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| During intermission at the Magnolia Music & Medicine Show. With Rebecca Kidd, Janie King Boyd, Mama, & Big Mouth. (August 2010) |
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| A Most Memorable Night in Jefferson, GA (June 2010) |
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| Part of the CQ spread prepared by the Jefferson Public Library staff and the folks at the Jefferson Civic Center. Thanks to all for an amazing event. Photos by Laurie Anderson |
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| Culturally-appropriate fare: redneck caviar and RC. |
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| I couldn't believe the stage they designed for me. Check out the "throne" chair and hand-painted signs. They even adorned the dinner tables with kudzu in Mason jars. |
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| My favorite activity: meeting readers and inscribing books. |
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| Renee Westbrook is my special envoy to California and West Coast publicity machine. She's a Very Important Member of the CQ Posse! (July 2010) |
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| Met these soul sisters at the Phoenix & Dragon Bookstore in Atlanta. Joining me are Karen Beard, Kathy Massey, and Candace Apple. (May 2010) |
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| Not a bad backdrop for the She Who Laughs Retreat I'm offering in November. I feel so at home in the mountains. |
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| At the Memphis BBQ Network Championship held at Brenau University. With me are John Jarrard Foundation Executive Director Jody Jackson, Singer/Songwriter Kimberly Clark, & Brenau's David Morrison. (May 2010) |
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Celebrating with friends Joni Williams and Ana Raquel Ruiz at the ceremony for the Top 25 Books All Georgians Should Read. I couldn't believe CQ made it on a good list! (April 2010)
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| My writing residency at the Hambidge Center filled me up with elemental things. I love this old rock wall on the property. (March 2010) |
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| Getting lost in the story at the CQ Porch Party (May 2010). Photo by Leita Cowart. |
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| Accepting a super-cool gift from Anne Horne Welch of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC). She made a shadowbox that featured a tiara and vintage Pabst Blue Ribbon patch. I was the keynote speaker at the NAWIC conference in Gatlinburg, TN. (April 2010) |
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With CQ reader Scott Sweat at my beloved Pinkie's in Savannah. (March 2010) |
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| With members of the Carrollton Creative Writers' Group after presenting one of my Down Home Writing School seminars. (April 2010) |
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| Join me for the May 1st Porch Party! Click here to view the Porch Party Invite |
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| A spirited group of folks followed me to my car after the Crossroads Writer's Conference to buy a book from the trunk. We made it a trunk sale/tailgating party! Poet Doris Davenport at at right. |
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| Joyce Towers, at left, traveled from Pipe Creek, Texas, to attend my Down Home Writing School. Her friend Jeanne Shilstone, center, flew in from Plano, Texas. They were such a delight! (March 2010) |
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| With Jane Wyatt at my Down Home Writing School Seminar. Who says writing seminars can't be fun? |
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| Seminar Participants Loretta Pelaia & Marlene Jacobs |
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| Andrea Daniel, at left, took me to this wonderful drugstore lunch counter in Elberton, GA. I ordered a Pink Elephant before meeting with the town's book club. (February 2010) |
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| These fabulous readers came all the way from Glen Ellyn, IL, to see me at the Savannah Book Festival. What an honor! (February 2010) |
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| Some of the students in my Memoir Seminar on January 10. We had a blast! Thanks to FoxTale Book Shoppe for hosting the event. FoxTale is one of my favorite bookstores in the world. |
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| Had a wonderful brunch with the women of the Atlanta Literary Society (November 2009) |
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| Jenna Albright of Clarkston, GA, wears her "Cracker Queens Rule!" shirt with attitude. Do NOT mess with Miss Jenna. |
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| Cuttin' the fool with Toria Morgan, Book Club Meeting |
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I heart book clubs! Marietta, GA |
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Thanks for the warm welcome at A Novel Experience in Zebulon, GA. (November 2009) |
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Barbara Lampp and Kim Crowe show off their Cracker Queen bag at the entrance to the Grand Canyon. |
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Cindy and Jill, in all their Queenly Magnificence, at the recent event at Outwrite Books in Atlanta. |
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CQ Shrine (photo sent in by reader) |
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| From Atlanta Journal-Constitution photo shoot (photo by Leita Cowart) |
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| Matt Buchanan dons his CQ tiara at Outwrite Books. |
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| Fran Perry of Wilmington, NC, recently earned her Cracker Queen tiara. |
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| With Marty Aftewicz and George Weinstein of the Atlanta Writers Club--the premier organization for writers in the Atlanta area |
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| These Red Hat Ladies, known at the Dancing Queens, performed before I spoke at a Red Hat event. I need one of those ponchos... |
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| Book club members in Clemson, SC |
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| My book party in Powder Springs, GA, was a hoot. We had a CQ parade, and I arrived on the back of a '55 Thunderbird. |
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| Tip to Fellow Queens: holding a parade in one's honor is a great way to start your weekend. |
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Book Party in Powder Springs, GA
Held on the side porch of The Country Store of Seven Springs |
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Congrats to Joyce Crowder of Savannah! She won the "You might be a Cracker Queen if..." contest with this entry: You might be a CQ if all your recipes start with “First slice open the Velveeta.”
