In need of a last-minute holiday gift? Here are 9 books written by Ozarks authors

Greta Cross, Springfield News-Leader
·9 min read

In need of a last-minute gift this holiday season? Look no further, as plenty of Ozarks authors have released books over the past year that appeal to a wide variety of book lovers.

The News-Leader compiled a list of nine different books written and/or edited by authors in the Ozarks, ranging from children's books to nonfiction biographies.

The prices listed in this story were those posted on retailer websites as of Tuesday. Promotions may change, so make sure to check retailer websites for the most up-to-date prices.

'Ozark Mountain Spell Book: Folk Magic & Healing' by Brandon Weston

"Ozark Mountain Spell Book: Folk Magic & Healing" by Brandon Weston was released in June 2022. The book acts as a practice guide book, intended for both beginner and advanced healers.
"Ozark Mountain Spell Book: Folk Magic & Healing" by Brandon Weston was released in June 2022. The book acts as a practice guide book, intended for both beginner and advanced healers.

"Ozark Mountain Spell Book: Folk Magic & Healing" is Brandon Weston's second book on Ozark Folk Healing. Released in June 2022, Weston described the paperback book as a "practice guide" of spells, rituals and remedies for both beginners and more advanced healers.

Spells and rituals featured in the book include ones for fortune and good luck, love and relationships, magical cleansing, protection, retribution, dreaming and divination. Weston, who has been practicing Ozark Folk Healing for several years, wrote each of the spells and rituals in the book, incorporating elements he has gathered from other Ozark folk healers throughout research.

"Ozark Mountain Spell Book" can be accompanied by Weston's first book, "Ozark Folk Magic: Plants, Prayers & Healing," which outlines the history of Ozark Folk Healing.

More: Ozark folk healer guides 'revival' of traditional history, practice in book

Where to buy "Ozark Mountain Spell Book: Folk Magic & Healing":

'Digging Deeper: USMC Veteran Solo Paddles the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers' by Amanda Hoenes

Amanda Hoenes' book, "Digging Deeper: USMC Veteran Solo Paddles the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers" recounts the Branson High School graduate's 3,300-mile trek in a canoe.
Amanda Hoenes' book, "Digging Deeper: USMC Veteran Solo Paddles the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers" recounts the Branson High School graduate's 3,300-mile trek in a canoe.

Earlier this year, Branson High School graduate Amanda Hoenes completed a 3,300-mile journey canoeing the Missouri River with her rescue dog Hank. Throughout the 186-day excursion, Hoenes kept a journal for data on an ongoing blog called "A River Adventure." This blog helped her in writing the book in just 10 months.

The book explores triumph, perseverance  and some mishaps, including when a 100-year-old hatching of deerflies swarmed Hoenes and Hank while on the river.

When Hoenes spoke with the News-Leader in February, she expressed interest in paddling the 2,100-mile Mississippi River next.

More: Missouri veteran writes book about canoeing more than 3,000 miles with her rescue dog

Where to buy "Digging Deeper: USMC Veteran Solo Paddles the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers":

  • Amazon for $23.99 (paperback) or $33.97 (hardcover)

'The History of Radio in Springfield, Missouri' edited by Malcolm Hukriede and Dan O'Day

"The History of Radio in Springfield, Missouri" is a collection of writings from 49 authors, including Springfield radio personalities, writers, executives and engineers. The book includes nearly 70 years worth of information, including a good deal of reminiscing by its authors.

More: History Museum on the Square to host book signing with 30 radio professionals on Saturday

Where to buy "History of Radio in Springfield, Missouri":

  • Amazon for $24.95

'Ballad Hunting with Max Hunter: Stories of an Ozark Folksong Collector' by Sarah Jane Nelson

"Ballad Hunting with Max Hunter: Stories of an Ozark Folksong Collector" is a biography that chronicles Hunter's life growing up in North Springfield to his lasting legacy in the Ozarks. Hunter is a well-known folklorist who, for nearly 20 years, traveled a 150-mile circuit through Missouri and Arkansas collecting songs, ballads and stories from locals.

