplain.

Here I am with Alicia Bariola, the Chapter Director for the Mississippi Swamp Rangers Chapter of the Children of the Confederacy. She is the one in charge of planning and organizing the whole wonderful weekend.

And finally, here I stand with Andy Hoszowski, a very interesting, knowledgeable, and talented fellow, devoted to the Confederate Cause. He also works with theatre and we are talking about creating a production of the Jim Limber story in Greenville in the future. I’ve got to get to writing.

I’M A GRANDFATHER AGAIN! – My daughter Rachel gave birth to Davis Stewart Shelby. Here are the details:

Birthday     6/6/2008
Time of Birth     5:32 PM
Weight     6 lbs, 12 ozs
Length     19 in

And here’s a little photo.

Looks like he’s attempting to make his first Confederate salute!

By the time you read this, unless you’re a real night owl, I’ll be leaving Greenville and on my way back to Monroe after a packed, fun-filled weekend with the Mississippi Division of the Children of the Confederacy.  I have made so many new friends, and as usual when I’m around people who love history, learned so much.  Today, I mostly performed with my guitar for the CofC, though I did manage to drive a little bit around Greenville. Here is a photo of the Greenville Inn and Suites where I stayed, followed by a photo of the Greenville Yacht Club, built over the beautiful Mississippi River,  where I spent most of yesterday and today.

I went to see Greenville’s famous carousel on Main Street and met with the director of the Greenville Arts Council. Here is a photo of Alvin Simmons and the carousel.  Alvin has worked with the  Arts Council and the carousel for a year.  The second photo is of Alvin next to the steam engine that used to power the carousel.

You can read an article about the carousel and its fascinating history here:

From the Children’s Museum and the Carousel, I drove to McCormick’s Book Inn again for Elisabeth Payne Rosen’s book signing of her novel, Hallam’s War. (Civil War Novel) She was very friendly, and I enjoyed meeting her and talking to her about writing and especially writing about the great War.  You can see her tour and a very brief bio of her here:

People photos of my trip will follow in other posts. At the moment, I’m in the little dining room/lobby, watching Fox News. I was in my room, but was growing sleepy. I decided I needed to use my time and not turn in too early, so I grabbed a Diet Coke and my laptop and came here. I’m slightly manic from the excitement and adrenalin of the weekend now, so I doubt I’ll go to sleep. Perhaps I’ll get some writing done. Perhaps I’ll go walking and looking for ghosts. After all, when it grows dark, not everyone you see in Greenville is alive.

I love traveling to new places, especially places in the South and in the West. From my house in Monroe, Greenville MS is 112 miles, just a little over a two hour drive. I found the town quaint, though stores sparse in number, especially boutiques and the kinds of stores that would interest tourists who do lots of shopping. In spite of a rich heritage, live music is also sparse. However the two or three bars/taverns in town seem to do a very lively business at night. Where do all these people come from? Daytime traffic is light. Supposedly, Greenville is a town with lots of ghost. After dark, not everyone you meet in Greenville is alive. We told ghost stories till nearly midnight last night. I heard some very interesting tales.

Both of my books are now in the public library here, and will also be carried McCORMICK BOOK INN, a great independent bookstore. They also have a great site: The store’s motto posted on the site is Literature & Greenville: it’s like drinking the brown water. It’s just what we do. (And the drinking and bathing water here does have a certain tint to it.)

My lodging is in the beautiful, Greenville Inn & Suites. A hot day yesterday–96 degrees. Will likely be just as warm today. I set up in the Greenville Yacht Club, where we will be the rest of the day and to which I hope to return for a musical booking. I’ll have plenty of photos in the near future. I’ve made many new friends, met some extremely knowledgeable people, and booked some future appointments. The children of the Confederacy are beautiful and smart and it is encouraging to see them take such interest in history and heritage.

