Photo by Eric Schiemer, Geneva College
The spring semester at Trinity Christian College has sped by. Today is the last day of regular classes, and finals week is next week. During the last couple of months, I have also had a number of opportunities to talk about my research.
February was online appearance month. Right after the book appeared, I got an email from the publisher saying that Shaun Tabatt wanted to interview me for The Shaun Tabatt Show. We spoke via zoom on February 15 and the interview was published online two days later. Later that month, Fred Zaspel reached out about doing an interview for Books at a Glance. We spoke on February 28 and the interview was published on March 5. Many thanks to both Shaun and Fred for their time and interest.
March was email month. I traded many emails with staff and friends at (in alphabetical order): the Ann Arbor Public Library, the Blue Island Public Library, the College of the Ozarks, Geneva College, Grove City College, the Ingalls Homestead outside of De Smet, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museums in Pepin and Walnut Grove, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum in Mansfield, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Homes in De Smet, the Midwestern History Conference, and Schuler Books in Grand Rapids. Some of these contacts have become upcoming appearances, some are still in process.
April has been in-person appearance month. On April 4, I spoke at the Blue Island Public Library. About ten people attended and we had a great talk. Many thanks to Dennis Raleigh for making that event happen. I also taught a SALT course at Trinity Christian College from April 2 to 16. SALT (Seasoned Adults Learning at Trinity) courses are for residents aged 50 and older from communities surrounding the college. There were eight students, and over the three weeks we read and discussed the book. I also shared some photos from my research trips and visits to the Ingalls and Wilder historical sites. Many thanks to Dewoun Hayes for her enthusiasm and faithful support.
On Monday of this week, I flew to Pittsburgh and drove to Grove City, PA. There I got to have lunch with my longtime friend Michael Coulter, who teaches Political Science at Grove City College, and dinner with Jan and Katie Dudt, old friends from when we lived in western PA. I spoke to about forty people that evening, about half students (all women – not entirely surprising) and half people from the community. Several were high school classmates from Grove City Christian High School and Portersville Christian school. One I had not seen for probably 30 years. It was a great time. It was also a great blessing to stay with the Dudts on their beautiful farm outside Grove City, close to where I grew up. Many thanks to Mike for his work and to Grove City’s Institute for Faith and Freedom and Departments of English and History for sponsoring the talk.
Then on Tuesday, I drove from Grove City to Geneva College in Beaver Falls, PA. It was a nostalgic trip, especially the stretch down the hilly and twisty back roads between Portersville and Eastvale. It is still pretty early spring, so it wasn’t always beautiful, but it was home. At Geneva I got to spend some time with Jeff Cole and Eric Miller, members of the History Department, and Kae Kirkwood in the Archives. Geneva is my alma mater, so I knew Kae from when I attended in the late 80s and early 90s. And two of my sons, Ben and Daniel, currently go to Geneva, so we were able to get together for dinner (and ice cream after my talk). There were probably sixty people at the talk; most were students, but some were from the community, including several from Grace OPC in Sewickley, the church I attended when I was in college. The talk was part of Geneva’s Visiting Artist and Lecture Series (GVALS). Many thanks to Jeff and Eric, Provost Melinda Stephens, and Marlene Luciano-Kerr for the invitation and their hospitality.
I now have a page on the website dedicated to Book Talks, both upcoming ones and previous ones.
If you are interested in having me speak at your local bookstore, church, public library, or other community group, please contact me at john.fry@trnty.edu.
Thanks again for your support!
Links:
SALT at Trinity (click on Classes and then Session 3A to see the information about my course)
The Faith of Laura Ingalls Wilder 