From: Kerry Madden <kiffnkerry>
Date: Sun, 24 May 2009 08:51:43 -0700 (PDT)

Dear Augusta, Thank you for your very kind words. The first trip to Alabama was strictly note-taking, and Keely sent me her notes after we got home. We also would talk each night in the hotel room about the day, and I would write up the notes. The second trip my husband, Kiffen, came with me, and I used an IPOD recording device (that he completely set up because I am technologically challenged ), and I recorded several interviews that I later transcribed. The third trip to Alabama is detailed below in "Travels With Norah" when I took my daughter, Norah, to do writing workshops in schools through Alabama Voices, and that trip was more about capturing today's Monroeville (and other parts of Alabama) and meeting students and getting them to write their stories.

The second link is a short excerpt from a? long essay called WORDS ON FIRE, published in "FIVE POINTS: A JOURNAL OF LITERATURE AND ART" edited by Megan Sexton. Harper Lee's silence led me to Helen Norris Bell, Kathryn Tucker Windham, and Mary Ward Brown - Alabama women authors in their 90s, all still writing and telling stories. Helen and Mary both won the HARPER LEE AWARD for their distinguished work, and Harper Lee nominated Kathryn Tucker Windham to the Alabama Academy of Honor. Kathryn's son, Ben Windham, wrote about it at the following link. (lots of great pictures too.)


  BEN WINDHAM: An encounter with Harper Lee
  The Tuscaloosa News

Aug. 24, 2003 http://www.auburn.edu/~willik5/montgomery.html

Thanks again to CCBC for letting me share these Alabama stories. I'm more than happy to answer any questions. And thank you, Augusta, for your question too. Much appreciated.

All best Kerry Madden

LINKS & PICTURES

WORDS ON FIRE, A SHORT EXCERPT OF THREE ALABAMA WOMEN WRITERS http://southernauthors.blogspot.com/2008/09/words-on-fire-short-excerpt-of-three.html

TRAVELS WITH NORAH, AN ALABAMA DIARY http://southernauthors.blogspot.com/2008/03/travels-with-norah-alabama-diary-by.html

ALABAMA STUDENTS (PICTURES OF PACKERS BEND, AL) http://mountainmist.livejournal.com/118425.html

ALABAMA STUDENTS, (JACKSON, AL) http://mountainmist.livejournal.com/118846.html

MONROEVILLE TO MONTGOMERY (More pictures of Alabama students and teachers) http://mountainmist.livejournal.com/119246.html

UP CLOSE: HARPER LEE
"My needs are simple: pen, paper, and privacy." Harper Lee, 1961 www.kerrymadden.com
 

--- On Sat, 5/23/09, Augusta Scattergood <gsgood at yahoo.com> wrote:

From: Augusta Scattergood <gsgood at yahoo.com> Subject: [CCBC-Net] Southern voices To: ccbc-net at lists.education.wisc.edu Date: Saturday, May 23, 2009, 12:23 PM

Kerry, I've loved following you on the CCBC list and reliving your trip with you. Today's email interview with Jane Ellen?Clark was like talking to all my Mississippi relatives! I tried to dig back into your live journal to see if you'd mentioned this, but couldn't find the answer- Did you carry a tape recorder with you or were you able to recreate the wonderful voice(s) from memory? Maybe you and your sister just took really good notes! Whatever your method, your research and interviewing is fascinating to follow, and I am looking forward to reading the book.
?Augusta Scattergood http://ascattergood.blogspot.com/







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Received on Sun 24 May 2009 10:51:43 AM CDT