McCracken Poston Jr

Mosaic artist Will Towns used the medium of tile to create this tribute to Alvin and his oft-quoted interpretation of U.S. Constitutional law.
Alvin lectured me on this subject hundreds of times, and I started carrying a pocket-sized paperback Constitution to challenge him to

Two years ago today, we all saw a side of Alvin Ridley that nobody expected. Putting him on stage at the Carter Presidential Library was an afterthought. It just seemed the right thing to do. Alvin proceeded to take over, with charm, wit, and conviction.
Today marks the

After Ringgold’s “Zenith Man” Alvin Ridley was featured front page in the Washington Post and in People Magazine, the TV crime shows came calling. After our dismay at how the whole Forensic Files episode went (“Gold Bird” had pitched the episode, and stressed a point that wasn’t

WET BANDITS?
To say Alvin Ridley was cautious and protective of his privacy and property is quite an understatement. Until recently, I had never noticed this DIY unwanted visitor deterrent - a garden hose with a sprayer locked “on”, attached way up high in a tree, aimed toward

The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) is a free, nationwide program run by the Library of Congress that provides selected books to be accessible for vision or print impaired readers.
My friend Sean Paul Krause just told me that “Zenith Man: Death,

Encyclopaedia Britannica notes that the original (hardcover) publisher often sets the earliest paperback date and that, “as a rule,” it is not less than 12 months after debut of the hardcover.
Well, we doubled that life with “Zenith Man: Death, Love, and Redemption in a Georgia

I had never heard of the Hanover West Literary Club until I was invited to come give a talk. It was held tonight in the beautiful Atlanta home of Laurie Leonard and Hank Klibanoff. Georgia can still seem like a small town, as there were many shared connections I discovered within

TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS AGO TODAY - I was with Alvin Ridley, waiting for his murder trial jury to come back, looking out the window of the Catoosa County courthouse, looking down toward the front porch, and talking about all the history of the place. And then, a couple of hours later,

BOOK CLUBS! If you aren’t in one, start one! Last night I was hosted by Karen Haas in the beautiful Black Creek neighborhood just West of Chattanooga. A great event!
Keeping my friend Alvin alive through story and celebration.

Book clubs: if you’re choosing titles for 2026, I’d be delighted to join your conversation about this story, Zoom or in person. And to everyone else, thank you for sharing this remarkable true story.
One recommendation at a time is how books inspire and endure.