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The Ozarks in Print and Perception:
Imaging a Region in Book
With Steve Wiegenstein and Nancy Allen | Moderated by Dr. Brooks Blevins
| 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. | City Chambers
How closely do literary images of the Ozarks mirror reality? Our moderator and panelists will discuss how books, both fiction and nonfiction, have shaped images of the Ozarks since the publication of Harold Bell Wright’s The Shepherd of the Hills in 1907 and how these images have affected the region’s history and development. In addition, authors will discuss their connection with the Ozarks, how and why they incorporate the region into their work, and how contemporary literature continues to shape public perceptions of the Ozarks and Ozarkers.
Brooks Blevins
Author and Professor
Brooks Blevins
Dr. Brook Blevins is a native of the rural Ozarks of Arkansas. He is the Noel Boyd Professor of Ozarks Studies in the history department at Missouri State University. He is the author or editor of a dozen books, including the recent History of the Ozarks trilogy from the University of Illinois Press and the forthcoming Up South in the Ozarks, a collection of essays that will be published by the University of Arkansas Press later this year.
Steve Wiegenstein
Author
Steve Wiegenstein
Steve Wiegenstein grew up in the eastern Ozarks, which is the setting for his novels and short stories. His story collection Scattered Lights was a finalist for the 2021 PEN/Faulkner Award in Fiction. He is a frequent speaker at libraries and civic groups throughout the state, and he blogs about Ozarks and rural issues at stevewiegenstein.wordpress.com. A longtime teacher at colleges around the state, Steve now lives in Columbia.
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Nancy Allen
Author and Law Professional
Nancy Allen
Nancy Allen is a New York Times bestselling author and practiced law for fifteen years as Assistant Missouri Attorney General and Assistant Prosecutor in her native Ozarks, trying over thirty jury cases, and served on the faculty of Missouri State University for fifteen years. She is the author of the Ozarks Mystery series (HarperCollins) and the Anonymous Justice series (Grand Central Publishing). With James Patterson, Nancy is co-author of New York Times Bestsellers Juror #3 (2018) and The Jailhouse Lawyer (2021). Nancy is currently working with Patterson on their fourth novel.
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Featured Titles
by Brooks Blevins, Steve Wiegenstein, and Nancy Allen