Joyce is seen with some of her CQ goodies. Participate in our contests and giveaways by subscribing to the e-newsletter. |
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| Seen at the Down Home Writing School Seminar (July 2009) |
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| Students hard at work at the seminar. |
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Seen at the CQ Party at FoxTale Book Shoppe, Woodstock, GA
The women who run this bookstore are fabulous. Visit them and give them your money. Photo by Jennifer Carter. |
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With the lovely Ana Raquel, FoxTale Book Shoppe
Ana Raquel, originally from Puerto Rico, made the tasty white-trash dishes served at the party. Photo by Jennifer Carter. |
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Scenes From The Southern Tour 2009
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| St. Patrick's Day 2009 |
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I spent St. Patrick's Day with a fun group of women (and a few guys who weren't bad either): the Paulding County Chapter of the American Business Women's Association. Their event was held in Dallas, Georgia, and I had the pleasure to be their keynote speaker. Here are some scenes from that night. |
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| March 2009 |
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| Gettin' ready for church |
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| Lori flaunts her pack of CQ cigarettes while Kim applies her CQ lipstick |
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| December 2008 |
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| Mary-Elaine Jenkins, longtime CQ devotee, is seen in a dive bar called Whistlebinkies in Edinburgh. During her recent semester abroad, she made it her mission to spread the CQ virus throughout the United Kingdom. You can’t tell it very well, but her kilted friend is holding her tube of Cracker Queen lipstick. |
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| October 2008 |
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| Dot Leverett of Nashville samples her Cracker Queen Red lipstick. |
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| Les Leverett, former longtime official photographer for the Grand Ole Opry, models his Cracker Queen hat. |
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| September 2008 |
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| That’s Nancy Dorman-Hickson
(at left), the freelance writer for Southern
Living. We were standing near the site of the
Annual Redneck Games in East Dublin, GA. |
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Queen Terry Hannon, seen in Washington,
DC, August 2008 |
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| This is one Whup-Ass Woman. She's
a retired lieutenant colonel, a Lutheran minister,
and an all-around take-charge phe-nom. (She's also
a fine sister-in-law.) |
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| Laughing Hard in Moultrie, Georgia
(May 2008) |
These women were great fun |
With Gay Antoun, a fantastic lady and insatiable reader |
Oh how I appreciate fab audience members like these |
That’s Mama and Terry Jackson |
With Cynthia Ingram, one of the most enthusiastic and supportive audience members
I have ever come across. Cynthia, you RULE |
My
sunglasses aren’t too loud are they? (March
2008)
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Look closely at the baby’s
bib: she’s wearing a Cracker Queen bib |
Better
than mother’s milk
(February
2008) |
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Doing
my CQ thing at a fundraiser in
Georgia, July
2007 |
Gone
to the dogs. Eboe, who reigns from Seattle, gives
the CQ his full endorsement. (July 2007)
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Doesn't Bill Shinker, President & Publisher
of Gotham Books (Penguin), look spiffy in his CQ
trucker hat? Keep on truckin'!
(May
2007) |
Ray
Lee enthusiastically models the latest fashion
trend in Greenwich Village. He stars in MAMMA
MIA!, the Broadway show based on ABBA songs.
(March 2007)
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One
of my favorite sights: rusted old junk cars (March
2007) |
.jpg)
The Fabulous Diana Morrison, the first
to be inducted into the Cracker Queen Hall of Fame,
shows us that she still has it. She is holding a
photo from her Induction Ceremony in 2002. (February
2007)
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It takes a real man to wear the
Cracker Queen hat. (December 2006) |
The
Cracker Queen: Because bad choices make GREAT stories.
