Rocky Mountain Whirlwind

Happy holidays! I hope you've all been as merrily busy as I have. The month of December has been a wild ride, that's for sure.

Just a few days before Christmas, I visited Denver, Colorado, to officially launch a Top Secret New Book Project. It was great to see snow again (it's such an unusual sight here in central Virginia) and the good friends who welcomed me were even more a delight. After some long days of interviews and research, I'm sure I wore out my welcome, but the trip was a huge success regardless.

Why the tease? No details? Because this is probably the most extreme, in-depth, and controversial project I've ever been involved with. It is a turning point for me, both personally and professionally. I can tell you this much: the book is about a form of instrumental transcommunication (ITC) that garners verifiable results like nothing else I've ever seen or heard. If you want to learn more, you'll have to keep an eye out over the next couple of months for updates as the manuscript progresses!

Lectures, Workshops, and Discussions, oh my!

Poltergeists - Not Just Hollywood Hype

It's that time of year again. No, not tax time - Summer and Fall event planning time! While I am still sticking to my "less is more" philosophy that I discussed earlier in the year, I will be visiting a select few libraries, museums, schools, and conventions later in 2011. Because these appearances are decidedly few and far between, I've beefed up all of my talks to deliver quality over quantity. Each is a fun, informative, multi-media presentation that gets people talking, but more importantly - gets them thinking.

I have a handful of openings left in the late summer and a couple of dates still available in October. If you know of an organization or event looking for an awesome presentation, send them my way!

Talks for 2011 include:

PARANORMAL 

Civil War Ghosts - Learn about battlefield haunts of the Southeast, including many lesser-known but intense paranormal hotspots. Find out how to investigate these locations safely and legally while capturing great results. (1 hour)

Poltergeists - This lecture provides a comprehensive look back at the history and study of poltergeist activity. A special focus on the Enfield Poltergeist and the tragic case of Tina Resch offer attendees examples of ongoing scientific research of kinetic haunts. (1 hour)

Capturing and Analyzing EVP - Discover the methods used to elicit messages from the spirit world and how to capture those messages with various audio recording devices. Identify false positives, learn the varying classifications of electronic voice phenomena, and hear real examples of EVP from paranormal field investigations. The workshop demonstrates use of the software program Audacity and its value to the researcher in analyzing recorded audio data. (1 hour)

Haunted Henrico - (see HISTORY below)

SPIRITUALITY

Rootwork in America - This lecture illustrates the history and practice of Hoodoo, a folk religion unique to the United States. Learn how Hoodoo differs from Voodoo and why the two are often confused. A spotlight on rootwork in pop culture offers attendees a glimpse of how this mysterious tradition has influenced and infiltrated American life. (45 minutes)

HISTORY

Elizabeth Van Lew : The Witch of Church Hill - A discussion of the life of Elizabeth Van Lew, the Richmond woman whose clever espionage helped to end the American Civil War. Learn how Van Lew was socially ahead of her time and why her prominent family was forever ostracized by Virginia society. (45 minutes)

Unruly Women of Virginia - Virginia women have been going against the grain and making history for four centuries. This lecture highlights the historic contributions of Lady Anne Skipwith, the Randolph women, the Carter women, Elizabeth Van Lew, Maggie L. Walker, and more. (1 hour)

Haunted Henrico - To celebrate Henrico's 400th Anniversary, this lecture presents the history and haunts of several of the county's most notable locations including battlefields, taverns, homes, and more. (1 hour)