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Two reviewers take the measure of my work
Two reviews of this book appeared recently, and both authors made similar observations: that The Last Lynching in Northern Virginia is instructive for its recounting of a long-ago lynching, but also for how it describes the lingering effects of that incident. As Mark Tooley wrote, the book is a “window into a time that seems
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The university and the library: Two places I like
I remember how happy and proud I was when I found my name on the shelves at the University of Mary Washington bookstore in Fredericksburg. The year was 1993, and I had agreed to teach there. One of my responsibilities as a new adjunct was to tell the bookstore which texts I would use in
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When the topic is lynching, people want to hear
The question was a familiar one, but my answer was new, an admission that I had never made before. Yesterday, at a presentation before the members of Mary Washington ElderStudy, an audience member asked, “Why did you pursue this project?” He and others before him seemed puzzled that I would devote time and energy to
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If it’s not the money, why do I do this?
I was on the way to Richmond to speak at the Black History Museum of Virginia recently when I asked myself, “Why am I doing this?” I was travelling 60 miles in the rain. I was not being paid, and the director had said that she wanted the museum, not me, to sell my book.
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I stand in praise of copy editors
One of History Press’ copy editors reviewed this manuscript and pronounced it fit. Well, mostly fit. The book is “very well written,” he said, but it contains errors of “grammar, style, spelling and consistency.” He made about 40 blue-type changes in the document. Most were violations of the publisher’s house style. That means, in my
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Every author needs a headshot
I got all dressed up on Dec. 15, 2015, to have a professional photo taken by a professional photographer. Suzanne Rossi, my former colleague at The Free Lance-Star newspaper, did the honors. The photo will be used in the book. Thank you, Suzanne.
Author & Lecturer
Jim Hall 