Zen and the Art of Local History is an engaging, interactive conversation that conveys the exciting nature of local history. Divided into six major themes the book covers the scope and breadth of local history: * Being a Local Historian * Topics and Sources * Staying Relevant * Getting it Right * Writing History * History Organizations Each chapter features one of Carol Kammen's memorable editorials from History News. Her editorial is a "call." Each is followed by a response from one of more than five dozen prominent players in state and local history. These Respondents include local and public historians, archivists, volunteers, and history professionals across the kaleidoscopic spectrum of local history. Among this group are Katherine Kane, Robert "Bob" Richmond, Charlie Bryan, and Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko. The result is a series of dialogues on important topics in the field of local history. This interactivity of these conversations makes Zen and the Art of Local History a unique offering in the public history field.
Foreword by Lorraine McConaghy Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1: About Being a Local Historian Call: Not for a Test, but History for Life, Response: Spencer Downing Call: Perambulation, Response: Aaron Sachs Call: Inappropriate Questions, Response: James L. Baggett Call: What We Tell the Youngsters, Response: Kate Betz Call: We Are Not Journalists, Response: Jeffrey J. Kollath Call: Local Knowledge, Response: Mary Alexander Call: Abby Hemenway, Response: Rebecca Conard Call: Water Buffalos, Wildebeests, and Gazelles, Response: Robert B. Townsend Call: Educating Our "Other" Audiences, Response: Karen Graham Wade Call: The Local History Apprentice, Response: Kate Tiller Call: Millenialism, Response: Robert Richmond Call: Taking the Prize, Response: Donald P. Zuris Call: History's Long Rangers, Response: Michael Potaski Call: Retiring Sorts, Response: Richard L. Williams Chapter 2: The Clay for Our Wheels and the Pots We Make Call: Getting Involved, Response: Allyn Lord Call: Out of the Closet, Response: Paul Landry Call: The Clipping Point, Response: Scott Muir Stroh III Call: An Ode to Scrapbooks, Response: Kelly Nolin Call: The Envelope Please, Response: K. Allison Wickens Call; Replevin, Response: Galen R. Wilson Call: Local History and the Underground Railroad, Response: Dina Bailey and Richard C. Cooper Call: The Hall's in Your Court(house), Response: James D. Folts Call: Down for the Count, Response: Lila Teresa Church Call: Small Changes, Response: Darlene Roth Call: Rethinking Local History, Response: Bruce Teeple Call: Around and About, Response: William L. Lang Call: Recording the Home Front, Response: Courtney L. Tollison Call: To Blog or Not to Blog, Response: Kate Theimer Chapter 3: Mingled Yarn Call: Community Education, Response: Lynne Ireland Call: Seeking Diversity, Response: Patricia Williams Lessane Call: History Tents, Response: Linda W. Chapin Call: Travel at Home, Response: Janet Vaughan Call: Travel at Home (Redux), Response: Amy H. Wilson Call: In Memoriam: Quite a Decade (Prelude and Postscript), Response; Jessica Dorman Call: Acts of Nature and Other Disturbing Events, Response: Beverly C. Tyler Call: When All is Lost, Response: Alice Parman Call: The Poor are Always Among Us, Response: Robert Archibald Call: What's in a Name, Response: Mary E. Montgomery Chapter 4: Truth and Consequences Call: When Not Being Wrong is Not Good Enough, Response: Constantine Dillon Call: Ducking, Bobbing, and Looking Away, Response: Charles F. Bryan, Jr. Call: Unintended Consequences, Response: Joe Meehan Call: Making it Up, Response: Tim Grove Call: Truth and Fiction, Response: Mark T. Mannette Call: Just All the Facts, Ma'am, Just Not All the Facts, Response: Annette Atkins Chapter 5: Words in Stone Call: History for Our Times, Response: David A. Janssen Call: In Context, Response: Paige Lilly Call: Local History's Audience, Response: J. Kent Calder and Thomas A. Mason Call: Community History, Response: Stephen L. Cox Call: The Things We Ignore, Response: Philip V. Scarpino Call: To Note or Not to Note, Response: Chris Brewer Call: Defining the Field, Response: Matthew Gibson Chapter 6: Work and Play in History's Sandbox Call: A Fourteen-Step Program for Local History, Response: Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko Call: Clanking of Canes: A Survey of North American State and Local History, Response: Burt Logan Call: The Future of Historical Societies, Response: James M. Vaughan Call: An Abundance of History, Response: Lisa Anderson Call: Cultural Tourism, Response: Carolyn Brackett Call: In the Company of Our Peers, Response: Janice B. Klein Call: The Importance of a Good Chair, Response: Tobi Voigt Call: Out of the Box and Into the Fray, Response: Katherine D. Kane Call: Tripping over History, Response: Lawrence J. Yerdon Call: Radio Waves, Response: Stan Deaton Call: Random Acts, Response: Cynthia Cardona Melendez Call: Into the Archive, Response: Kathleen D. Roe Call: On Boards, Response: Kent Whitworth Call: Being On Board, Response: Kathleen M. O'Leary Title/Author index Subject index About the Authors
