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Chatham Books to spotlight local writers
By SUSAN WORLEY/Star-Tribune Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 13, 2006 11:56 AM EST
Chatham Books is hosting a special day Saturday featuring author/historian Herman Melton, talented dulcimer player Jean Braun, and writer Larry Aaron.
Melton's new book is Southside Virginia: Echoing through History. He will be at Chatham Books from noon until 3 p.m.
Braun is Dean of Students at Chatham Hall and will provide a beautiful musical interlude between Melton's book signing and Aaron's appearance.
She will have CDs for sale of traditional music played on the dulcimer.
Aaron will be at Chatham Books from 4-6 p.m. His book is entitled Barefoot Boy: An Anthology of Blue Ridge Poems.
Melton's book is a continuation of his investigations into the history of Southside Virginia in general and Pittsylvania County in particular.
A long-time resident of Chatham who now lives in South Carolina, Herman is considered an expert in the facts surrounding grist mill and industrial development in the county from its origins in the 18th century to the present day.
This is his first book since the well received Thirty-nine Lashes, An Account of Crime and Punishment in Pittsylvania County.
It explores the rich history of Pittsylvania, Halifax, Henry, Patrick, Franklin, Bedford and Campbell counties.
Herman and his son, Will, are working on a new book investigating Pittsylvania County's role in the Civil War.
Aaron's Barefoot Boy exposes the heart and soul of the Blue Ridge Mountains and its people while reflecting on the beauty, spirituality and simplicity of nature.
It brings back the idyllic days of childhood in the Blue Ridge Mountains, picking up stones by the creek bank, chasing bumblebees, swinging from grapevines, gathering blackberries and being immersed in nature's symphony of sounds.
Reminiscing about the old home place, granddad playing his banjo and sharing his tall tales and how life on the farm reflects the cycles of life, offer the flavor of those bygone days.
Selections such as Saying Goodbye reflect on lonesome times and The Oldtimer on threatening changes.
Barefoot Boy is about modern man's need for nature's touch and the natural spirituality associated with a simpler life seemingly out of reach in contemporary times.
The “Meet the Authors” event is free and open to the public.
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