Author Sarah Jane Nelson worked closely with the Missouri State University Special Collections and Archives, Springfield-Greene County Library Distrist, University of Arkansas and The State Historical Society of Missouri to learn more about Hunter. A New Jersey native herself, Nelson only recently learned about Hunter through a friend, who recommended she check out the Max Hunter Folk Song Collection, which features more than 1,600 folk songs collected by Hunter between 1956 and 1976.

More: Life of Ozarks' folk song collector chronicled in book, 'Ballad Hunting with Max Hunter'

Where to buy "Ballad Hunting with Max Hunter: Stories of an Ozark Folksong Collector":

'The Bards of Moon City: An Anthology of Poetry' by various authors

"The Bards of Moon City: An Anthology of Poetry" features 60 poems from 11 Springfield poets, including Loren Broaddus, Ethan Bryan, Chris Burros, Gemma Campanini, Karen Craigo, David Harrison, Dottie Joslyn, Lora Knight, Bob Stephens, Bon Tindle and Rex Ybañez. All of the proceeds made from book sales are donated back to the Ozarks Literacy Council.

More: 'The Bards of Moon City' features 11 local writers, benefits Ozarks Literacy Council

Where to buy "The Bards of Moon City: An Anthology of Poetry":

  • Bookmarx at 325 E. Walnut St.

  • Waverly House Gifts & Gallery at 2031 S. Waverly Ave.

If you are interested in having a copy of the book mailed to you, contact the Ozarks Literacy Council at info@ozarksliteracy.org.

'Everybody's Favorite: Tales from the World's Worst Perfectionist' by Lillian Stone

Springfield native and comedy writer Lillian Stone's new book, "Everybody's Favorite: Tales from the World's Worst Perfectionist."
Springfield native and comedy writer Lillian Stone's new book, "Everybody's Favorite: Tales from the World's Worst Perfectionist."

Springfield native Lillian Stone's first book, "Everybody's Favorite: Tales from the World's Worst Perfectionist" hit shelves in July. A collection of humor essays, the book chronicles Stone's upbringing in the Ozarks during the early 2000s, stepping away from the evangelical church as a young adult and learning how to manage her obsessive-compulsive disorder diagnosis.

A Drury University graduate, Stone moved to Chicago in 2019 to pursue comedy writing. She's written for publications like The New Yorker, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Reductress, Allure, Slate and The Onion.

More: Lillian Stone puts away her glitter gel pens and talks pursuit of perfection in first book

Where to buy "Everybody's Favorite: Tales from the World's Worst Perfectionist":

'Newspaperwoman of the Ozarks: The Life and Times of Lucile Morris Upton' by Susan Croce Kelly

"Newspaperwoman of the Ozarks: The Life and Times of Lucile Morris Upton" is a biography about Ozarks journalist Lucile Morris Upton.
"Newspaperwoman of the Ozarks: The Life and Times of Lucile Morris Upton" is a biography about Ozarks journalist Lucile Morris Upton.

Susan Croce Kelly's latest book documents the life and work of Ozarks journalist Lucile Morris Upton, who wrote for the News-Leader from the 1930s to 1980s. The biography is also an ode to the region's newspaper industry and women's contributions to journalism during the mid-1900s.

Kelly spent the last 30 years working on "Newspaperwoman of the Ozarks" in some capacity. Upton was actually Kelly's great aunt, so Kelly has fond memories of conversations she had with Upton as a child. In 1995, just three years after Upton's death, Kelly began interviewing close friends of her great aunt, including John Hulston, Ann Fair Dodson, Elizabeth McCain and Gordan McCann. A decade later, Kelly and her husband moved to the Ozarks and she began to conduct more interviews. During an interview with the News-Leader in October, Kelly described the book as a "COVID project."

Kelly is also the author of "Father of Route 66: The Story of Cy Avery" and "Route 66: The Highway and Its People."

More: Biography of Ozarks journalist, her great aunt, was 'labor of love' for Springfield author

Where to buy "Newspaperwoman of the Ozarks: The Life and Times of Lucile Morris Upton":

'Queen of the Hillbillies: Writings of May Kennedy McCord' by Patricia McCord

May Kennedy McCord, popularly known as "Queen of the Hillbillies" in the Ozarks, was a writer and folk songwriter and collector. A collection of writings from McCord, "Queen of the Hillbillies: Writings of May Kennedy McCord" was released by The University of Arkansas Press in 2022.
May Kennedy McCord, popularly known as "Queen of the Hillbillies" in the Ozarks, was a writer and folk songwriter and collector. A collection of writings from McCord, "Queen of the Hillbillies: Writings of May Kennedy McCord" was released by The University of Arkansas Press in 2022.

"Queen of the Hillbillies: Writings of May Kennedy McCord" is both a biography of and collection of writings from the Ozarks journalist and folklorist. The book is organized into overarching themes like law and crime, religion and politics, music, superstitions and celebrations, which help readers learn more about Ozarkian life during the 1930s and 1940s.

McCord was widely recognized for her weekly column in the News-Leader called "Hillbilly Heartbeats." Through the column, which she wrote between 1932 and 1942, McCord explored different facets of Ozarks culture.

"Queen of the Hillbillies" was written and edited by Patricia McCord, May's granddaughter. When Patricia spoke with the News-Leader in May, she recounted fond memories of spending time at her grandmother's house, sitting around as visitors swapped songs and stories.

More: 'Queen of the Hillbillies' highlights writing collection of folklorist May Kennedy McCord

Where to buy "Queen of the Hillbillies: Writings of May Kennedy McCord":

'Mildred, Quit Hollering! and other Ozark Folktales' edited by Curtis Copeland

"Mildred, Quit Hollering! and Other Ozark Folktales" is a collection of 38 unpublished stories from Ozarks folklorist Vance Randolph.
"Mildred, Quit Hollering! and Other Ozark Folktales" is a collection of 38 unpublished stories from Ozarks folklorist Vance Randolph.

Another collection of writings from an Ozarks folklorist, "Mildred, Quit Hollering! and other Ozark Folktales" features 38 never-before-published stories collected by Vance Randolph. The book is an extension of Randolph's 1976 book, "Pissing in the Snow and Other Ozark Folktales," which was widely popular for its "bawdy" tales.

In addition to the collected stories, "Mildred, Quit Hollering!" features biographies on many of the informants who shared these stories with Randolph. There are also a few contemporary folktales from Michael Galloway, who writes under the name Augustus Finch.

Editor Curtis Copeland received the original manuscripts for "Mildred, Quit Hollering!" from Gordon McCann, an Ozarks folklorist and close friend of Randolph's when he was still alive.

More: Book 'Mildred, Quit Hollering!' features never-before-seen stories from Vance Randolph

Where to buy "Mildred, Quit Hollering! and other Ozark Folktakes":

ABC Books to host book signing in time for holidays

ABC Books at 2109 N. Glenstone Ave. Suite J is hosting a book signing with four authors on Saturday, Dec. 9 from 12:30-3:30 p.m. Refreshments will be available for members of the public. The following children's book authors will be on site to chat with readers and sign books:

  • Dayna Ault, author of "Who Made This Mess"

  • Teresa Wallace, author of "The Thing Mama Wanted," "Go Get It, Gus!" and "Gus Goes to School"

  • Sharon Kizziah-Holmes, author of "My Forever Friend (Tail Wags)"

  • Rosalie Lombardo, author of "Tappity Tap Tap: Nuggets of Gold"

Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: These 9 books written by Ozarks authors could be great holiday gifts