Today’s prompt is….authors I’ve met! Well, this will be a short list. but first, a Teaser Tuesday!
On the morning of the first trip to school, it was icy, which meant a fast ride but a cold one. Coolidge and his father climbed into the sleigh while it was still dark. A calf happened to ride with them, going to market in Boston; John admonished his son that the animal would reach the great city now, but the boy would have to wait for years to be ready. COOLIDGE.
(1) Tom Woods, sort of. I mean, I’ve seen him in person and I’ve talked to him on Zoom, so by those powers combined….I have met Tom Woods? Tom Woods is an historian, libertarian advocate, and podcaster who I’ve been listening to since 2013-2014. I’m not sure how I found him, but his show is so varied (history, politics, literature, etc) that he’s been a long habit. In 2015 I attended a Young Americans for Liberty conference (back when I qualified as young) where he spoke, and later I became a Supporting Listener of his show, so I get invited to monthly zoom chats and such. I’ve read most of Woods’ books, from Real Dissent to Diary of a Psychosis.
(2) Rod Dreher. Dreher is unique in that I’ve met him on multiple occasions, first at a book launch event for Paul Kingsnorth, and then for the first public airing of a series based on his book, “Live Not by Lies”. Dreher is a journalist, author, and substacker who has written for a variety of American and European institutions; his books focus heavily on meaning, religion, and culture.
(3) Paul Kingsnorth. I hadn’t actually read much of Kingsnorth beyond his preface to The World Ending Fire, a collection of Wendell Berry Essays, when I met him. I soon remedied that, though: I’ve since read all of his nonfiction.
(4) Wayne Flynt. Flynt is an Alabama historian who has visited my library numerous times; my favorite work of his is Poor but Proud, on Alabama’s poor whites.
(5) Jason M. Baxter. Author of The Medieval Mind of C.S. Lewis, I met him at the same Dreher-Kingsnorth event and later read his book.
(6) Mike Bunn. Author of numerous works about the colonial Gulf, including Early Alabama and The Fourteenth Colony. Fun fact: I met him before I knew I’d read his books, because his name hadn’t registered in my memory. I arrived at an event he was doing in town (associated with America @ 250) and said “Huh, I’ve read some of the books on his table!” He does boat tours of the Mobile-Tenesaw delta, including one to a large Mississippi-culture mound, so I may see him again in future.
(7) John Sledge, author of The Mobile River, Cities of Silence, etc. He visited the library for research and later did an author event here.
(8) Chuck Fager, author of Selma 1965. I didn’t get to pester him with questions, but he spent a lot of time researching in the library when he was working on a third edition of his book, and we talked a bit.
(9) Susan Besser, author of Selma: An Architectural Field Guide. I helped with fact-checking for her, and later met her when she did an author event. She also makes jewelry and gave me a necklace to give to my girlfriend!
(10) Al Benn, author of Reporter. I didn’t know Al was an author when we met; he was just a guy at the church breakfast table with a lot of stories and a manner that some describe as ‘direct’ and others ‘abrasive’. He had worked as a reporter since the end of the Korean War, and loved talking about his adventures or misadventures. He was also a huge cinephile and would often have me over to his house to watch movies with him and his wife.
(11) I attempted to meet Frederica Mathews-Green at the Kingsnorth-Dreher event by hanging around the coffee urns. (I think I managed a hello at one point, but not an actual conversation.)
(12) I literally sat behind James Howard Kunstler eating breakfast but hadn’t attended a lecture he’d give that night, so I didn’t know who he was. Manalive, if I could go back –
Okay, that list wasn’t as short as I thought, and frankly more names are popping up as I sit here and reflect on how many authors have come to the library for research!
I am not familiar with the writings of any of these authors but it is clear from your post that many of them are favorites of yours. Cool!
David Attenborough from your list would be exciting! (I don’t know why but I don’t see a way to post comments on your end?)
A great list. How exciting to have helped with research!
Have a great week!
Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog
My post:
https://budgettalesblog.wordpress.com/2026/09/15/top-ten-tuesday-last-ten-5-star-reads/
I like to check for my name in GoogleBOoks from time to time to see what books have give me (or at least the library) a shout-out. 6 so far. 😀
Amazing!
I was feeling very snarky when I read this. So this is my third iteration of my comment.
I have to say, that is a lot of authors to have met. I’m impressed, as much as I can be by anything author related 😉
I’m hoping to hang out with Rod in future — he intends to do a Birmingham-based subscriber meetup!
I love how some of these authors are more than just people you’ve met at book signings and such.
Here’s my TTT for the week: https://readbakecreate.com/c-author-names-alphabet-challenge/
I get the vibe that at least several of these folks have had an impact on the development of your life philosophy. It makes me wonder how the authors I’ve met have changed my thoughts about life.
Kunstler and Dreher, yes, Kingsnorth most likely…not sure where Al falls, but he probably had influence! (Died during COVID. 😦 )
You’ve met a lot of authors!
Perks of working in a library!
Your library must be well resourced to attract so many authors for research.
Thanks for sharing your #TTT
We played a big part in the Civil Rights movement, so we attract a lot of attention!
Awesome list. You’ve done well.
Happy TTT to you! Nice list of authors. Most of them are new to me! Lisa @ Captivated Reader
Wow what a list! I would love to work in a library in a central location like that to see who all I would meet. Awesome!
My Post:
https://thegentlechapter.blog/2026/09/15/top-ten-tuesday-alphabet-freebie-k-t/
Enjoyed that. I was in the book trade and could boast an impressive list. Sadly, my credibility would be severely strained if asked for exact details. It would show that I was making the word “met” do a lot of work! My favourite authors died long ago. Oh, for a time machine.
I’ve never heard of any of these authors, but I’m glad you get to meet (ish) all of them!
Happy TTT (on a Wednesday)!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
You’ve had so many author encounters! Love that you have all these memories.
It’s a privilege to meet so many authors doing history research! 🙂
What a fun list, and I love that you thought it’d be short and it kept growing 🙂 Now you’ve got me thinking about all the authors I’ve been able to meet … missed the TTT but I may have to make a random post about such 🙂