Monroeville (Part III)

In my previous post, I talked about the uniqueness of Monroeville as the setting of so much great writing. My focus was on the landscape: the buildings, the businesses, and the educational institutions that line her streets. But no town exists separately from it's people. People are shaped and formed from the landscape they inhabit, whether that be the edge of a river, the top of a mountain, or a broad treeless plane. And conversely, no inhabited landscape exists without the influence and mark of her people. They form and shape the landscape; their intellect and personalities are displayed on the land, the buildings, and the very layout and naming of the streets. The people are as much a part of setting or "the muse of location" as is the physical world that contains it. It is the stage on which they act their parts--but also the stage they themselves have built on which to act these parts.

I have two very broad observations concerning the people of Monroeville.

The townspeople that I have encountered over the last two years are among the friendliest I have met anywhere in Alabama. In fact, I've yet to meet an unfriendly person--whether in a hotel, convenience store, or in a parking lot. Surliness, rudeness, or apathy have become all-too-common, even in the mannered South. Yet everywhere I've been in Monroeville, I was asked "Y'all here for the play?", followed by "Where you visiting from?" It is almost as if they had a town meeting, Mayberry style, and instructed all the good citizens on how to treat strangers. Everyone from the young pretty waitress at the Huddle House to the two old men talking gardening and swapping lies on a bench in front a convenience store--all were friendly and helpful.

The other group of people I am so impressed with are the men, women, and children who comprise the cast of the "Mockingbird Players"--those who perform a two-act stage adaptation of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird that is now in it's twentieth year. The production is so well-done that it would be easy to overlook the fact that these people are all amateurs. This obviously means that they give up a great deal of their time to make the play a memorable experience for those of us who have been fortunate enough to make the pilgrimage to Monroeville to experience it.

Although each part is well-played, I'd like to mention three actors specifically:

Atticus, played by Harvey Gaston. Mr. Gaston plays Atticus in the spirit of the novel, as a humble, thoughtful attorney. This is no easy role, especially since most of us probably will forever associate Gregory Peck with the character. Mr. Gaston's real job is as CEO of a local bank. I'm sure that our faltering economy and the woes in the banking industry make him a very busy man. I'm appreciative that he was willing to share his time in what is likely countless hours of preparation for visitors to relive Miss Lee's story.

Scout, played by Carly Jo Martens. Carly is, quite simply, a "show stealer." This is her second year in the part, and I'm somewhat saddened to realize that she is growing up and may likely be too mature to play Scout again after this season's production. When I think of all the things a twelve year old school girl could do with her time, I am again appreciative that she chose to share it with people like me.

Sheriff Heck Tate, played by Pete Coates. Pete plays Heck Tate with the country sheriff's mix of authority and sensibility. His real job is as a forester and real estate broker, so I feel somewhat of a kinship with him, since that is also my real job. I know his time is valuable too, and believe me, if his business has been as slow as mine in this economy, he has a lot on his mind. I'm glad he chose to share that time with us.

Consider taking a short trip to see "To Kill a Mockingbird." I'm sure you'll be impressed with the town and the people of Monroeville, Alabama.

Monroeville (Part II)

I attended the Alabama Writers' Conference last week in Monroeville. The theme of this year's event was "Literature on Location: The Muse of Place." The program was crafted such that various writers from many different genres discussed the effect of location on their stories and writing.

I can't think of a better venue to have such a discussion than Monroeville, the undisputed literary capital of Alabama. And yet, for the life of me I can't exactly figure out why this came to be.

There is something special about this little south Alabama town, something indefinable and unique. It's an intangible quality you can't quite put your finger on, like walking into a familiar room and feeling that something is out of place. A feeling that someone has been in this room before you and moved something--although you can't quite say what has been moved or where it has been moved to.

It is s a uniqueness certainly not readily observed in the landscape of the town itself.

Monroeville is the epitome of the small-town county seat. The state highway leads to the inevitable square, the courthouse prominent in the center of town. The structure is old and beautiful, but no more or less so than similar courthouses in other Alabama towns, like the Clay County courthouse in Ashland or the Macon County courthouse in Tuskegee. The small shops on the square surrounding the old edifice are probably a little more prosperous than in some of these other places, and there seems to be less vacancy and neglect than is the case elsewhere. You will find the requisite cafe, a Christian bookstore, and a coffee shop, along with a smattering of attorneys' offices and mom-and-pop variety stores. None appear wildly prosperous, but nothing is in a state of neglect or rank disrepair either.

The rest of the town could be any small town in Alabama. It is a characterless New South mix of old homes and new; a business district of struggling old shops fighting for survival against the evil empire that is Super Walmart. There are still a few substantial employers, like a business that manufactures concrete road barriers, and a nearby paper mill. But there is also noticeable vacancy and emptiness where jobs once existed, like the Vanity Fair plant that I assume has relocated to more southern climes across the Rio Grande. There are the inevitable fast food franchises and convenience stores, juxtaposed with a few local cafes and locally-owned motels (one of which appeared to have rooms that could be rented by the hour). Near the intersection of two state highways is more modern lodging, a couple of standard franchise hotels offering reasonable rates for the bone-weary traveler who might only stop there because he is too heavy-lidded to continue the journey. All-in-all, there is really nothing particularly remarkable in any way. Like most small southern towns, it is all a jumbled mix of old and new that has robbed away the uniqueness and charm, the kind of character that once separated one town from another.

Monroeville does have a modern and attractive community college. Still I am left to wonder what these young scholars will do upon graduation. With so little employment opportunity to allow them to stay home, I assume that most will leave to find their way in places like Mobile, Pensacola, Atlanta, or Birmingham. Perhaps a few with old family connections will join their fathers and grandfathers in some enterprise that will allow them to make a living in the place of their birth. Others with an entrepreneurial spirit and a little luck may be able to create a place for themselves without leaving--at least I'd like to think this is still possible in small-town Alabama.

None of this accounts for Monroeville's unchallenged position as the literary Mecca of Alabama. A place where pulpwood coexists with great-American novels--cows with great columns.

The number of great writers with connection to Monroeville is astonishing, like the number of great baseball players from the Dominican Republic. There is, of course, Harper Lee, whose To Kill a Mockingbird is required reading in most public schools in the U.S. as well as internationally. Once part-time resident Truman Capote, cousin of Miss Lee, was a man who could craft a sentence and turn a phrase as well as any American author. Others who spent time in Monroeville include legendary singer/songwriter Hank Williams; columnist and writer extraordinaire Rheta Grimsley Johnson; author Mark Childress; columnist Cynthia Tucker; and probably a few others that I am not well-read enough to recall.

So what is it about this place that has lead or contributed to such great writing? Writing is, after all, a very solitary and lonely pursuit. Almost any quiet place should do for the task at hand. The writer's real setting consists of a blank page (or these days, more likely a blank screen) and the overwhelming task of filling the empty spaces with something that he or she deems worthy of occupying the emptiness. It is snatching thoughts and feelings from the ether of the mind and somehow converting them into words and phrases that, hopefully, someone somewhere will want to read and appreciate.

Perhaps it's something in the water. The enterprising local community college has bottled the local water and is selling it under the brand name of "Inspiration." I wish I'd brought a few bottles home to Opelika. I need all the help I can get.

Thousand Word Thursday

Monroe County Courthouse
Monroeville, Alabama

Monroeville, Alabama (Part I)

"It was a gala occasion. There was no room at the public hitching rail for another animal, mules and wagons were parked under every available tree. The courthouse square was covered with picnic parties sitting on newspapers, washing down biscuits and syrup with warm milk from fruit jars. Some people were gnawing on cold chicken and cold fried pork chops. The more affluent chased their food with drugstore Coca-Cola in bulb-shaped soda glasses. Greasy-faced children popped-the-whip through the crowd, and babies lunched at their mothers' breasts.

In a far corner of the square, the Negroes sat quietly in the sun, dining on sardines, crackers, and the more vivid flavors of Nehi Cola."

--from the pre-trial scene of "To Kill A Mockingbird," by Harper Lee.

Last Friday night in Monroeville, this scene was recreated with a few notable differences. The crowd was comprised of the attendees of the 13th Annual Alabama Writers Symposium. Famous and not-so-famous writers were gathered on the courthouse square, along with aspiring wannabes like myself. We dined a little better--a catered meal of catfish, hush puppies, potato salad, and several kinds of dessert, all washed down with fresh lemonade or good south Alabama sweet tea. Negroes and whites not only sat together, but laughed and talked about the day's events. Like the crowd in the famous novel, we were assembled to witness a spectacle.

This was my second visit to Monroeville in as many years to watch one of the best kept secrets in Alabama: a two-act play adaptation of Harper Lee's famous book, performed by a local group of amateur actors who are called "The Mockingbird Players."

On my first visit I had low expectations. A long way to drive to watch a bunch of local-yokels butcher one of the greatest novels in American literature.

Was I ever wrong. I've never been as happy to be wrong.

The annual presentation is as good as any theater production you will see anywhere in the South, amateur or otherwise. The adaptation of Miss Lee's famous book is presented in two acts: the first on the old courthouse lawn, with a set consisting of four small houses where the background of the story takes place. After a brief intermission, the second act is presented in the old courtroom, a set which was painstakingly copied on a lot in Hollywood where the classic movie was filmed.

The actors are all local folks. Jem, Scout, and Dill are all grade-school children (the actress who plays Scout is in her second year at the part. She is so good--it is a shame she is growing up and will likely be too mature for the part next year). The others are from various backgrounds in the community: Atticus is played by the local bank CEO; Sheriff Heck Tate is a local forester and real estate broker; Robert Ewell, played convincingly as the epitome of white trash, ironically happens to be a District Attorney. Some of the actors are new to their parts each year, while others are veterans who have played their roles many times over the twenty year run of the production. Members of the "jury" are chosen from the audience. This year I was honored to be selected to serve. I even received a subpoena, which I will mount in a frame as a treasured keepsake.

Harper Lee was not among the audience. She continues to live a life of seclusion in Monroeville. I wonder if she has ever seen the production that so lovingly honors her famous work? I think she would be pleased.

The production will continue to run throughout the month of May. Information and tickets may be obtained from the Monroeville Chamber of Commerce. Make the drive to Monroeville--you'll be glad you did.

I have some more things I want to write about Monroeville. Please visit me again in a day or two.