Stephen Doster
His second book, Voices from St. Simons: Personal Narratives of an Island’s Past published by John F. Blair in 2008, is an oral history of the area.
published by Deer Hawk Publishing:
Georgia Witness release date June 2012
Georgia Witness is a compilation of some of the most influential Georgians of the 20th and 21st centuries:
Griffin Bell: Former Attorney General. Possibly the last interview of his published. He died of pancreatic cancer shortly after providing this narrative. He recalls the disparity between black and white schools and the disproportionate influence of counties on general elections.
Ruby Crawford: Advocated advancement of women in professional jobs. Recalls days of passenger train travel. Appeared on What’s My Line and Oprah.
Willie Mae Robinson: From Sapelo Island. Civil Rights activist. Descendent of Bilali Muhammad, a Muslim slave who was oversaw operations on Thomas Spalding’s Sapelo plantation. His writings are housed at the University of Georgia Hargrett Rare Book Collections Library.
Bill Brown: Descendent of Continental Army soldier. Family owned lumber mills after the Civil War. His great-uncle befriended poet Sidney Lanier.
Irene Cordell: Margaret Mitchell was a neighbor and childhood friend of Irene’s mother. Margaret was there for Irene’s birth, and Irene was present when Margaret was struck by the car that killed her. Irene descends from Major William Horton, James Oglethorpe’s second-in-command.
Sam Massell, Jr.: The only person of Jewish faith elected mayor of Atlanta (1970-1974). Recalls cross burning in his yard and Atlanta synagogue bombing.
Patrick Demere: Descendent of Raymond Demere who served under General Oglethorpe at decisive battle that repelled the Spanish from Georgia and North America.
William Ladson: Family owned sawmill operations in south Georgia. Served in Korea where he worked with future North Korean leader Kim Il sung.
Floyd Faust: Record setting minor league baseball player who recalls a time when professional baseball teams in small towns were common.
Lucian Sneed: Member of the Georgia Tribe of Eastern Cherokee. Discusses ancestors and treatment of Indians in Georgia.
Clarice Strother: Her family’s hardware store is one of the oldest family-run businesses in the state.
Vic Waters: A musician who toured with James Brown and Dick Clark’s Caravan of stars.
Chuck Leavell: Rolling Stones keyboardist, former Allman Brothers Band keyboardist, and renowned land conservationist.
Pat McDonald: Drummer for the Charlie Daniels Band.
Ron Edenfield: Recounts life growing up at Reidsville State Penitentiary.
Harriet Gilbert: Discusses Macon in the 1930s and ‘40s. Descendent of Sylvanus Landrum, who preached to Confederate and Union soldiers during the Civil War.
Bob Woodward: Remembers Augusta during the days of segregation. Took a road trip to see aging blue singer Lizzie Miles.
Ted Dennard: Began with one beehive as a teen, served as Peace Corps beekeeper instructor, and now owns the Savannah Bee Company.
Lewey Cato: Master mechanic for the Georgia & Florida Railroad.
Bootie Wood: Describes life on the campaign trail when her father ran for governor of Georgia in 1954.
Charles Gown: Recalls a 1920s trial in which he represented a black entrepreneur.
Sonny Gibson: Speaks candidly about the current status of race in Georgia.
Dot White: Governor Thompson’s secretary during the infamous “three governors controversy” of 1946-47. Friend of Minnie Pearl and Pearl impersonator.
Oscar Cruz: Migrant worker who has worked Georgia’s onion and cotton crops for 27 years.
Mack Mattingly: Former United State Senator. Reflects on what makes Georgia a place that still attracts people.
Billy Winn: A Columbus native, journalist and historian whose great-great-grandfather drew up the original plans for Columbus and served as a physician to both whites and Creek Indians. As a news reporter, Winn covered much of the civil rights movement, including press conferences with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other leaders as well as Dr. King’s funeral.
Rose Bush release date September 2012
Rose Bushis a southern novel depicting a conflict between environmentalists, a paper mill, and the aristocracy of a rural Georgia town.
A mysterious story of starting over, political ladder climbing, environmental debates, and the Guiding Hand which, no matter how hard you try to fight it, is always there… This would appeal to those who like the nitty-gritty of politics, environmentalists who cringe at the sight of a smoke stack, and history buffs who know the past never really dies.
Dudley Redfern is a recently widowed 30-something who is a master problem solver/chemical engineer who has been hired by the Rose Dhu Paper Mill in Sprite, Georgia to ensure its safety and efficiency. He soon finds himself immersed in small town politics, environmental debates, and an unexpected romance with Peggy, the one person who wants nothing to do with anyone associated with Rose Dhu. Sprite’s prodigal son, Charlie Baumgartner, comes back to run for office against Chad who has his sights on all that is rich and powerful, especially beautiful Cassandra Palmer, daughter of the wealthiest family in town. With that lethal combination, the keg is sure to blow…
Shadow Child: Tales Of From the Georgia Coast - Sixteen Works of Fiction & One True Story release date December 2012
Shadow Child: Tales Of From the Georgia Coast - Sixteen Works of Fiction & One True Story chronicles a historical artifact and the people it impacted from 1597 to the 21st century. Spanning a number of eras in coastal Georgia, the stories vary in scope, ranging from historical fiction to the supernatural. A sub-plot threads throughout the book from beginning to end. In the first tale, Mission Asao (1597), a bronze bell is taken from a Spanish mission during an Indian uprising and is lost in what is present-day Gould’s Inlet on St. Simons Island. The bell is discovered by two slaves two-hundred-and-fifty years later in A Man Whut’s A Man. It hangs briefly from Christ Church after the Civil War in Casagrande and is returned to the Franciscan Order in the final story, Padre’s Run.
Jesus Tree release date March 2013
Jesus Tree is a southern novel which follows the life of a black man who was falsely imprisoned and the circumstances and consequences of the crime. In the summer of 1932 Ben, a black man from Georgia, is wrongfully accused of murder. His forty year prison sentence completed, he returns home to where nothing much has changed except the date on the calendar, including the animosity towards blacks and the fact that the real murderer is still living the gentile southern life. Ben’s struggle to regain his life and adjust to society brings one confrontation after another with friend, foe, and a daughter who thinks he is dead.
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