Editorial note: this post and interview was originally intended to be shared with the Small Town Socialite Eastern Missouri audience, but I’m sharing it here as well because of the similarities discussed between Ozarks culture and the Appalachian influences I experienced growing up in the Little Egypt area.
A few weeks ago I sat down with St. James, MO. writer John Gibson. John’s professional background is in physics (he attended MIT), but he has a passion for writing and sharing the stories, legends, and lore from the Ozarks region.
I came across John on a subreddit in the Rolla, MO. area and learned a little about his writing and his love of the culture and history of the Ozarks area from an article he’d shared. While reading his remarks about the Ozarks, particularly the legend of the “Granny Woman” in Ozarks culture, I felt I already knew John even though we’d never met.
Since I grew up in Southern Illinois and some of my relatives came from Appalachia, I found several similarities between Ozarks and Appalachian culture in John’s remarks. And, in my interview with John, he goes into a little detail about the legends of mythical creatures in the Ozarks area, as well as how some of his fondest memories from childhood center around Ozarks cuisine.
Although John and I grew up several years apart and hundreds miles away from each other, when he described his memories of his grandma’s cooking I shared similar memories from my grandparents and great-grandparents. I hope our conversation reminds you that we all have a lot in common, and we’ll only recognize that if we take the time to speak with each other.
