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[CCBC-Net] Primary Sources: Harper Lee Up Close
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From: Kerry Madden <kiffnkerry>
Date: Tue, 19 May 2009 17:51:05 -0700 (PDT)
A wonderful author, Loretta Ellsworth, who wrote, IN SEARCH OF MOCKINGBIRD, sent me her materials about Monroeville before my first trip, which was a huge help, so I had an idea of where to start. I called Bunny Hines, the town librarian, who lent me a big file of clippings at the library to research. Angela Roberts, an Alabama Southern librarian, told me I had to talk George Thomas Jones, the town historian, and AB Blass, and Charles Ray Skinner. Jones, Skinner, and Blass all went to elementary school with Harper Lee and Truman Capote. Angela Roberts also arranged an interview with Jane Ellen Clark, the curator, whose mother went to school with Harper Lee.
Basically one interview led to another. I think people were willing to talk to me because I told them this was a biography for children. So much of my writing career has been about getting children to write their own stories. I hoped that this biography might inspire kids to write their stories and pay attention to details in their own lives. I later did writing workshops in Monroe and Jackson Counties at different schools, and brought my ten-year-old daughter, Norah, who wrote about the experience of her first trip to Alabama. (She found the buzzards fascinating on the old back roads.)
As for visitors, I would say the town of Monroeville is very used to visitors. They host the annual "Alabama Writers Symposium" through Alabama Southern the first weekend of May. This where writers receive the Harper Lee Award, and this year it was presented to Rick Bragg.
Alabama Symposium Link http://www.ascc.edu/?DivisionID=2332&DepartmentID=2245&ToggleSideNav=ShowAll
* * *
At the Monroe County Courthouse, the play, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, is also done every year with local actors, and it sells out immediately for the May run. The first act is done outside, and the second act is held inside the courtroom. Harper Lee recently told visitors to the Museum that Henry Bumstead was "on his hands and knees measuring every inch of the oval courtroom." Bumstead won the Oscar for his art direction of the film.
Monroe County Heritage
Museum http://www.tokillamockingbird.com/
* * *
The restaurant I remembered is actually the Mockingbird Grill, not cafe, and it was the place to go after church. Referring to my sister's notes, Keely wrote: "Kerry and I ate lunch at the Mockingbird Grill.? It was a $10.95 buffet of fried and barbeque chicken, deep fried okra, green beans stewing in bacon flavored water and grits with whole corn kernels. Everyone was in suits or dresses.? A thirteen-year-old girl in a pink suit that was too big for her told me that I looked 'sweet.'" Folks also eat at the Radley Cafe where they have incredible red velvet cake and David's Catfish is another favorite place in town.
?
* * *
Last November was an event that I was not in town to experience, and it about kills me not to have been there. The actress, Patricia Neal, read Truman Capote's A CHRISTMAS MEMORY at the Old Monroe County Courthouse with actor, Joe Vigg, and Harper Lee went to see the performance. I asked my friend, George Thomas Jones, if he went and, George, who is 88, said, "Kerry, those tickets were $35.00 dollars. That's Hollywood prices." Jane Ellen Clark, the curator, said it was a magical night, and it was the first time Harper Lee had been to see the museum at the Courthouse.
Here is the link about Patricia Neal reading "A CHRISTMAS MEMORY."?
Southern Literary Trail debuts next
month http://www.baldwincountynow.com/articles/2009/02/12/arts_and_entertainment/doc49944ec94de52933265609.txt
But stories led to more stories, and if somebody didn't want to answer question, I didn't push it. Sometimes, they'd say, "I don't want to talk about that now. I'll talk about that later, but I'll tell you this story now."
So much of it was about listening and trying to imagine the world of Monroeville, Alabama before I ever wrote a word.
Thank you very much!
All best Kerry Madden
UP CLOSE: HARPER LEE
"My needs are simple: pen, paper, and privacy." Harper Lee, 1961 www.kerrymadden.com
--- On Tue, 5/19/09, Tessa Michaelson <tmichaelson at education.wisc.edu> wrote: From: Tessa Michaelson <tmichaelson at education.wisc.edu> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Primary Sources: Harper Lee Up Close To: "CCBC-NET" <ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu> Date: Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 6:38 AM
Thank you Kerry, for the wonderful start to our conversation! It seems that the old-fashioned method of people-to-people networking was more beneficial that an internet search on your subject.
While it's clear that you were able to have some rewarding conversations with particular individuals, I'm curious about the overall atmosphere in Monroeville. Were residents used to visitors? With a
place like the Mockingbird Cafe, was the town laden with literary spin-offs? What do you think made people open (or closed) to conversation about your book?
I look forward to hearing more about your
research
journey, as well as hearing other thoughts and questions from the CCBC-Net community.
