Carla Jean Whitley: On Writing, Books, Birmingham & More

This week we have another writer on the show, my friend Carla Jean Whitley. Carla Jean is one of the first people I approached about being on Birmingham Shines because I know how much she loves Birmingham. We decided to time her appearance on the show to coincide with the release of her new book, Birmingham Beer: A Heady History of Brewing in the Magic City, which will be available for purchase starting July 27, 2015. The official book launch event is set for July 27 from 4-6 p.m. at The Alabama Booksmith in Homewood. Carla Jean has several other appearances around town for book signings and readings. You can visit carleajeanwhitley.com for details and I’ll also include the upcoming events that I know about in the show notes for episode 15, which you can find at BirminghamShines.com. In addition to books and writing, Carla Jean and I talk about some of the places she loves to share with Birmingham visitors, and what it means to seek peace. One thing we share in common is that To Kill a Mockingbird is our favorite book.   In the final segment of this week’s show we talk about what this book means to us.   By happenstance, we recorded the conversation the week before Go Set a Watchman was released and before either of us had read it. At this point, I still have read it and won't get to read Go Set a Watchman for another week or so, but I know that Carla Jean has been an active participant in discussions about both books in recent week, through her writings for The Birmingham News / AL.com and her #RedClayReaders podcast.