Smack Dab in Dog Crossing; And Other Stories

Macon, GA: Amazing Gris Publishing, 2005. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. Joel Edward Grisamore (Cover photographs). 244, [4] pages. Inscribed on the title page by the author. Inscription reads To: Jimmy Ladson Best wishes! Ed Grisamore. In Ed's fourth book, he has assembled a collection of columns that will make you laugh, cry, think, and feel. All stories and columns were copyright of The Middle Georgia Newspaper Group. Ed Grisamore sees hundreds of individuals with unique stories to be told. Here is a collection of some of those stories--some sad, some funny, some plain. From the Table of Contents: Family Matters, Back Porch People, Making A Difference, The Stars in the Galaxy, Absent Friends, Off the Beaten Path, Old Age is not for Sissies, Guideposts, Book of Life, Time on our Hands, Magic Moments, Good Sports, Critters, Margins of Life, War & Remembrance, Love Conquers All, Tis the Season, and A Columnist's Life. Ed Grisamore is an American journalist who has been a local news columnist for The Telegraph in Macon, Georgia, since 1996. He was the recipient of the 2010 Will Rogers Humanitarian Award, presented by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. Grisamore has written nine books, including collections of his columns, a history of the minor league hockey team Macon Whoopees and biographies of football coach Billy Henderson humorist and television personality Durwood "Mr. Doubletalk" Fincher and a history of Macon's Nu-Way Weiners, the second-oldest hot dog stand in America. Grisamore is a native of Atlanta, Georgia, and a graduate of the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism. Before becoming a news columnist, he was an editor, reporter and columnist for The Telegraph's sports department and was inducted into the Macon Sports Hall of Fame in 2008. Grisamore began writing local news columns in 1996. In June 1998, he succeeded Bill Boyd as the paper's featured local news columnist. His columns chronicle the accomplishments and struggles of people living in and around Macon. The announcement of the 2010 Will Rogers Humanitarian Award cited Grisamore's "widely varied record of community service," including his contributions to Macon's annual International Cherry Blossom Festival and his fundraising efforts for local charities. In June 2012, Grisamore was named Georgia Author of the Year in the Essays category by the Georgia Writers Association. In May 2015, Grisamore retired from The Telegraph after a 36-year newspaper career. He then taught journalism and creative writing at Stratford Academy in Macon. He continued to write a weekly column in The Telegraph on Sunday. The first word Ed Grisamore ever said was "boat." He doesn't remember saying it. That's just what he was told. His grandfather had a boat on a small pond in Hawkinsville. The first word he ever learned to spell was "Pepper." It was on the blackboard in Mrs. John's first-grade classroom at Harwell Elementary in LaGrange. Since then, words have shaped his life. He has written them. He has spoken them. He has read them. And, in his career as a columnist for The Telegraph in Macon, Ga., he has shared them with a loyal readership. In Ed's fourth book, "Smack Dab in Dog Crossing," he has assembled a collection of columns that will make you laugh, cry, think and feel. Ed is one of those writers who believes there is a story waiting for him around every bend in the road. That's why he has been referred to as the "Charles Kuralt of Middle Georgia." Hang around Ed for a while, and you'll meet preachers, teachers and assorted creatures. You'll travel to a few places you've never been or even heard of — from Mauk to Musella, from Blount to Eudora and from Dry Branch to, of course, Dog Crossing. It's all here, from a story about a former Miss America to a homeless man who roams Macon‘s downtown streets. The legend of Hogzilla. The Shake ‘N Bake twins. The lady who has a museum with Elvis' wart and toenail. The preacher who preaches from a casket. Macon's most famous caveman. And the lowdown on outhouses. If you're a fan of Ed Grisamore's columns, then you've been anxiously waiting for his third collection of columns. If you are new to his writing, then you're in for a treat.