Writer of Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Poetry and Master Photographer
A hundred and fifty eight years ago, the Union army was in New Bern and threatening to move west unchecked. The Confederate leadership showed little interest in making the defense of North Carolina a priority. Gen. John Foster of the Union army started making moves in November New Bern and the 47th North Carolina —…
I was fortunate to be invited to sell and sign my books at Pequod Used Books in Rocky Mount this past weekend. My wife Kristi and I knew there would be a challenge — try not to go too crazy in the store, especially since owner Justin Nale had announced a 50% off everything-sale. We…
Jazz legend Thelonious Sphere Monk was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina on October 10, 1917. The son of Thelonious and Barbara Monk, his home was on Green Street in an area known as “Around the Y,” after a railroad bend nearby. It was a well-to-do area in the city’s black community. When Monk was…
With MLB announcing baseball is coming back next week, I dug out an old story about a Rocky Mount baseball team. All I can say is thank goodness we now have the Carolina Mudcats (and several other minor league teams within a short drive). I remember wanting to go see a minor league baseball game…
Confederate statues are coming down all over the country, and the one near me — in Rocky Mount, NC — starts getting moved today. The local newspaper said it will take five days and cost over $280,000. Ironically, the original cost to install the statue, in today’s dollars, was about $275,000. In my book Galvanized:…
By Michael K. Brantley Two convicted murderers met their fate on the gallows in Nash County’s last public hanging on March 15, 1900. The story of John Henry Taylor and Robert Fortune and the murder of Robert Hester is a tragic one. All that end in capital punishment are. It’s also a story of mistaken…