Whenever I think of Mississippi, I think of Robert Johnson and the deal he made with the devil-man at the crossroads. I especially loved Eric Clapton and Cream’s interpretation of that song. I wonder if writers, like musicians have to make deals with the devil. You can read an interesting and somewhat creepy version about Johnson’s deal here:

I’ll try to do another posting tonight or at least by tomorrow morning, so come back and visit.

On July 16 and 17 of this year, I will be in Cameron Parish for a book event and program. Here is a poster about those programs:

I’m in one of my manic, so excited I’m crazy, planning moods. I confess to being a dreamer, stumbling through my life hoping my brothers don’t throw me in the well like they did Joseph. Here are some tours I’m planning that I’ve resolved to make happen in my future.  I realize that these tours require resources that I currently don’t have, but I’m starting to put together promotion plans on all of them. One thing is certain: If I don’t do something different, nothing changes. I know too that I’ll have more books out in the future, so hopefully this will help me accomplish these dreams.

An Author’s March to the Sea: This book campaign will follow Sherman’s March to the Sea, focusing on book signings and musical programs and author presentations in every town that Sherman’s Bummers went through. It is a symbolic tour, but one I feel I need to make. I will contact all media, bookstores, libraries, SCV and UDC and other organizations, universities and schools along the way.

The Road to Richmond: This tour will target major southeastern cities and will end in a major campaign in Richmond, VA. Media, libraries, organizations, schools, universities etc., will be targeted. This too is a symbolic tour.

Into the West: This title is borrowed from a CD by my friend, Jed Marum. I will start in Texas and go as far west as I can. I hope to at least reach Arizona, perhaps even California again. I hope to reach some border areas as well.

The Gulf Coast Tour: This tour will begin in Houston and take me east along the Gulf Coast, hopefully all the way to Key West.

From the Mountains to the Great Plains Tour: With this tour I will focus on, Arkansas, the major cities of Oklahoma (When I told a friend of this, he asked me, “Both major cities?”), Kansas, and hopefully reach Colorado.

A Tour of the British Isles: This campaign will emphasize Ireland and Scotland. I want to do at least a two-week tour here promoting my books and a Civil War Music Show. I think both will go over well here.

* I must not forget to include Scottish and Irish festivals as target events during all of these tours.

Today, in Biloxi, Beauvoir, the home of Jefferson Davis is being rededicated. Hurricane Katrina had caused it extensive damage, but now the restoration is complete. I know that hundreds of devoted Southerners are there today. Alas, I was unable to go due to the college class I’m teaching at Delta, but all my friends attending there today know my thoughts are with them. Hopefully I can post some photos of the event. Today, June 3, is also Jefferson Davis’s birthday.

You can read all about the beautiful and beloved Beauvoir here:

Yes, I’m teaching an Academic Seminar at Delta for the first summer session. The class is from 9:45-11:50 a.m. Mon. – Thurs. I haven’t made up my mind if I’m going to teach in July or not. Likely, I’ll be on the road promoting my books, but we’ll see. I have a great group of students for this class. This is the first time I’ve taught ACSE, so I’m learning right along with the students. I taught them today how to use EBSCO and other data bases, we formatted a practice essay in MLA style, introduced them to Blackboard, to easybib.com (an automatic bibliography composer), to Diana Hacker’s wonderful writing site,  and to two of my favorite online sites for English and cultural remediation and enrichment– Grammar Bytes and Dave’s ESL Cafe. It was a full day.

I’m deep into a freelance editing project, so this entry must be short. Until tomorrow.

On this day, June 3, 1864, The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought.

I was reading an issue of the Camp Chase Gazette: Where the Civil War Comes Alive, June 2007, Volume XXXIV-No. 7, and found an article entitled “Historical Preservation versus school textbooks?” that reminded me of a problem many teachers have complained about, especially history teachers, that history textbooks are written by revisionists, the textbooks are full of oversimplifications and are a distortion of America’s true history.

