Barbecue showtime!

This is my first post in a while, and I’m switching gears to my new book, “Smokelore: A Short History of Barbecue in America,” which had its launch last night at the Atlanta History Center. What a great evening. A standing-room-only crowd came for a reception catered by Atlanta’s DAS BBQ (I’m sure it was tasty, but I was too busy to get any, dammit). Then the program began, with Sheffield Hale, the center’s CEO, introducing me.

The History Center started this book rolling a decade ago when they asked me to help advise on an exhibition about the great American institution of barbecue. Then they asked me if I’d like to do the companion book, to be put out by their publishing partner, the University of Georgia Press. I ended up writing the book and helping to curate the exhibition, “Barbecue Nation,” on view at the Buckhead museum through Sept. 29.

My talk was basically a slide show with a lot of anecdotes and funny asides. It couldn’t have gone better. Well, I do wish that picture we showed of Homer Simpson standing at a grill had more accurate color. On the projection screen, his skin was green, like he was a Martian instead of bright yellow cartoon character. On the other hand, when I showed a 1964 ad for Armor Ribs-in-a-Can (yes, they really sold ribs in a can, like dog food), no one who had just eaten the real barbecue barfed. For that, I am grateful.

Many thanks to the History Center, the University of Georgia Press, and the many friends (like Alice Murray, shown with me at the signing table), family members and barbecue people who came out for the debut event. It was special.

Please wait for the boom mic ...

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I've been to many book events at the Margaret Mitchell House over the years, but never as the guy on the stage. So I was excited when the Atlanta History Center, which owns and runs the house, asked me to speak about "The Class of '65." And I was doubly excited when I heard that C-SPAN was going to be there taping for its weekend "Book TV" feature. The picture above (taken by my friend Reid Laurens) shows their camera set up before the program started. They really do want audience members to wait until the boom mic gets there before they ask a question. As many of you know, the Mitchell House is the apartment building in Midtown Atlanta where Margaret Mitchell wrote most of "Gone With the Wind." They hold book talks in an auditorium in an adjacent commercial building. We drew a full house that included several familiar faces, including former Atlanta Constitution editor Tom Teepen, noted author Robert Coram, distinguished journalist Ann Woolner, veteran travel editor Fred Brown, and former Congressman Buddy Darden (who bought a book to give his friend former Gov. Roy Barnes). I was also pleased to see Sam Mahone, a civil rights activist in Americus during the 1960s who figures in the story and is working to preserve the history of the Sumter County movement. All in all, it was a wonderful evening. Thanks to Sheffield Hale, Kate Whitman and everyone at the History Center, and to Chuck Reece, whose online magazine, The Bitter Southerner, co-sponsored the event. Chuck (shown with me in the other picture) ably moderated the discussion. The link below takes you to the article I wrote about the book recently for The Bitter Southerner.