Zen and the Art of Local History

Zen and the Art of Local History is an engaging, interactive conversation that conveys the exciting nature of local history.
Divided into six major themes the book covers the scope and breadth of local history:
. Being a Local Historian
. Topics and Sources
. Staying Relevant
. Getting it Right
. Writing History
. History Organizations
Each chapter features one of Carol Kammen's memorable editorials from History News.
Her editorial is a "call." Each is followed by a response from one of more than five dozen prominent players in state and local history. These Respondents include local and public historians, archivists, volunteers, and history professionals across the kaleidoscopic spectrum of local history. Among this group are Katherine Kane, Robert "Bob" Richmond, Charlie Bryan, and Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko.
The result is a series of dialogues on important topics in the field of local history. This interactivity of these conversations makes Zen and the Art of Local History a unique offering in the public history field.

Edited by Carol Kammen and Bob Beatty

Foreword by Lorraine McConaghy
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1: About Being a Local Historian
Call: Not for a Test, but History for Life, Response: Spencer Downing
Call: Perambulation, Response: Aaron Sachs
Call: Inappropriate Questions, Response: James L. Baggett
Call: What We Tell the Youngsters, Response: Kate Betz
Call: We Are Not Journalists, Response: Jeffrey J. Kollath
Call: Local Knowledge, Response: Mary Alexander
Call: Abby Hemenway, Response: Rebecca Conard
Call: Water Buffalos, Wildebeests, and Gazelles, Response: Robert B. Townsend
Call: Educating Our "Other" Audiences, Response: Karen Graham Wade
Call: The Local History Apprentice, Response: Kate Tiller
Call: Millenialism, Response: Robert Richmond
Call: Taking the Prize, Response: Donald P. Zuris
Call: History's Long Rangers, Response: Michael Potaski
Call: Retiring Sorts, Response: Richard L. Williams
Chapter 2: The Clay for Our Wheels and the Pots We Make
Call: Getting Involved, Response: Allyn Lord
Call: Out of the Closet, Response: Paul Landry
Call: The Clipping Point, Response: Scott Muir Stroh III
Call: An Ode to Scrapbooks, Response: Kelly Nolin
Call: The Envelope Please, Response: K. Allison Wickens
Call; Replevin, Response: Galen R. Wilson
Call: Local History and the Underground Railroad, Response: Dina Bailey and Richard C. Cooper
Call: The Hall's in Your Court(house), Response: James D. Folts
Call: Down for the Count, Response: Lila Teresa Church
Call: Small Changes, Response: Darlene Roth
Call: Rethinking Local History, Response: Bruce Teeple
Call: Around and About, Response: William L. Lang
Call: Recording the Home Front, Response: Courtney L. Tollison
Call: To Blog or Not to Blog, Response: Kate Theimer
Chapter 3: Mingled Yarn
Call: Community Education, Response: Lynne Ireland
Call: Seeking Diversity, Response: Patricia Williams Lessane
Call: History Tents, Response: Linda W. Chapin
Call: Travel at Home, Response: Janet Vaughan
Call: Travel at Home (Redux), Response: Amy H. Wilson
Call: In Memoriam: Quite a Decade (Prelude and Postscript), Response; Jessica Dorman
Call: Acts of Nature and Other Disturbing Events, Response: Beverly C. Tyler
Call: When All is Lost, Response: Alice Parman
Call: The Poor are Always Among Us, Response: Robert Archibald
Call: What's in a Name, Response: Mary E. Montgomery
Chapter 4: Truth and Consequences
Call: When Not Being Wrong is Not Good Enough, Response: Constantine Dillon
Call: Ducking, Bobbing, and Looking Away, Response: Charles F. Bryan, Jr.
Call: Unintended Consequences, Response: Joe Meehan
Call: Making it Up, Response: Tim Grove
Call: Truth and Fiction, Response: Mark T. Mannette
Call: Just All the Facts, Ma'am, Just Not All the Facts, Response: Annette Atkins
Chapter 5: Words in Stone
Call: History for Our Times, Response: David A. Janssen
Call: In Context, Response: Paige Lilly
Call: Local History's Audience, Response: J. Kent Calder and Thomas A. Mason
Call: Community History, Response: Stephen L. Cox
Call: The Things We Ignore, Response: Philip V. Scarpino
Call: To Note or Not to Note, Response: Chris Brewer
Call: Defining the Field, Response: Matthew Gibson
Chapter 6: Work and Play in History's Sandbox
Call: A Fourteen-Step Program for Local History, Response: Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko
Call: Clanking of Canes: A Survey of North American State and Local History, Response: Burt Logan
Call: The Future of Historical Societies, Response: James M. Vaughan
Call: An Abundance of History, Response: Lisa Anderson
Call: Cultural Tourism, Response: Carolyn Brackett
Call: In the Company of Our Peers, Response: Janice B. Klein
Call: The Importance of a Good Chair, Response: Tobi Voigt
Call: Out of the Box and Into the Fray, Response: Katherine D. Kane
Call: Tripping over History, Response: Lawrence J. Yerdon
Call: Radio Waves, Response: Stan Deaton
Call: Random Acts, Response: Cynthia Cardona Melendez
Call: Into the Archive, Response: Kathleen D. Roe
Call: On Boards, Response: Kent Whitworth
Call: Being On Board, Response: Kathleen M. O'Leary
Title/Author index
Subject index
About the Authors