Joe W. Specht – författare

A collection of fascinating and colorful stories spanning the history of Abilene, Texas.Although Abilene has long lived in the shadows of the literary limelight, it has not been for a lack of good writing, good writers, or interesting stories. Now coming out of the shadows, Abilene Stories: From Then to Now offers a community scrapbook, a gathering of the civic congregation where more than a hundred friends have stopped by for a visit. The laughter is robust and the smiles broad as stories are told and memories jogged.Pull up a chair next to Katharyn Duff as she relates a few historical chestnuts. Give your attention to Miss Tommie Clack for a ringside seat to the past. Step into the poetry of those who know this place well and a few who just observed it in passing. Appreciate the sharp insight of Pulitzer-nominated Frank Grimes. Listen for the personal element which A.C. Greene wove into nearly all of his writings.The collection begins with stories from before Abilene was Abilene and proceeds chronologically and topically to the present day with such pieces as “Let Them Eat Cactus,” “A Hanging in Abilene,” “Too Much Jazz and Not Enough Jesus,” “How Camp Barkeley Shaped Abilene,” “Alligator on the Loose,” “Howitzer on the Hill,” “Circlin’ Mack’s,” “The Crepe Myrtle Sex Scandal,” and “The Last Day at Harold’s.”If Abilene is your hometown, or ever has been—that place where you feel completely comfortable, where you know the routine and breathe easy, where the sunset is a familiar hue—Abilene Stories: From Then to Now is an invitation to sit down and spend a little time in what A. C. Greene called “The Village of My Heart.”

The music of Texas and the American Southwest is as diverse and distinctive as the many different groups who have lived in the region over the past several centuries, writes Gary Hartman in his introduction to this refreshingly different look at various genres of Texas music. ""The Roots of Texas Music"" celebrates the diverse sources of the music of the Lone Star State by gathering chapters by specialists on each of them. Editor, Lawrence S. Clayton, conceived this project as one that would not simply repeat the common wisdom about Texas music traditions but rather offer new perspectives. The result is a lively, captivating, and original look at the musical traditions of one of the nation's most fertile musical seedbeds. Authorities on each subject explore music of the Texas Germans and Czechs, black Creoles, Chicanos, and blues and gospel singers. The diverse genres included in this anthology also provide an introduction to the classes, cultures, races, and ethnic groups of Texas and highlight the ways in which the state's musical wealth has influenced the listening habits of the nation.