I feel myself growing more and more passionate about books, about publishing books, about writing books myself, and about helping others craft powerful and moving narratives. No doubt it’s a function of age, trying to cram more significance into fewer days. But I’ve come to realize that I’ve always been surrounded by writers and their books, and surely that’s left an imprint. Adolescent summers with my grandmother on Boston’s North Shore put me in a bedroom walled by books. This remains an indelible memory. Upon arrival my habit was always, year after year, to peruse the shelves, finger the spines, study the titles, see which piqued my interest compared to the previous summer. Perhaps I was indexing my intellectual growth in some way. The order of the books never changed on the shelf, however, unless I did it myself, a private time capsule for next year. The centerpiece of that collection, a complete run of Harvard’s fabled set of classics, “The Five Foot Shelf of Books,” now sits on my shelf. Even now I often lose myself in daydreams staring at my own bookshelves. Entering the home of a new acquaintance, I always make a direct run to the bookshelves, if there are any.

​I am thrilled and delighted to observe that Calvin Stovall has been nominated by the NAACP’s Image Awards for Outstanding Literary Work, Non-Fiction, for his Hidden Hospitality: Untold Stories of Black Hotel, Motel, and Resort Owners from the Pioneer Days to the Civil Rights Era. I was privileged to work with Calvin on this book as his editor.

This was a passion project for Calvin, but also an intense investigation of Black hoteliery and hospitality from colonial days to the present. Given the realities of segregation, many Black travelers were prohibited from finding accommodation as they travelled. The response was a vibrant landscape of Black hotels, restaurants, and resorts where not only could weary travelers find respite, but several generations of Black entertainers found employment, started careers, and made names for themselves. It is therefore not only a story of Black entrepreneurship, but also of Black community and Black joy. Beyond that, Calvin also shows how many enterprises thrived, allowing proprietors to become stolid community members and even political power brokers in their own right. The upshot of this is that many Black-owned hotels and restaurants became vital headquarters and meeting grounds for activists during the long civil rights era.
 
Calvin’s work has inspired my current research into Daisy Lampkin. Lampkin’s husband, William, was a restaurateur in the Pittsburgh area. Daisy and William also spent many summers on the road, traveling to Idlewild in Michigan or Morris Beach, New Jersey, near Atlantic City, which Calvin shows were among the several vibrant resorts of which Black travelers availed themselves.
 
Great work, Calvin! Can’t wait to read what you’ve got in store for us next!

I get asked from time to time why I call my business and my website “FractalPast”? A fractal is a mathematical concept, a geometry that comprises “a never-ending pattern.” According to the Fractal Foundation, “Fractals are infinitely complex patterns that are self-similar across different scales.” At every level of magnification, in other words, a fractal repeats itself in the same pattern. YouTube videos of fractal patterns can either relax or drive you mad—either way Pink Floyd on the turntable may be necessary.

Facebook "Memories" function reminded me today that we lost Dad about six years ago. I posted the following thoughts a couple weeks after he passed. Some of this still moves me, so I share it with readers today. Regular writing, history, and book posting will resume tomorrow: