Talking Human Rights

7 Questions with Chef Virginia Willis

(Chef and food writer Virginia Willis hails from Atlanta and is the author of Bon Appétit, Y’all and Basic to Brilliant, Y’all.  Her latest book is titled Okra.)

1. How and/or when did you get you hooked on history?

One of my heroes growing up was Ben Franklin. I have always been a history geek. I loved Williamsburg, Virginia as much as Disney World as a child. I feel a real connection to the past.

 

2. What role does history play or has it played in your personal life?

I was actually a history major at UGA, so this email request was so exciting! As a chef and food writer, I continue to educate myself about the history of food.

 

3. How is/How was history a part of your professional life/career?

Undoubtedly, my love of history has contributed to my affinity for Southern food and cooking. I like to look at the social and anthropological aspects of cuisine. I have a very strong belief that everything we believe in has something to do with what we eat and how we eat it. Our worldview of who, what, and how we are can often be summarized by what is on our forks. If we’re devout Jewish or Muslim, we don’t eat pork. If we lean toward the liberal end of the spectrum we may only eat locally harvested food and meat harvested under humane conditions. If we’re radical conservative, we may disavow all forms of government jurisdiction as related to our food and prefer to hunt our own meat and game. If we’re educated, we may have a tendency to eat more healthily. If we’re not educated, we may not.

4. Why is studying/knowing history important?

We are apt to make mistakes; it is our nature as humans. If we see the past, we can learn from our mistakes and perhaps not repeat them. We can also be thankful of progress and change if we are aware of what existed in the past. History is a spectrum, and as soon as a moment has passed, it is history, but still has relevance both today and tomorrow.

 

5. What is your favorite period or aspect of history to learn about and why?

I concentrated on British history at UGA because I was an extreme anglophile. But now, I like digging deeper into American food and culture, specifically Southern food and culture. I devour nonfiction micro-views of subjects, as well. Books like Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World or Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky or Four Fishes by Paul Greenberg are a stimulating combination of history and  present. I recently read Sugar, Salt, and Fat by Michael Moss, which is basically the history about how food giants hooked us on, well, sugar, salt, and fat. It’s a very modern history – and is a theme that is very relevant and in action today.

 

6. Why are food and history so connected, especially in the South?

The study of Southern food and food history helps us understand more about what we eat and the foodways we embrace. Why do Southerners eat okra? How did it come to this country? The study of food and food history is also a lens to examine various human experience and provokes a deeper understanding of our overlapping and evolving cultures and societies. Traditionally, Southern cooking was actually a vegetable-based cuisine. This is the fertile land of okra, green beans, tomatoes, and corn. This diet was not remotely for health reasons. The plant-based diet was due to poverty for both black and white. That bit of fatback in the greens might have been the only meat in the pot. Southerners grew their own food and harvested wild game and seafood from the forests, rivers, and sea. Now, poverty affects us in different ways. Eating home-cooked fried chicken and biscuits isn’t what made the South so fat. It’s poverty. When someone is on limited income, they buy cheap food. And foods that are cheap tend to have a lot of sugar, salt, and fat. The South has some of the highest poverty rates in the nation. This is our history and only by learning from our history can we change.

  

7. Southern and soul cooking seem to be hot topics in foodie culture now. Why is that?

Because it tastes good!! First, however, I would say that Southern cooking and Soul food cooking are not interchangeable and are not the same. I would say that all Soul food is Southern, but not all Southern food is Soul food. Southern food is born from many areas, people, and economic levels. Southern food is not one food, but many regional foods combined. It originated from a complex combination of Native American, European, and African cultures. There’s the Low Country cooking of the Atlantic coast that showcases rice and seafood, Deep South cooking that makes use of corn, the mountain cooking of Appalachia, French and Spanish influences that permeates the cuisine of Louisiana. The food of the South is rich and diverse. I think that in these times of crisis that Southern food is a comfort food. People have simply wanted comfort. Our agrarian-based table has created a culinary tradition really like no other in the US, and that food is comforting.

 

7 Questions With Brian Thomas, Teachers Curriculum Institute

(Brian was a middle school social studies teacher for twelve years just north of Cincinnati, OH.  In  the late 90s, he began using a program entitled History Alive by Teachers’ Curriculum Institute (TCI).  In 2002, he became a National Trainer for TCI, conducting pedagogy trainings around the country in the summer time while still teaching.  In 2004, he left the classroom to work full-time for TCI.  His current role includes sales, professional development, and content creation.  TCI website http://www.teachtci.com/ )

1.    How and/or when did you get you hooked on history? 

In high school.  My teachers inspired me to get into history through simulations and stories.

2.    What role does history play or has it played in your personal life? 

There are so many examples.  One would be - my mother does extensive genealogy research.  In the process of watching her do this, I get the benefit of hearing the stories of my heritage.

 

3.    How is/How was history a part of your professional life/career? 

I entered college knowing I wanted to teach history, and four years later…that’s exactly what I started doing.  Working with young people and teaching them US History was a joy; never a job.

 4.    Why is studying/knowing history important? 

 The only way to see where you are going in life is to see where you’ve come from.

 5.    What is your favorite period or aspect of history to learn about and why? 

 I thoroughly enjoy the Revolutionary War time period.  Initially it was the Civil War but then I read Rise to Rebellion by Jeff Shaara as well as other books that slowly began to change my mind.  It’s still fascinating to read about our nation’s founders.

 

6.    What are the major challenges facing social studies teachers today? 

Teachers are ever-more pinched on time.  Standards, which should have a place, can lead to thin study if pacing just for exams.  Teachers are pinched by the encroachment of ELA and Math for PD and support.  Too long publishers have treated teachers as content dumps….they’d write thick books and just expect teachers to lecture and worksheet kids to death.  Technology has changed that dynamic.  Content is not difficult to find…you can just Google it.  The greatest pinch of all still exists though….time.  There’s never enough of it to plan a great lesson.

 7.    What is TCI’s mission and how is it serving teachers and students? 

 TCI supports the teachers overcome that pinch.  We create great, hands-on lessons that come with the content.  That makes adapting the lesson to personal taste and need a lot easier than coming up with it.  TCI creates lessons that use tools like technology not like other companies that use a tool in search of instruction.  In other words, we support proven instructional practice.  In that space, TCI does not have a peer among publishers.

 

Media in History Chat

Famous Battles Chat

7 Questions with Peter and Meggen Taylor, Historic Real Estate Entrepreneurs

Husband and wife team, Peter and Meggen Taylor, are pleased to announce, Find Everything Historic: the first real estate, design, and travel destination that connects historic property enthusiasts with a way to visit, rent, buy, renovate, or sell the properties of their dreams. Find Everything Historic connects buyers with sellers, vacation renters with owners, businesses with innovation space, renovators with retailers, investors with opportunities, and historic hotels, resorts, restaurants, spas, and towns with consumers seeking unique historic property experiences throughout the United States, Europe, and worldwide.  Website:  http://www.findeverythinghistoric.com/

1.      How and/or when did you get you hooked on history?
We have always been hooked on history. Our love and curiosity for historic places and buildings has been intrinsic to our lives since we were both kids. Meggen grew up in historic towns her entire life. Peter grew up in a historic house and city, studied Latin and Greek, and went to schools that were 150 years old so history has been a constant woven throughout both of our lives and educations.

2.      What role does history play or has it played in your personal life?
It grounds us and gives us a sense of permanence and continuity. It also inspires us. We love everything historic whether it be historic buildings, historic hotels and travel destinations or anything to do with design.

3.      How is/How was history a part of your professional life/career?
We have made history a part of our careers by starting Find Everything Historic, which we eat, sleep and breathe. In our previous business we worked with architects and engineers to preserve historic buildings. In Peter’s younger professional days, he wrote books and articles on history and historic travel and adventure.

4.      Why is studying/knowing history important?
It’s a cliché but you can only contemplate the future by understanding the past. History gives us better perspective on the present. Many things in our lives are changing so fast but history has always changed at a rapid pace and in unforeseen ways. The Greeks, the Romans, and the Italian Renaissance in their times changed mankind forever in ways that no one could have predicted. What’s most important for us is keeping a physical connection to history through historic buildings, architecture, and experiences, and that’s one of the main reasons we started Find Everything Historic.

5.      What is your favorite period or aspect of history to learn about and why?
It might sound obvious but we’re most fascinated by world culture and the imprint every historical period has left on the planet from a building and design standpoint. How did the Egyptians build the pyramids? The Incas Maccu Pichu? The Mayans their temples? The list goes on. No matter what country you live in you will always be surrounded by the architectural history of the cultures that came before you.

6.      Your business is to match potential buyers and renters with historic properties.  Tell us how it came about?
Historic real estate is by definition a niche business. Buyers are specialized. Historic properties themselves are unique, and it takes a certain love and craftsmanship to maintain them. Find Everything Historic grew organically from our own experiences with our own historic properties. There was no central place to search for them when we wanted to buy, and no place to list them when we wanted to sell. We could also never find an integrated site to find historic hotels and vacation rentals when we want to go away, or retailers and contractors when we needed work or renovations done. In the process we realized that there was a hidden historic property lifestyle and economy built around millions of people, consumers, and companies who weren’t communicating and able to do business with one another.

7.      What should someone interested in buying historic property consider as he/she begins the search?
Owning a home is not for everyone and owning a historic property is no different in the regard that you need maintain the property while it is in your hands and this may require the need to call on professionals. People who live in historic homes or buildings are temporary stewards of the property and with that comes so additional responsibilities, but like anything in life that is good—it requires some work but the rewards are worth it. Historic properties are also more often than not located in revitalizing main street towns or historic urban districts, so interested buyers should think about what type of community they’re looking for as well business and job opportunities. Historic towns and neighborhoods are some of the most exciting places to live these days.

7 Questions with Greg Chapman, Juggler, Entertainer, History Lover

Greg Chapman, in his Condensed Histories shows, books and podcast takes a look at different parts of history from the point of view of one juggler and entertainer. With shows ranging from his ,Silent Movie Live', a touching tribute to Charlie Chaplin, to his 'Completely historically accurate re-enactment of the Battle of Agincourt as performed by one man on a unicycle', he offers his own take on all things history. ('Condensed Histories Podcast' available on iTunes, 'Condensed Histories Volume One, Histories From England' available from Amazon. Detailas of shows at www.condensedhistories.com)

 

1.  How and/or when did you get you hooked on history?

I would love to come up with a really smart answer to this, the first question, to show that although my claim is never to be anything more than a 'Juggler and Entertainer' talking about history, that there is an academic core to my life in history. However, I fear that anybody who has seen any one of my shows in which I take out the bullwhip will immediately see that here is a man who was first inspired to history by Indiana jones, and just never grew up. From watching the Indiana Jones movies I began to look at archaeologists and history, and I think it was the story of Howard Carter and the Tomb of Tutankhamen (discussed in the first Condensed Histories book) that made me realize this was a real thing. 

I was lucky that as a child, as well as today, I devoured books, and it was always the stories in history which held the ultimate fascination for me, and led me down the road to where I am today.

2.  What role does history play or has it played in your personal life?

History was always something I loved, the stories fascinated me. I was lucky enough to have been born into a family who shared an interest, and growing up whenever we went on holiday as a family we would visit local castles, historic buildings and museums, and I guess that that only cemented my love of them. Until a few years ago,  history was very much something in my personal life. I was busy working as a performer, on tour a lot of the time, and I actually did a History Degree with the Open University, not because I envisioned history playing a part in my future career, but to give me something else to focus on when I got in from a day's shows. It helped give me something else to do in a time before I realized that doing my own shows and writing books could fill the time in hotel rooms on tour! 

3. How is history a part of your professional life/career?

I started my professional career when I left school, intending to be a serious actor - which very quickly fell by the wayside as I realized that juggling and entertaining without learning lines and playing a part were just more fun to me. About five years ago I first struck on the idea of writing a history book based on my own thoughts and life, and it was something I started and then let drift for a year.

A few years back I was then looking for a subject for my next one man show, and I found my History Degree still in an envelope in a drawer, and from there the Condensed Histories shows were born, and as a result the book was finished and became the first in a series. Since then the majority of my shows (which are my full time job) are my Condensed Histories shows, travelling around juggling, entertaining, and talking about history.

4. Why is studying/knowing history important?

To be honest this isn't an argument I normally try to make. There are arguments that knowing history can deepen understanding of the present, and various others, but I try not to stress them, because for me stressing that it is important to know history is the wrong way of going about it. If someone had ever told me I should know history because it is important when I was younger, it might even have put me off a little (I'm a professional juggler - not one for following what other people tell me is important or I'd have listened to my teachers and got a 'real job'). I would much rather let people know how fun and interesting history is, let them know the stories, and discover history through that, rather than because it is important. 

When I tell people the story of Taillefer the juggler at the Battle of Hastings,  I don't think there is anyway it will be important to them to know it, but from the number of people who come up and talk to me about that fact after the show, I know that it has entertained them. I suppose it is the same thing as juggling - is it important? I might get myself in trouble at the next juggling convention I attend, but I think no, the act of juggling is not important. It is, however, entertaining when it is performed in the right way, in the same way that history is entertaining when imparted the right way. From what I gather, happiness is good for your health, and being entertained is good for happiness. So there you go, I guess the importance of history is that being entertained by it is good for your health (I must add at this point in time that I am NOT actually a doctor).

5. What is your favorite period or aspect of history to learn about and why?

I don't know. Isn't that a terrible answer? But I fear an honest one from a lot of people. The whole reason I started doing the Condensed Histories books and shows is so that I could do stuff on as many different types of history as possible, because I've never found myself tied to one time period. So the only answer I can give is what I’m learning about today.

The answer today is Victorian Explorers, because I have just started work on a new project for next summer, including a new series of shows, and so I have a pile of books about all of the great Victorian Explorers on the desk in front of me as I work, and I am learning new stories with every page I turn. My favorite thing to learn in history will always be a new story, which is part of the reason why when I interview people on the podcast I ask them to choose a subject to talk to me about, rather than me choosing one I am already familiar with.

6. What Is the Condensed Histories project and how did it come about?

I've just realized I should have read through all of the questions before I started writing, because then I wouldn't have already largely answered this question in a previous answer. It is a lesson I never learned in exams either, along with re-reading your answers, and the fact that the point of an exam wasn't to finish and get out of the room as quickly as possible so that you have more time to do what you want. 

Really it began with the first show that I created, as mentioned above, when I found my history degree while searching for inspiration, and the response I received to the shows has been so warm and flattering, and the feeling of sharing the stories which fascinate me alongside the variety skills I use in the shows is something I really enjoy. I also feel it connects me to a long tradition of jugglers and 'fools' throughout history who shared tales while performing. I have often said that it is Shakespeare's line 'better a witty fool than a foolish wit' that keeps me going!

7.  Some really weird people don't connect history and fun automatically. How do you reach those people?

First off I find these people unfortunate, but by no means weird. Weird is not a word I'd be comfortable using when my full time job as an adult is juggling, unicycling, cracking a bullwhip and dressing up! 

Usually the failure to connect the two comes from the fact that they have never been shown that history can be entertaining while they were in school - something which I hope I'm helping with while touring the school versions of my shows. I was lucky - I had great teachers in schools but due to the curriculum there were still subjects I found boring - the French Revolution springs to mind. I had to study this for my A-levels at 18, and do for once I dreaded history lessons which were long and boring and about corn laws and the minutiae of the subject, never getting on to the heart of it. It was only years later when I tried to tackle this that I found Mark Steel's book 'Vive La Revolution' that I began to realize that most of the subject was actually fascinating!

But my shows are usually big, exciting events where people who don't like history are dragged in by the show, and I love it every time people come up to me and tell me they've never liked history before, and then spend ten minutes just discussing history with me. 

 If you've read this far through my answers, thanks a lot! For more ramblings about history you can check out the book. Many thanks also to the Histocrats for letting me answer the seven questions - not sure I've succeeded in answering them all, but I've got as close as I ever will. No time to re-read my answers, the exam is over, and if I hand in my paper now I can get a good half hour of juggling in before the academics finish checking theirs!

 

Famous Leaders Chat

7 Questions with Sheila Arnold, Storyteller and Teaching Artist

Sheila Arnold Jones currently resides in Hampton, VA.   She is a Professional Storyteller, Historic  Character Interpreter and Teaching Artist.   Through her company, History’s Alive!, Sheila has given at schools, churches, professional organizations and museums around the US .   

     Sheila portrays ten different women in history ranging from the 1600's to the 1970's,including, Oney Judge, Madame CJ Walker and Daisy Bates.   She  also presents Professional Development sessions, Storytelling Programs and Character Presentations at educational conferences, including Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute, Valley Forge Teacher Institute, Mt. Vernon Teacher Institute, and Social Studies and Reading Association Conferences in New York, Louisiana, Virginia, South Carolina, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Mississippi.   The  National Council of Social Studies and many Teaching American History Grant programs around the country have had Sheila present and perform on a variety of topics.   Finally, Sheila is called upon to be a Featured Teller at Storytelling Festivals around the country, including, but not limited to,  the National Storytelling Festival (Jonesborough, TN), Storytelling in the Carolinas (Laurinburg, NC) and Moonshell Storytelling Festival (Omaha, NE). Previously, Sheila worked at Colonial Williamsburg Foundation as a Coordinator with the Teacher Institute, in Public Relations and Event Management , and as a Storyteller and Theatrical Interpreter.  Also, she was a Social Worker with aggressive adolescents having emotional problems, a Hampton City Middle School  Substitute Teacher, Manager with Information Technology Systems (ITS) and a Mary Kay, Inc. Independent Senior Beauty Consultant.   

For more information about Sheila Arnold Jones, or to schedule a presentation or professional development, you can go to www.mssheila.org, or email her at sheilaarnold39@aol.com or call her at 7 57-725-1398.

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 1.         How and/or when did you get you hooked on history?

     I became hooked on history when I was a little girl, because my father loved history.  Both of my parents read many, many books, often of an historical nature, and I followed suit in developing that same love of reading and learning.

 2.         What role does history play or has it played in your personal life?

     My personal family history has been actively shared by mother and my aunts and the collecting of notes, letters and documents from family members is consistently done.  Also, in my junior year of high school, I was really impacted by "The Black Book", which showed photos, patent engravings, history notes.  When I read this book, it made me angry that I hadn't learned alot about black history in my predominantly white school (we only had 13 AFrican American students out of 800).  I took that anger and the book to my Social Studies Teacher, Mrs. Elliott, and found out that she had been taking Black Studies courses during the summer, but unsure of how to incorporate in the class.  My anger and true desire to learn, gave her an opening, and she changed the curriculum to be able to teach Black History as well.  She was my favorite high school teacher and made me love history more.  She also changed our class and we all became more aware of cultural history.

  3.         How is history a part of your professional life/career?

     So history is now a part of my regular every day life.  I am an Historic Character Presenter, presenting ten different women in history from the 1600's to the 19 70's.  I also present professional Development for Educators with a focus on Teaching African American History to Culturally Diverse Audiences, and using Storytelling in Teaching History.  I also am a historian, or at least, an active history learner.  I have to do research constantly on the women I portray and the time periods they live in.  I am involved in History Education groups on LinkedIn and interact often with other Character Presenter.  Proof:  My most recently read "pleasure" book was "Since Yesterday:  The 1930's in America" by Frederick Lewis Allen; a fantastic read, which sounded a lot like today.  

 4.         Why is studying/knowing history important? 

     Studying/Knowing history is important because when we know history we can see the patterns and maybe see the place to change the pattern.  I find it stunning when people look at a "developing" country and wonder why they aren't where "we" are, thinking we have always been where we are now.  Also, history teaches us to appreciate others outside of ourselves.  When done correctly, it encourages people to be more tolerant and even appreciative of other cultures.  

 

5.         What is your favorite period or aspect of history to learn about and why?

     My favorite period of history to learn about is the Civil Rights period.  I have always thought I could/would be one of the marchers in the South.  I love how people became involved and they made a change, they made a difference.  This period led to so many other "rights" being fought for.  And even more importantly, people of different races, religious beliefs came together and worked together; kind of my hope for utopia.

  

6.         What is the process through which you create your characters and presentations?

  First, I decide on which person (or time period) I want to portray or represent.  Then I go to resources, starting with youth and children's books.  I start there because I am presenting mostly to youth and children, because the books take lots of information and compact it, because they have easy timeline and they have photos.  Oh, and they aren't long books.  Based on those books (usually 2 or 3), I then write down the things that I found most interesting and most important.  Next, I make a copy of the timeline in one of the books, and I compare that personal timeline to a much broader timeline to find out what else is going on at that time.  This helps me to know what else I am going to have to know about in the person's time, and what I won't know.  

   Then I write an outline from my memory of what I've read.  These are usually the things I think are more important, have a lesson and just are interesting.  Finally, I start putting together the costume and collecting any props.  

    I wish I could say there was some final thing I do, but after I have the outline I practice what I will say, how I will say, and tighten it up.  Then I practice more, and I continue to research.  Then I practice more and continue to do research. 

 

7.         Why is storytelling still important in the 21st century?

     At a time in history where media and social networking is so prevalent, storytelling is more relevant than ever.  The need for face to face, ear to ear communication is so much more necessary to fulfill the need to have connection and purpose.  I perform in front of audiences, particularly youth, who are desperate for people to "talk" to them and engage.  People need to share, just see the growth in Massmouth and Story Slams on campuses.  

    Storytelling is also the best way to increase literacy in our youth.  It also enhances critical thinking and creativity in people.  It should be a an active part of STEM; making it STEAM.  (A = ARTS).  Plus, it's fun and entertaining, educational and inspirational, and who couldn't use a great story in their day?

Chatting about Fall Festivals

Ahoy, Matey! Chat about Pirates

7 Questions with Robert Wilton, Author

Robert Wilton is a writer and diplomat. His latest historical novel, The Spider of Sarajevo ('a beautifully written, elegant spy thriller', The Times), is newly available through Amazon.com. Set exactly one hundred years ago, at the outbreak of World War One, it draws on documents from the archive of a mysterious organization in the shadows of the British Government, and on the author's own experience in the Balkans. He was advisor to the Prime Minister of Kosovo in the years leading to the country's independence, and has more recently been running an international mission in Albania. He is also co-founder of The Ideas Partnership, a grass-roots charity working in education, the environment and cultural heritage. There's more at www.robertwilton.com, and you can follow @ComptrollerGen. He divides his time between the Balkans and Cornwall, England.

 

1.         How and/or when did you get you hooked on history?

As early as I can remember. There was a legendary series of children's books in England called the Ladybird Books, and in them I could read about our Kings and Queens, with a beautiful picture on every page. And I remember finding a set of postcards in a drawer at home - I think my parents had got them free with something - each a beautiful painting of one of Britain's heroes with some text on the back; I was fascinated by those faces, and read their stories over and over.

 

2.         What role does history play or has it played in your personal life?

It's always been my way into anything. My Dad and I researched our family history - this was back in those ancient days before the internet, when you had to go to an institution in London to get copies of birth, marriage and death certificates, with the scratchy signatures of my forefathers (or in some cases just an 'x' because they couldn't write their names). When we were done with that we researched who'd lived in our house. Any time I go somewhere new I have to know its history: it's how I understand the world, how I see it. I studied history all through school - I got lucky with some great teachers; even outside fiction, history is story-telling - and then University. When I was writing short stories, my themes kept coming back to history and its resonances: a soldier returning to the French village where he hid from the Nazis and fell in love; a decades-old mystery solved when a group of veterans returns to their battlefield.

 

3.         How is/How was history a part of your professional life/career?

One of the many over-clever sayings about the Balkans is that they've produced more history than they can consume. The people of the region think and talk too much about their history - or, in fact, usually about a nationalistic, mythological version of it. But if history doesn't excuse the crimes and idiocies of the present, it can explain where they came from. Too often the international community has blundered into interventions without really understanding what they're getting into. If I want to help people in south-eastern Europe escape the toxic legacies of their history, I must first understand them, otherwise there's no chance of finding the right road to change. It's also a matter of respect to a people.

 

4.         Why is studying/knowing history important?

Mark Twain said that history rhymes; and he was a wise fellow. It's not only about the direct links - understanding how the United States of America, or indeed Kosovo, came to be independent and what that means for today; understanding why there's DNA from Roman soldiers in the population of a village in the north of England, or why there are Scottish and Irish family names across a chunk of the mid-western US. It's also about Mark Twain's rhymes - the patterns of history, the echoes. Exploring history - any history - taking apart the mechanism and trying to work out what makes it tick, gives you ideas and approaches you might apply in a completely different historical context. The brilliant novelist of Rome, M.C.Scott, says that when she wanted to try to understand what it was like to be a Roman legionary she read the memoirs of soldiers from World War Two. I once listened to  a guy lecturing about the unique and unprecedented phenomenon of Al-Qaeda, as a non-hierarchical movement of belief flourishing thanks to the internet revolution in communications technology. And I thought of Britain in the mid-17th Century, and the spread of diverse, mainly Protestant strands of belief thanks to the revolutionary power of printing and increasing literacy. History also teaches you skills of thought, of analysis, in a more general way. I approach any problem - a challenge at work, maybe; probably even a faulty light switch - as I approach a question of history, trying to see the context, trying to see how the factors come together. P.s. History is great stories; and stories are how we as humans make sense of our existence.

 

5.         What makes a great historical novel?

A feeling for history, and a feeling for the individuals caught up in it. Preferably a great battle, a great love and a great death; ideally, the constant sense that you don't know where the history ends and the fiction begins. I don't know if Gone With The Wind is great history or great literature, but it's a great historical novel because it captures the scale of a vast war and keeps your attention through two people you care about. For most English people, Gone With The Wind is that war. Tolstoy - the grand-daddy - portrays the epic sweep of what at the time seemed like the greatest war there had been, and gives you an army of characters to care about. A great historical novel doesn't have to be big in size or focus: Daphne Du Maurier's The King's General is a little gem. And now there's the astonishing, prize-winning Hilary Mantel, who writes history that you can smell.

