Over the course of 2023 I’ve been privileged to have seven different writers accept my invitation to discuss their recently published works. The readers of More to Come have been the beneficiary of their generosity. For this year-end roundup, I have pulled these conversations together in a salute to these thoughtful and perceptive authors.

As is appropriate for MTC, the subject matter is all over the map. Scan these short blurbs (the links take you to the full post and conversation) to find history, preservation, memoirs, spirituality, community revitalization, the uncovering of untold stories, career and life advice, and authorship. You’ll find all that below, listed alphabetically by author.

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A Long Way from Iowa: From the Heartland to the Heart of France (2023) by Janet Hulstrand takes the reader from her grandmother’s hometown in Iowa to the author’s home in the French countryside. Janet’s adventures recounted in this delightful memoir include working as Caroline Kennedy’s editorial assistant and living in a gypsy caravan outside Paris. In the interview, we discover much about Janet’s journey, including the complicated relationship with the two women who fueled her love for learning, exploration, and writing.

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Sleeping With the Ancestors: How I Followed the Footprints of Slavery (2023) by Joseph McGill, Jr. and Herb Frazier is a compelling work about a crusading effort to draw attention to the preservation of dwellings where enslaved people lived, worked, and raised their families. McGill — who founded and leads The Slave Dwelling Project — and his co-author Herb Frazier have compiled a captivating account of his years working to “change the narrative, one slave dwelling at a time.” In it, the authors recount the broadening of a modest regional effort into a national force. For this post, Joe — a former colleague at the National Trust — graciously agreed to chat with me about the book and his work.

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Never Say Whatever: How Small Decisions Make a Big Difference (2023) by Dr. Richard A. Moran reveals how the W-word is a career — and life — killer. We have a chance to make a big impact in both, but to do so we have to make the numerous daily decisions that everyone faces. The choices we make, even the small ones, help us pivot toward the life and career we want. But that becomes much harder if we tend to rely on “whatever” as a substitute for decision-making. Rich shared insights he’s uncovered with readers of More to Come in this author interview.

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Books and Our Town: The History of the Rutherford County Library System (2023) by Lisa R. Ramsay is a wonderful addition to the story of America’s love affair with public libraries. After a newspaper editorial encouraged the citizens of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to create a public library, Henry T. Linebaugh answered the call. For its 75th anniversary, Ramsay has gathered a rich array of stories that tell how Linebaugh Library and its branches became essential parts of my hometown. I interview Lisa about civic engagement, strong female leadership, and more.

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AMEN? Questions for a God I Hope Exists (2022) by Julia Rocchi is full of wisdom, vulnerability, and questions asked in an open and seeking spirit. Essays, quotations, poems, and prayers probe the mysteries that make up life in what one reviewer sees as, “a psalter for the post-modern, exhausted age.” Julia writes of a God who is imminently approachable and ready to answer our deepest questions. When we “ask questions of God, the Universe, whatever it is that we believe to be bigger than ourselves,” Julia notes, “we do so not to arrive at answers, but to inspire still more questions.” In this post she answers some of mine.

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Playing Authors: An Anthology (2023) is a collection by 18 writers asked to consider the question of authorship. The creative act of writing in today’s world is at the heart of this newest release from Old Iron Press, a female-led, small independent press in Indianapolis. “Literary mashups, personal essays, alternative history, and other disobedient forms” are included in this work, which begins with the sad and insightful and laugh-out-loud funny “Hemingway Goes on Book Tour.” In this post, I chat with that story’s author, Robyn Ryle, about the inspiration for this piece, the challenges of modern publishing, the need for more diverse voices, and imagining other famous authors beyond Hemingway in the rat race of today’s world of the book tour.

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Your City is Sick (2023) by Jeff Siegler takes a deep dive into how the various causes of community malaise — poor planning decisions, neglect, disregard for current residents, and more — have led to the dysfunction we see today. Like a blunt yet perceptive doctor, Siegler first helps us understand the disease and then — in straightforward, no-holds-barred language — he prescribes treatments to push his readers to transform their cities through relentless, incremental improvements. In this post, Jeff talks with me about one of the worst diseases a city can face — Silverbulletitis — and why it is important to focus on the community you have and those who live there.

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Thanks to each of these perceptive and thoughtful authors for taking the time to grace the More to Come newsletter with their experiences and insights. It was truly a delight to highlight their creativity and these important works.

More to come . . .

DJB

Author photos clockwise from top left: Joseph McGill, Jr., Jeff Siegler, Robyn Ryle, Julia Rocchi, Lisa Ramsay, Janet Hulstrand, Richard Moran