Literary . . . Your Hometown

Have you read Literary New Orleans (1999, Hill Street Press) or even a copy of A Guide to Literary Sites of the South and wondered about the literary history of your hometown? If you set out on a mission to discover the authors who have lived or visited in your area you may be pleasantly surprised.

Your search may take some persistence and you are surely to run up on a few obstacles along the way. Finding an author in his natural habitat can be as difficult as finding a raccoon in the middle of the day. Nevertheless, they are there, quietly going about their day-to-day routine, rarely letting us know that they are among us.

Writing is secondary for many authors. They have family, children, and often work a nine-to-five job. The community may hold the person in high regard for accomplishments other than writing.

Samuel Ullman was influential in the building of Birmingham, Alabama. He served on the city’s first Board of Education and was an influential businessman in the late 1800s and early 1900s. However, after retirement, he spent many afternoons and nights writing poetry and letters. His poem "Youth" was printed in Readers’ Digest and still impacts many people who happen upon it. Each year people come to Birmingham to visit his home and to learn more about the influential poet, but until recently, if you asked the community about Samuel Ullman, you probably would have heard about his contribution to the development of Birmingham rather than his writing.

Then again, some communities may try to distance themselves from their writing residents. Sinclair Lewis, William Faulkner, and Thomas Wolfe were not well accepted in their community because of their writing.

William Bradford Huie is known as one of the twentieth century’s most controversial writers. His short stories and novels about civil rights stirred controversy and created conflict during a volatile period of southern history. Some day he may be admired for his contributions to society, but today it is hard to get some residents of Hartselle, Alabama, to talk about their native son.

Here are five tips that may help you uncover the literary influence of your hometown.

1. Begin with the local library. Talk to the librarian for a little oral history, but spend some concentrated time on the clippings files. Keep you eyes open for articles written about local people, but also watch for articles written by local people. Many authors start out as reporters or columnists for local newspapers.

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