Tessa
Date: Tue, 19 May 2009 17:51:05 -0700 (PDT)
A wonderful author, Loretta Ellsworth, who wrote, IN SEARCH OF MOCKINGBIRD, sent me her materials about Monroeville before my first trip, which was a huge help, so I had an idea of where to start. I called Bunny Hines, the town librarian, who lent me a big file of clippings at the library to research. Angela Roberts, an Alabama Southern librarian, told me I had to talk George Thomas Jones, the town historian, and AB Blass, and Charles Ray Skinner. Jones, Skinner, and Blass all went to elementary school with Harper Lee and Truman Capote. Angela Roberts also arranged an interview with Jane Ellen Clark, the curator, whose mother went to school with Harper Lee.
Basically one interview led to another. I think people were willing to talk to me because I told them this was a biography for children. So much of my writing career has been about getting children to write their own stories. I hoped that this biography might inspire kids to write their stories and pay attention to details in their own lives. I later did writing workshops in Monroe and Jackson Counties at different schools, and brought my ten-year-old daughter, Norah, who wrote about the experience of her first trip to Alabama. (She found the buzzards fascinating on the old back roads.)
As for visitors, I would say the town of Monroeville is very used to visitors. They host the annual "Alabama Writers Symposium" through Alabama Southern the first weekend of May. This where writers receive the Harper Lee Award, and this year it was presented to Rick Bragg.
Alabama Symposium Link http://www.ascc.edu/?DivisionID=2332&DepartmentID=2245&ToggleSideNav=ShowAll
* * *
At the Monroe County Courthouse, the play, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, is also done every year with local actors, and it sells out immediately for the May run. The first act is done outside, and the second act is held inside the courtroom. Harper Lee recently told visitors to the Museum that Henry Bumstead was "on his hands and knees measuring every inch of the oval courtroom." Bumstead won the Oscar for his art direction of the film.
Monroe County Heritage
Museum http://www.tokillamockingbird.com/
* * *
The restaurant I remembered is actually the Mockingbird Grill, not cafe, and it was the place to go after church. Referring to my sister's notes, Keely wrote: "Kerry and I ate lunch at the Mockingbird Grill.? It was a $10.95 buffet of fried and barbeque chicken, deep fried okra, green beans stewing in bacon flavored water and grits with whole corn kernels. Everyone was in suits or dresses.? A thirteen-year-old girl in a pink suit that was too big for her told me that I looked 'sweet.'" Folks also eat at the Radley Cafe where they have incredible red velvet cake and David's Catfish is another favorite place in town.
?
* * *
Last November was an event that I was not in town to experience, and it about kills me not to have been there. The actress, Patricia Neal, read Truman Capote's A CHRISTMAS MEMORY at the Old Monroe County Courthouse with actor, Joe Vigg, and Harper Lee went to see the performance. I asked my friend, George Thomas Jones, if he went and, George, who is 88, said, "Kerry, those tickets were $35.00 dollars. That's Hollywood prices." Jane Ellen Clark, the curator, said it was a magical night, and it was the first time Harper Lee had been to see the museum at the Courthouse.
Here is the link about Patricia Neal reading "A CHRISTMAS MEMORY."?
Southern Literary Trail debuts next
month http://www.baldwincountynow.com/articles/2009/02/12/arts_and_entertainment/doc49944ec94de52933265609.txt
But stories led to more stories, and if somebody didn't want to answer question, I didn't push it. Sometimes, they'd say, "I don't want to talk about that now. I'll talk about that later, but I'll tell you this story now."
So much of it was about listening and trying to imagine the world of Monroeville, Alabama before I ever wrote a word.
Thank you very much!
All best Kerry Madden
UP CLOSE: HARPER LEE
"My needs are simple: pen, paper, and privacy." Harper Lee, 1961 www.kerrymadden.com
--- On Tue, 5/19/09, Tessa Michaelson <tmichaelson at education.wisc.edu> wrote: From: Tessa Michaelson <tmichaelson at education.wisc.edu> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Primary Sources: Harper Lee Up Close To: "CCBC-NET" <ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu> Date: Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 6:38 AM
Thank you Kerry, for the wonderful start to our conversation! It seems that the old-fashioned method of people-to-people networking was more beneficial that an internet search on your subject.
While it's clear that you were able to have some rewarding conversations with particular individuals, I'm curious about the overall atmosphere in Monroeville. Were residents used to visitors? With a
place like the Mockingbird Cafe, was the town laden with literary spin-offs? What do you think made people open (or closed) to conversation about your book?
I look forward to hearing more about your
research
journey, as well as hearing other thoughts and questions from the CCBC-Net community.
Tessa
-- Tessa Michaelson, Librarian Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education University of Wisconsin-Madison 4290 Helen C. White Hall 600 N. Park St Madison, WI 53706 Phone: 608-890-1332 Podcast: 712-318-9988 FAX: 608-262-4933 tmichaelson at education.wisc.edu http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/ http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/podcasts/podcasts.asp _______________________________________________ CCBC-Net mailing list CCBC-Net at lists.education.wisc.edu Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe... http://lists.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-netReceived on Tue 19 May 2009 07:51:05 PM CDT
