Itinerary

Day 1 (May 20, 2012): Austin--> Kilgore--> Marshall, TX

Distances: Austin--> Kilgore, 260 miles (roughly 5 hours)
                 Kilgore--> Marshall, 32.5 miles (40 minutes)

Accommodation: Fairfield Marshall

Restaurants: Bodacious BBQ

Day 2 (May 21, 2012): Marshall,TX--> Shreveport, LA

Distance: 41 miles (50 minutes)

Accommodation: Twenty-Four-Thirty-Nine Bed and Breakfast

Restaurant: Newk's Cafe

Day 3 (May 22, 2012): Shreveport--> Minden--> Ruston, LA

Distances: Shreveport--> Minden, 31 miles (40 minutes)
                 Minden--> Ruston, 42 miles (50 minutes)

Accommodation: Lewis House

Restaurant: Crawfish Hole #2

Day 4 (May 23, 2012): Ruston, LA--> Money, MS--> Itta Bena, MS

Distances: Ruston--> Money, 202 miles (4 hours)
                 Money--> Itta Bena, 19 miles (30 minutes)

Accommodation: The Alluvian

Restaurant: McCool's Restaurant

Day 5 (May 24, 2012): Itta Bena, MS--> Austin, TX

Distance: 560 miles (10 hours and 30 minutes)

Accommodation: Home

Proposal

Lewis Nordan
Credit: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/17/
books/lewis-nordan-writer-who-spun-
lyrical-tales-dies-at-72.html?_r=1

More so than any other work we have read this semester, I found Lewis Nordan's Wolf Whistle to be the most strangely affecting novel I have experienced in some time. At an intersection of multiple, equally strange realities, where school teachers break into fits of cliches and the murder of a little boy results in no legal consequences, lies Nordan's account of Money, Mississippi. Nordan writes characters that possess surprising humanity amidst a world completely foreign to our own.

He invites the reader to engage with the South in a way that no other author we have read manages to capture.
Nordan's version of the South is a wholly unique combination of the tradition of the Southern Grotesque (the domain of Faulkner and O'Connor) with an increasingly surreal air of Magical Realism. In an effort to better understand the kind of peculiar history that informs Nordan's worldview and writing, I will travel to his hometown of Itta Bena, Mississippi. Along the way, my focus will be on finding places that represent the inherent historical and cultural strangeness exclusively exhibited in the South.

Wolf Whistle
Credit: http://www.bookfever.com/book_photos/35796.jpg

From the faded historical glory of small Texas communities like Kilgore to the unexpected seat of popular independent music in Ruston, Louisiana, the bizarre smattering of culture and history on display in the South seems surprisingly compatible with Nordan's unbelievable fiction. My journey will serve to better inform my understanding of both Southern culture and the author's unique method of understanding Southern culture.

Nordan's obsession with the grotesque and larger-than-life events of the South are conveyed through his original style of heightened realism that draws attention to the South's tradition of extraordinary history. Similar to how Nordan's distinct style and humor helps give readers an unexpected and delightful way to understand the tragic reality of the Emmett Till murder, the trip will perhaps communicate a new way for me to engage with the South and its utterly original culture.

When Only Memories Remain, the blog's background image
Credit: www.mentholmountains.blogspot.com

Marshall, Texas

Moving on from the sleepier town of Kilgore, my next stop on the trip is Marshall. Once a major concentration of plantations and slave-holders, the Civil War set the stage for tremendous cultural change in the area. Once the slaves were freed, they became workers and began forging a unique musical culture, Boogie Woogie. The town lays claim to being the "Home of Boogie Woogie." NPR's look at the history of Marshall and Boogie Woogie.

Whetstone Square, Marshall, TX
Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaycarriker/487238779/

As a child, Nordan met a blues pianist who explained to him the basic structure of Boogie Woogie. The format and stylings of the genre stayed with Nordan throughout his life, embedding its principles in the very foundation of his melodic writing style. The sections of the novel dealing with blues musicians tend to frequently follow this format.

I plan on spending my afternoon in the famous Whetstone Square in downtown Marshall. This is the site of the first sit-ins of the Civil Rights Movement in Texas, protesting school segregation. The Old Harrison County Courthouse is an architectural landmark for East Texas and an exceptionally popular tourist location for the town. The time I spend here will help inform my understanding of Nordan's historically charged world-view that emphasizes the presence that distinct art forms, like the Blues or Boogie Woogie and their presence in our cultural heritage. I would also get to enjoy some of the groundbreaking places where waves from the Emmett Till trial rippled outwards to other states.

Kilgore, Texas

Beginning my trip, I intend to make a swift departure from Austin at 7:30 AM and begin making my way north on I-35. My first stop will be the small town, Kilgore, just east of Tyler. In the 1930's, the town had a booming economy after striking oil. The town experienced a brief period of extreme interest from people hoping to profit from the oil boom but by the 40's, the town had settled down considerably and reached a steady population of roughly 12,000.

Kentucky Fried Chicken, Kilgore, TX
Credit: http://kytx.images.worldnow.com/images/15537139_BG3.jpg

Arriving right around lunch hour, my first stop would be at the local Kentucky Fried Chicken. Don't jump to conclusions quite yet, this is the sight of the infamous 1983 Kentucky Fried Chicken killings that remain unresolved to this day. A not-so-widely known instance of extreme violence, this hold-up gone awry resulted in the loss of 5 lives and sent shockwaves throughout the community. Houston Chronicle article on the murders and ensuing controversy.

Downtown Kilgore
Credit: http://www.tylertexasonline.com/images
/postcards/kilgore-texas-derricks-downtown.jpg

Not intending to dwell on the grim note of my surely underwhelming meal, I would then head downtown to enjoy the sights of downtown Kilgore. The skyline dotted with multiple inactive oil derricks, an impressive reminder of the town's previous economic prowess. The center of town grows out from the ancient derricks that remain the centerpiece of the town's faded relevance and emerging oddness. My time spent in the town would better acquaint me with Nordan's obsession with the kind of uncanny events and trends that dot our history and inform the heritages of others long after their passing.