 

6.         Both your British government career and your writing career have focused on the Balkans.  Why the Balkans?

Chance. Bismarck said (see over-clever sayings, above) that the Balkans weren't worth the bones of a single Pomeranian Grenadier; I don't know if they're worth the career of a single Englishman. In the British Ministry of Defence I started working on the region in 1999, during the NATO bombing campaign against the Belgrade regime and its oppression of the people of Kosovo. Each time I was thinking of moving on, someone would offer me something to do with the region which used my growing experience. When I was looking to work abroad in 2006 - go anywhere, do anything, maybe volunteer - I got a call saying that the new Prime Minister of Kosovo wanted a British Advisor, and it looked like me. Coming from a pretty traditional - I guess pretty sheltered - background, suddenly immersing myself in a new culture - particularly one that was so scarred by so much suffering - blew my mind. The Spider of Sarajevo is dedicated to the Albanians, because of their extraordinary hospitality - to this guest, like so many before him. Helping to run a charity and, separately, an international human rights and democracy mission, I've had the great good fortune to find in the Balkans a place where I can try to help - in a small way to make a positive difference. And once in the Balkans, of course, I got interested in the history. In a place where widespread literacy and education came late, I learned the power of stories being told around the fire and down the generations. And I was inspired by the landscape, and by the traditions and spirit of the people, and that's what gives The Spider of Sarajevo its dramatic opening scene, the subplot of unstoppable revenge that runs through the novel, and of course the climax in Sarajevo.

 

7.         Tell us about your latest novel, The Spider of Sarajevo.

I've been really excited by the response to its topicality. It's set in the weeks around the outbreak of World War One, and so it's been published exactly one hundred years after the events it illuminates. There's so much interest at the moment in how and why the world went to war in that mad summer of 1914, and so I think the intrigue and adventure in The Spider of Sarajevo has extra appeal. The mysteries it explores - what was going on in the shadows in those desperate weeks - have a particular resonance. It's a picture of what Europe was like at that extraordinary moment, and of course it's a novel of espionage and action as well. With war imminent, an anonymous official of the British Government took a spectacular gamble with the future of British intelligence - which at that time was in its infancy. As the documents used in the novel reveal, he sent four young agents out into Europe - and even they didn't know exactly what their mission was. Their adventures, and what happened to them in the end, are what drives the novel - and everything converged on Sarajevo and the spark that ignited a world war.

Kongo across the Waters

Enjoy History? Chat with the #Histocrats

7 Questions With Mark McDonald, CEO of the Georgia Trust

(Mark C. McDonald has served as President and CEO of The Georgia Trust since June 2008.  Mr.   
McDonald has over 25 years of professional involvement in historic preservation and a strong business background. He has served as the executive director for three preservation organizations in the Southeast, including the Historic Salisbury Foundation in North Carolina from 1986-1990, the Mobile Historic Development Commission in Mobile, Alabama from 1990-1998 and the Historic Savannah Foundation from 1998-2008.)

1. How and/or when did you get you hooked on history?
I developed a love for history in elementary school reading those little orange biographies of famous Americans. I think I read virtually every one in the series.

2. What role does history play or has it played in your personal life?
History is always at the center of my life and value system. I live in historic houses and neighborhoods, plan my vacations around historic cities and sites and choose to do business with restaurants, hotels, merchants, etc who are located in historic buildings.

3. How is/How was history a part of your professional life/career?
I left the practice of law in 1986 to pursue a career in historic preservation. I have rarely regretted it.

4. Why is studying/knowing history important?
It provides us with continuity in our culture and civilization and keeps us connected to people from the past and future.

5. What is your favorite period or aspect of history to learn about and why?
Renaissance Italy and 19th century America. Both periods represent times of cultural awakening and definition.

6. What is the Georgia trust and what is its mission?
The Mission of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation is to work for the preservation and revitalization of Georgia's diverse historic resources and advocate their appreciation, protection and use.

The Vision of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation is for Georgians to understand and appreciate the irreplaceable value of historic buildings and places and their relevance to modern life. We envision Georgians who promote careful stewardship and active use of these diverse resources and recognize the economic and cultural benefits of preservation. We envision communities where new development complements and reinforces thriving downtowns and historic neighborhoods, contributing to a healthy and enriched humane environment.

7. How can Georgians preserve their past and why is it important ?
Join the Georgia Trust! Go to www.georgiatrust.org