“Don’t Date a Baptist… ~ by Bessemer Native, Terry Barr”

The Bessemer Hall of History Museum is pleased to present a book signing event featuring Bessemer Native, Terry Barr, author of Don’t Date a Baptist. This family-friendly event is in conjunction with Bessemer High School’s Annual Street Dance hosted by Bessemer High Alum, Bobby Cooper.

Terry Barr graduated from Jess Lanier High in 1974. He attended the University of Montevallo, receiving his BA in English and Political Science in 1979. Barr received an MA and a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee in 1986. He has been a Professor of English at Presbyterian College since 1987, where he has taught courses in Southern Film, Creative Nonfiction, Southern Jewish Literature, and American Literature. He lives in Greenville, SC, with his wife Nilly, Carolina Wild Dog, Max, and Tuxedo cat, Morgan. Terry and Nilly have two daughters, Pari and Layla. Don’t Date Baptist is Barr’s first book.

Don’t Date Baptists is a collection of nonfiction stories reflecting Barr’s life growing up in Bessemer, Alabama, amidst the changing climate of the Civil Rights era. In these pages, we meet Barr’s family, the family’s beloved maid, Dissie, the families living in his neighborhood, and the witch who once lived next door to him. Barr also collects memories of friends…some dear to him, some estranged, some who meet tragic ends. Overall, the driving force of this collection is Bessemer itself, a troubled city, but one which Barr still fondly calls home

The book signing and street dance will be at The Bessemer Hall of History Museum located at 1905 Alabama Avenue, Bessemer, AL 35020 on Friday, August 18, 2017, from 7:30 p.m. till 11:00 p.m. Books will be available for purchase at this time.

For more info, visit our website http://www.bessemerhallofhistory.org  or contact us at (205) 426-1633 or  bessemerhallofhi@bellsouth.net. 

Come and support The Bessemer Hall of History Museum! All Aboard!!