The article pointed out that teachers today are not given the resources needed to adequately and accurately teach students about America’s War Between the States. The editor argues that students need field trips to museums, battlefields, and hands-on programs in order to fully understand history. The article argues, based on testimony of Gilbert T. Sewall of the American Textbook Council before the U.S. Sentate Health, Education Committee that textbook quality has steadily declined over the last 25 years. I had thought that in light of scholarship and the increase of information available, textbooks should be better than ever, but that is not the case.

And why this declining quality of student textbooks? Sewall says, “Many history textbooks reflect lowered sights for general question . . . Publishers are adjusting to short attention spans and non-readers. Too many children cannot or do not want to read history, which contains concrete facts and complicated concepts, reading that requires some facility with language. . . ”

Sewall said that compliance with detailed state guidelines and multicultural social/political sensitivity (which give “pressure groups a chance to vent and bully”) are why textbooks are of such poor style and textual quality. Sewall says, “publishers cater to pressure groupsfor whom history textbook content is an extension of a broader political or cultural cause . . . books whose content is meant to suit the sentivities of groups and causes more interested in self-promotion than in historical fact, scholarly appraisal, or balance. . . Determining what history children will learn, who will be heroes and villains, what themes will dominate, and what message will be sent are crucial subtexts in civic education.”

After reading and thinking about this article I concluded:

1) These current trends in education explain why my and others’ Civil War programs have been so well-received by schools.

2) It confirmed my belief that libraries and librarians (with their books and data bases) will be the saviors of history and our culture.

3) Current history textbooks are basically useless and should be abandoned. Their efforts to avoid anything that might be interpreted as “racist, sexist, ethnocentric, and jingo (excessive patriotism) are destructive to student scholarship. Too much is left out and too much misinformation is in them. We can’t avoid teaching facts of history just because the facts are complex or inconvenient.

I found a great site on reenacting and living history. You can explore it yourself here:

And here is another good site:  (The Living History Association)

My programs at schools are divided into three sections: story-telling or presenting of information, show and tell session of items related to the program, and music. So many teachers have told me that these programs make history come alive for students. I hope teachers everywhere will take students to museums, to events, battle reenactments and will allow those who do the “living history” programs to come to their schools.  Here are some reasons living history is important for students and teachers:

1) It brings history to life. Before, they had only seen history in books or in movies. They will read history and watch movies differently and in a more educated manner.

2) Such programs address all the senses, thus insuring better retention of information and perceptions.

3) Even for teachers and students who know and love history, there will be something new learned or experienced.

4) They might become reenactors themselves. And it might be their door into the movies! I’m not kidding. Read this:

5) Many children love to “act.” This might provide them a chance to try on a persona or develop theatre skills.

6) After the program, students can explore many areas of the presentation or be led to study new topics using the school’s data base systems.

7) Programs enrich and develop vocabulary.

Here is a sample Civil War vocabulary list and some words I use in my program.

brogans – ugly shoes infantry wore
hardtack –  hard, flour and water crackers given to soldiers.
candle lantern –
kepi – small military cap
slouch hat –  cowboy style felt hat
Lucifers – matches
Lone Star – symbol of Texas
Pelican – symbol of Louisiana
minnie ball – Civil War bullet.
goober peas or goobers – peanuts. Southern soldiers wrote a song about them.
tintype – a type of small photograph taken during the Civil War and placed in a            folding,     decorated case.
cavalry – soldiers who rode horses
trim colors on uniforms indicated a soldier was:
1. infantry – blue
2. cavalry – yellow
3. artillery – red
haversack – cotton or canvas sack that soldiers wore over their shoulder and that carried     food and other personal items in.
reticule – small handbag
Jacob’s Ladder – a toy
snood – hair net ornament
hardtack – hard cracker made of flour and water that soldiers ate. The Navy called         them     “sea biscuits.”
Friendship Fan – Girls would write the name of their friends on the veins of their         fan.
Living History – participants try to portray people of the past.
Reenactment – a rehearsed or scripted battle or other historical event.
Canteen – for water

News:

On June 25, at 12:45 p.m., I’ll be one of the speakers at a video conference for librarians across the state of Texas! It is entitled, At Your Library Video Conference  Region VII in Kilgore is the host for this state-wide video conference for librarians. Every education service center is invited to connect. Content will include best practices from those “good idea” Texas school librarians.

