Writer of Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Poetry and Master Photographer
Congressmen being full of hot air is not a recent development. In 1820, Rep. Felix Walker, who was from Buncombe County, N.C., gave a long, rambling speech in the U.S. House. Not much was remembered about it other than it had little relevance to that day’s business. Walker, originally from West Virginia, became known for…
This first appeared in The Nashville GraphicBy Michael K. Brantley Sometimes, I get these great ideas. I follow through, make some people happy and get a real sense of accomplishment. Other times, I get what I THINK are great ideas. They end up blowing up in my face, costing me money or contributing to an…
One thing I always try to do with my classes is apply what we’re doing or what I’m trying to teach to “real life.” While not every single has an immediate or specific use in life, I think it helps to know the point of a lesson. I always appreciated it when I was a…
By Michael K. Brantley Spring Hope is located in Nash County, North Carolina, about 45 minutes directly east of Raleigh. Nash County is shaped sort of like the state of Nevada, flipped sideways. Spring Hope has a quirky history. A man named Crenshaw helped establish the community in the mid-1800s near a series of springs…
I have to admit as a kid I was always puzzled at the line in Yankee Doodle about a feather in a hat being called macaroni. I guess I wrote it off to odd lyrics. After all, there were plenty of odd lines in songs — look no farther than that thing about ashes and…
Nash County was formed out of Edgecombe County — a significant center of wealth and influence in the antebellum era — in 1777. The new county was named for General Francis Nash, one of George Washington’s favorite commanders, who died at the Battle of Germantown (Pa.) on October 4, 1777. Nash was born in Amelia…
I had my best meal of oysters ever just a few weeks ago, at a place I plan on writing about here soon. But I came across a piece to share that couldn’t wait. David Cecelski is one of my favorite North Carolina writers. I found him while working on a graduate degree at East…
By Michael K. Brantley On February 18, 1911, Nash County Representative J.L. Cornwell introduced a bill in the North Carolina General Assembly as “An Act to establish and provide for the organization of the County of Jarvis from the territory of Nash, Wilson, Johnston, Wake and Franklin Counties.” The bill was labeled H.B. 1229 and…
By Michael K. Brantley Both of my paternal grandparents passed away before I made it to my teens. I was not close to them. My grandmother was born in 1891, and I was most fascinated by all of the history she experienced in her lifetime. After all, she predated flight by more than a decade…
By Michael K. Brantley I went to the Pitt County library sale last weekend. It’s a big event featuring cheap books — most are $1-$3 each — held in the Convention Center. It is very encouraging for me as both a writer and a reader to see so many folks going in and out, almost…