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Photo shoot outtake, October 2006 |
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| Dacia Moore and Misty Hayes at the CQ Show on July
22, 2006 |
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Denise Martin of Vermont demonstrates that Yankees
can most certainly be
Cracker Queens. She's seen here in Alaska. |
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| For more information about this performance, please
email me or visit their
website. |
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| Oh the places I go in my '62 Mercury Comet. |
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| A recovering Southern Belle, queenly Regina Anne
displays her raiment just south of Cape Horn on
Saturday afternoon, March 4, 2006. |
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| Cracker Queen t-shirt seen on a boat in North
Florida |
Paying homage to Erskine Caldwell, author of Tobacco
Road and God's Little Acre. Although
largely misunderstood, he will always be known
for his grim and accurate depictions of Cracker
life.
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In
the studio, late-2005
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Mama’s
take on men
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Seen near my grandmother’s grave in
Middle Georgia |
Wild women and a few randy men: the audience
at the Springfield Library, April 2005
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After the CQ show at the Hinesville Library,
April 2005. This woman got the award for best
response to “You might be a Cracker Queen
if…” Her response is based on
a true story, which makes it all the better: “You
might be a Cracker Queen if the government
has come to talk to you about your arsenal.” |
I
loved this Cracker Daddy, and he loved me right
back. Hinesville Library, April 2005. |
March 2005 Photo Shoot
photos by Judith Ann
We're going global: Alan Hall of Sautee Nacoochee, Georgia,
spreads the gospel in Queenstown, New Zealand, March 2005.
Spring 2005 CQ Gigs: April 15 @ the Springfield
Library & April 16 at the Hinesville Library. Both readings
will begin at 7pm.
“You might be a Cracker Queen if…” Contest Email your
best “You might be a CQ if” joke, and I’ll
send you an appropriately trashy Cracker Queen prize. Every
entrant will receive a gift.
I met these delightful women at the Yeats
Winter School in Ireland in January 2005. From left to
right: Cathleen, Angela, and Margaret toast to the genius
of William Butler Yeats. |
In a fluttering green poncho in front of
the cathedral in Cologne, Germany, September 2004. I wore
this poncho every day and bore a striking resemblance to
a hobbit. |
It was standing room only again at the Flannery
O’Connor Childhood Home in May 2004. CQ fans are
beyond compare. |
Scenes from Savannah. That’s Mary Elaine
Jenkins at right; I do believe she’s on the fast
track to becoming a strong, smart, beautiful whup-ass woman. |
Men such as Brantley Moate, at right, know
the power of a CQ.
A special thank you goes to all of these folks in Savannah:
they came back to see the ol’ CQ two years after seeing
her debut at the O’Connor House. Maybe they just keep
coming for the free PBR. I “released” my Cracker
Queen CD at this reading. That’s me signing a CD for
Scotti Moore, the wild woman in red.
 
Clarksville Library, March 2004: The audience was on board before I even
spoke a word. Alan Hall brought his posse. Thanks to Wally Warren for
inviting me to Clarksville.
January 2004 photo shoot
March 25
Clarkesville Public Library
7 pm
Clarkesville, GA
Sponsored by the Habersham County Libraries
May 23
Flannery O'Connor Childhood Home
3 pm
Savannah, GA
Part of the Flannery O'Connor Spring Lecture Series
The Cracker Queen Makes Her Debut
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| Reading draws an adoring, standing-room-only crowd
at the Flannery O'Connor Childhood Home in Savannah on
May 5 |
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In
flagrant defiance of city fire codes, we packed 66 folks
in a room that officially holds 25 to 30. We had to turn
more than 30 away at the door. |
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Diana
Morrison was the first inductee into the CQ Hall of Fame.
She received a commemorative Cracker Queen Can of Whup
Ass. |
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The
woman in the Cracker Queen t-shirt was the grand winner
of the "You might be a Cracker Queen if…" contest.
She awed the crowd with her true-life story as follows, "You
might be a Cracker Queen if…you discover your husband's
having an affair with the school janitor when you see he's
charged the Viagra to your credit card." She deserved a
LOT more than just the CQ t-shirt. |
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A
spirited CQ from Michigan (at left) came bearing a culturally-appropriate
gift: 5 lbs. of boiled peanuts! |
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After
the reading, Cracker Queens swapped stories, cackled, and
guzzled Pabst Blue Ribbon (the official beer of the CQ). |
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