Tales of the Suwannee River Country, a collection of twenty-six stories and essays, traces the personal journey of Emily B. Curtis, who grew up in North Florida during the Great Depression. As a shy young writer and pianist, Emily led a life of poetry and music and later became a teacher. Her father, a local attorney, defended the victims of shootings in the region, which introduced Emily to the world's evils, and ultimately taught her powerful lessons about life. From stories about small town American life in the South, to regional history and fiction, Tales of the Suwannee River Country will take you back in time to when the world was simpler and more secure.

Tales of the Suwannee River Country, a collection of twenty-six stories and essays, traces the personal journey of Emily B. Curtis, who grew up in North Florida during the Great Depression. As a shy young writer and pianist, Emily led a life of poetry and music and later became a teacher. Her father, a local attorney, defended the victims of shootings in the region, which introduced Emily to the world's evils, and ultimately taught her powerful lessons about life. From stories about small town American life in the South, to regional history and fiction, Tales of the Suwannee River Country will take you back in time to when the world was simpler and more secure.

Florida's famous swamps—from the Everglades to Mosquito Lagoon to Tate's Hell—serve as fitting backdrops for these chilling original stories. Maybe it's because they are often wet, shadowy places of wild beauty where few people dare to penetrate. They are havens for snakes, alligators, black bears, wildcats, and who knows what. People on the run have often hidden in swamps, while others have gotten lost in the watery expanses; the swamp can be a refuge or a nightmare. Mysterious things just happen in swamps. Maybe it's because they are often wet, shadowy places of wild beauty where few people dare to penetrate. They are havens for snakes, alligators, black bears, wildcats, and who knows what. People on the run have often hidden in swamps, while others have gotten lost in the watery expanses; the swamp can be a refuge or a nightmare. Where else can you find a ghost baby, or an angry specter, or a lost soul? How about a ghost who is obsessed with the ghost orchid, or an alluring snake woman? Throw in a skunk ape or two and you've got the ingredients for many entertaining hours sharing these stories around a campfire or reading them to yourself or out loud.

Wallace Jernigan has somehow managed to fill the time allotted for one life with a multitude of lives well-lived. His thirst for knowledge made him a civil engineer, a businessman, a beekeeper, and a licensed mortician. His zeal for adventure led him into politics, music, and bear hunting. But that's not even half the story. In this tale of the first half of his life, Wallace traces a personal journey from 1925 to 1962, from the Great Depression to Desegregation. With his trademark sense of good humor and his genuine love for people, he tells the story of his unique American adventure. From rural southern Georgia and his beloved Okefenokee Swamp to the heights of state political power under the Gold Dome in Atlanta, Wallace Jernigan tells his story. He lifts the veil off the headlines from the Atlanta newspapers to show how life and politics really operated in the middle of the twentieth century. Come on in and see who's in "Those Smoke-Filled Rooms."

A fun- and fact-filled investigation into why the Sunshine State is the weirdest but also the most influential state in the Union.

Thirty-eight stories chosen from the varied folklore traditions of the New World.