Three Writers Along the Way
Falling into the category of interesting connections, our recent
journey from Florida to New York led me to the memorials for three fascinating writers.
Paul Hemphill
In Atlanta, our first stop was Manuel’s Tavern, a famous
watering hole for journalists and
politicians. I wanted to see the
memorial for my old friend Paul Hemphill.
Paul was a Southern writer and a journalist who wrote numerous books
about the region and its diverse culture.
His most famous books dealt with subjects such as Hank Williams and
NASCAR. Others dealt with his personal
experiences, such as trying to hike the Appalachian Trail with his son and
playing minor league baseball. My particular favorite is his autobiography, Leaving Birmingham, in which he traces
his awakening as an intelligent and progressive southerner.
W.J. Cash
In Charlotte, walking with a friend through Uptown amid all
the new construction, we were attracted to an interesting building dating back
to the early 20th Century.
Beside the front door was a plaque noting that it was once the residence
of W.J. Cash, an editor of the long defunct Charlotte
News and author of The Mind of the
South, one of the most insightful explorations of southern culture ever
written, a book that has remained in print for more than 75 years and is a staple
of Southern History. Published in 1941, it provides some extraordinary insights
into the region as it began to emerge from the torment of the Civil War.
William Cullen Bryant
Finally, during the last week of our American journey, we visited
friends in Roslyn on Long Island. Founded
in the 17th Century, the heart of the village still retains the
charm of colonial America. On a driving tour,
we stopped at Cedarmere, the home of William
Cullen Bryant. I remembered him from an
old collection of American poetry, which included Bryant’s most famous work,
”Thanatopsis.” While he spent most of
his life editing the New York Evening
Post, his poetry explored the connections between nature and the human
spirit just as the Industrial Revolution was being born, an event that changed
the world.
Three writers, all working journalists, each confronting important
issues of their generation, each providing food for thought as we continued our
journey.
© 2016 David Lee McMullen
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