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)

Everyday Haunts

Living in a city that was pummeled by war means that many of the places you pass by every day have a past that's not so pretty. One such building has been on my radar since about 1993 when the true revitalization of the Tobacco District was in full swing, and that is the Pohlig Box Building.

This industrial spot held the record until very recently as being the longest continuously operational commercial building in the US. Built in 1853, the box company kept up operations even when more than half of the structure was commandeered by the Confederate Army to house wounded or extremely sick troops from Alabama. Instead of crates and packaging being produced under its roof, the Pohlig building saw surgeries, amputation, and death.

As with any place having a shadow on its past such as this one, stories of unearthly happenings emerged very soon after the end of the war. These stories, however, really exploded when the Pohlig Box Company moved to a larger and more modern facility and the historic building at the corner of 25th and Franklin Streets was converted into apartments.

I had some very interesting interviews last week about what goes on inside of these walls, particularly in one unit that is difficult to rent. I'm working more on that this week and hope to wrap up the chapter with some stories that are going to surprise everyone!
 

Want to Know What Goes Into a Book?

Image via Wikipedia
I get questions all the time at events about what it's like to research and write books about the paranormal. If you've ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes, be sure to become a follower of my Twitter feed! I've decided to dedicate that venue to tweeting about travel, both historical and field research, interviews with witnesses, and more as the last (and most grueling) stage of More Haunted Battlefields comes together.

I hope you'll be there reading!

A Different Sort of Journey

Traveling for book research has settled down temporarily while my studies pick up pace. I've been working on a new certificate since January, and have had to shift focus for a bit to make sure my academics don't suffer! Fear not, I am catching up on some of the writing that had been falling behind during that whirlwind travel period - and that has been the real journey.

How is this writing any different from that in my past? That's an interesting story. I had a very peculiar thing happen about a month ago that I only shared in a passing mention on my Facebook wall. I found a book in my house and have no idea where it came from. It was in a prominent spot (the place I keep library books so they won't become lost in the overflowing family collection) and seemed to just show up one day. The book is clearly used, dated a 1991 printing, and is not a former library book. It has no signs at all of where it may have come from. A true mystery.

The book is "Life's Companion: Journal Writing as a Spiritual Quest" by Christina Baldwin. It's not the typical sort of book I would buy for myself at all, and yet it appeared at a time when I was receptive to its message and could truly benefit from it. Since most of my writing is done in a journalistic first-person style, almost all of it is introspective and relates to the insight offered by Baldwin, and the impact of her book has been truly surprising. I might even call it serendipitous.

The largest change I've noticed is my growing acceptance of the paranormal. Before "the incident" in October, I would investigate, attempt to find natural explanations for the events witnessed, and still remain skeptical and maybe even a bit in disbelief about those findings even if they could not be logically explained. Now that I've started opening up more to the possibility of true paranormal encounters instead of trying to rationalize them to death, the encounters have grown in frequency, strength, and variety. I have witnessed much more in the past four months than I ever thought possible before, and this all became apparent to me when I wrote about it.

Thanks to this mystery book, I have learned how to dig deeper and look for the meaning behind the events, the purpose of the trek. I'm not one to usually recommend books of this genre, but I feel that because of its message, my spiritual road finally has a map.

Let the Traveling Begin!

Yep, back on the road again! The second volume of Haunted Battlefields has been in the works now for nearly two years, but it is definitely drawing closer to completion. I have a feeling that I will be so busy come summer that I really need to get the finishing touches on this book before then. There's no time like the present, right?

Between now and April 1st, I will be visiting, photographing, and conducting paranormal experiments at more than a dozen Civil War sites in Virginia. Some of the highlights include:

• Glendale
• Seven Pines
• Fair Oaks
• Hanover Courthouse
• Five Forks
• Dinwiddie Courthouse
• Deep Bottom
• Saylor's Creek
• Lynchburg
• The Alabama Hospital (Richmond)

If you are in any of these areas and have a story to share or would like to participate in on-site experiments, please send me a message!

Balancing Act

I'm really starting to get into having two books to work on at the same time. If I hit a lull with one, I can still feel like I'm accomplishing something by working on the other. In fact, I'll be doing that very thing today.

The photos I'd hoped to bring home yesterday didn't happen, but there's a pretty funny story attached to why. I plotted my route, starting with the farthest location from my 4:30 appointment and working towards it. All of my photo gear was packed in the car, but I realized before I left that I needed a bundle of new batteries to get through all of the stops. No worries, I thought, there's a store about a half-mile from my first location - I'll just pop in and get some there.

I drove 40 minutes, stopped at the store and grabbed batteries and a drink. When I got to the register to pay, I realized I'd forgotten my wallet. By the time I drove all the way home and collected my necessities, I had about 20 minutes to go buy batteries to use TODAY and then get to my 4:30.

See what happens when I try and "schedule" this stuff? I'm much better at going with the flow than making rigid plans!

Around the World in Ten Hours

The deadline for "Wicked Richmond" is looming and I'm backed up on research thanks to the most intense winter we've had here in Virginia for nearly 15 years. No worries, I'm set to explore the bowels of the State archives two days this week (thanks to a babysitter!) and will have this project back on course. Have I mentioned how much I love the State Library's archives? Maybe I'm more of a history nerd than I like to believe.

In a change of pace, I'm giving the history side of things a bit of a rest tonight in exchange for some talk about ghosts and discussion of paranormal investigating with Rusty O'Nhiall on his hit Australian radio program, Mysterious and Unexplained. If you're a beginner interested in getting out in the field to investigate on your own, if you wonder how I got my "accidental" start in this area, or if you'd just like to hear about some of my own encounters with things unseen or the encounters relayed to me about spirits here in Virginia, be sure to tune in tonight at 7 PM EST to the Para-X Radio Network!

A Great Day to be in Fredericksburg!

I don't even know where to begin with all of the fun I had visiting the Griffin Bookshop in Old Town Fredericksburg, Virginia. I was a bit shocked to find out when I arrived that Oktoberfest had taken over Caroline Street - but the festival really added to the excitement of the day. The sidewalks were filled with jubilant travelers, some from as far as England and Holland, and everyone wore a smile!

The folks who turned out for my reading were fantastic and had lots of really great questions. I found out afterward that one participant, Emma, even had the nearby museum she works for (Weems-Botts) close early just so she could attend. Talk about a compliment!



The book store was one of the coziest I've ever visited and had the BEST coffee! They must have gotten word of my love for Halloween because they had me set up for the signing in front of this gorgeous display:



For the last hour of the event, we took the fun outdoors and wrapped up the signing on the sidewalk to enjoy the best kind of Fall weather Virginia has to offer. Festival goers were stopping and chatting and sharing fantastic ghost stories from the Fredericksburg area. How often do I get the chance to sign books for folks in lederhosen? Not often enough!



Many thanks to the Griffin Bookshop for their warm hospitality. This was the perfect way to kick off an October FULL of ghostly events in my home state.