The agenda will include ten 20 minute sessions so participants can share and learn about the impact of active library programs on student achievement.
Here is a description of my program:

Why Authors Should Fall to Their Knees and Worship Librarians

This presentation will address the important role Librarians have in society and the educational system. Librarians are now the ones entrusted with the torch of cultural and academic enrichment. The presentation will touch on what authors need to know about librarians and will address how and what should be communicated to visiting authors to insure a successful program.

If you would like to see the schedule or the other speakers information, the link to the program is here:

A Teacher’s Review of Jim Limber Davis: A Black Orphan in the Confederate White House. 

Jessica Shultz is a teacher candidate in the elementary education program at Wake Forest University. She grew up in southern New Jersey, and has lived in North Carolina for three years. The purpose of this website is to demonstrate her growth as a professional during my time in the teacher education program at WFU. This site is a collection of her work from the elementary education program, and tracks the progression of her teaching philosophy.  She said this about my Jim Limber Children’s book:

Jim Limber Davis: A Black Orphan in the Confederate White House
Written by: Rickey Pittman
Copyright 2007
Grades 3-5
• This is a fascinating story about a little orphaned African American boy who was taken in by Jefferson Davis and his family and lived for a while in the Confederate White House. An amazing true story that will really make children consider their concepts of right and wrong. The Davis family treats little Jim Limber like one of their own children, which contradicts the view that many people have about the Confederate South.
• Covers Civil War history, the Confederacy, the Davis family
• Classroom application: This would be a great book to start or end a unit. If students already have some Civil War knowledge, this would be a great way to start a unit! It will definitely challenge children and most likely contradict many of their previously held beliefs about the Civil War and the Confederate south. A great discussion starter!

You can see Jessica’s site here: 

Fricasee is my word of the day. For some reason, I woke up thinking of it. It is a dish of cut-up pieces of meat (as chicken or rabbit) or vegetables stewed in stock and served in a white sauce. I first remember hearing the word in either a cartoon or a Restoration play in college.

Jim Limber: A Digital Book Talk

If you’re interested in a digital book talk, created by Bonnie Barnes of Region XI in Fort Worth, that you might could use to introduce the story of Jim Limber. Use this site.

New Books in My Library:

I’ve just ordered a Model Summer by Paula Porizkova and Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk. They should be in any day and I’m looking forward to reading them. I’ve been so busy that my reading has been slower than usual. I’ve got to remember that I am a writer, and that writers, busy or not, READ. I’ve also been given two new books this week. The first I received at the Memorial Day celebration on Monday, The Oxygen Revolution. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy by Paul G. Harch, M.D., and Virginia Mccullough. This treatment is being used with success with troops returning from Iraq with head wounds or trauma. Dr. Harch was there. Along with Kay Katz and Mike Walsworth, he was a speaker for the event.

The second book I received yesterday at the End of Year Luncheon for the Caddo Parish ISD librarians. Their organization is called CASL. This group of librarians has the best camaraderie I’ve seen. Librarians are my favorite people, and I think some of the least appreciated. They are also the last ones in education to be holding forth the lamp of cultural literacy in this day of State testing and resulting mediocrity. I intend to write some pieces to honor them. The event was held in the University Club in downtown Shreveport on Market Street and was a delightful program (in spite of the fact that I was the speaker for it). The theme was “Master the Art of Reading.” The book given to me was a signed copy of The Defense of Vicksburg: A Louisiana Chronicle written by All C Richard, Jr. & (Librarian) Mary Margaret Higginbotham Richard. I couldn’t have asked for another gift. I hope to have some photos of the event soon.
More from the Fort Worth Muster

Here is a photo of Cindy Harriman. She works with the Texas Civil War Museum. A beautiful and talented lady, she is doing so much to keep the history of the War Between the States alive. The gentleman is named Doug Harman. He is the retired CEO of the Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau.