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February 4:

Jack Neely

Knoxville ’s favorite history writer, Jack Neely, will be delving into his book about Market Square at the Thursday, February 4 meeting of the Knoxville Writers’ Guild. Neely’s recently-published Market Square: A History of the Most Democratic Place on Earth will be the major point of focus at his Guild appearance, which will also include the writer’s reflections on another current volume, Knoxville: This Obscure Prismatic City. In addition; Neely will be speaking about the challenges of writing in the long form, for those who are more familiar with composing 1,000-word essays.

Market Square: A History of the Most Democratic Place on Earth is published by the Market Square District Association. Distributed by the University of Tennessee Press , the book finds Jack Neely covering the history of Market Square , from its 1853 inception to the present. He brings to light the downtown locale’s historical significance, its many transformations and changes in popularity, and the important figures that played a part in its evolvement. Neely related to the Knoxville News Sentinel, “You can tell the story of American history based on activities and events on Market Square – from the Civil War to suffrage to everything.”

Knoxville: This Obscure Prismatic City, released last year by The History Press, is a collection of Jack Neely’s Metro Pulse articles, from his “Secret History” column in the Knoxville weekly. A fascinating compilation, the book traces the history of Knoxville with great accuracy, insight and wit. The book is highlighted by Neely’s depictions of those who had contributed to Knoxville ’s story; among them, Clarence Brown, Adolph Ochs and Mark Twain.

Neely made his Metro Pulse debut with “Secret History” in 1992. In the ensuing years, this vibrant column about Knoxville ’s past has received several honors, including the East Tennessee Historical Society’s “History in Media” award and the East Tennessee Society of Professional Journalists’ first-place award in the “Newspapers Columns” category. These accolades are reflective of Neely’s countless written accomplishments – and they bring to the fore his very strong ties to Knoxville .

A UT graduate, Jack Neely had held an assortment of jobs (e.g., truck driver, Egyptian museum guide, criminal-defense investigator) during his younger days. After six years as an editor for various magazines published by Whittle Communications, Neely worked as a freelance journalist. “Secret History” began his association with Metro Pulse, for whom he now also serves as associate editor. He has numerous other creative endeavors to his credit, including two BBC documentaries about James Agee and Knoxville ’s live broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion.

Neely has lectured on journalism, history, architecture, music and literature at UT, Maryville College , and other institutions. He wrote the text for UT Press’s 1999 photographic volume, The Marble City; and in 2006 the Webb School published his book about the school’s founding by Robert Webb, A Splendid Instinct. Neely has also been a contributor to a large number of local literary collections, among them several bearing the imprint of the Knoxville Writers’ Guild.

The Knoxville Writers’ Guild offers monthly meetings, writers’ groups and periodic workshops for local writers. It receives the support of WUOT 91.9 FM.

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--KWG members can now receive 10% discounts* at the following Knoxville TN businesses:

--Vagabondia, Indigo, Bliss and Village Marketplace on the Market Square Mall

-- Disc Exchange on Chapman Highway and Kingston Pike

-- Carpe Librum Booksellers on Mohican Dr. off Kingston Pike

--The Stir Fry Cafe, both locations.

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