Kathryn Windham, from Selma, Alabama

At storytelling festivals that's the only way Miz Windham wants to be introduced: her name and where she's from. But I want to tell a little more about her, in case you don't know who she is. Because I got to spend much of last weekend with her and enjoyed every minute of it.

Sometimes when you meet someone you’ve admired, you find you don’t admire her as much anymore. Their humanity shows, with all of its warts and blemishes, leaving you feeling a little disappointed.

Kathryn Tucker Windham, a storyteller, writer and photographer from Selma, Alabama, who (whom?, I never know) I have admired for years, wasn't like that. I came away from the weekend not only not disappointed, but inspired to write more, tell stories more and find ways to be a better person. Pretty powerful stuff to pick up from a woman who will be 90 in June.

She was one of the featured storytellers at a storytelling festival in Huntsville, Ala. My parents and I were assigned the enviable task of driving from Huntsville to Selma (about 3.5 hours) to pick Miz Windham up on Friday. But this wouldn’t be a quick down-and-back trip. Miz Windham has lived in Selma for 53 years and is proud of her town. She wanted to show it off to a couple of first-time visitors. (My dad had been there before, but Mom and I never had.)

We were reluctant to leave her house—which is like the best kind of museum. A collection of interesting photos, some of her with famous folks from Alabama, some she’d taken; of paintings and other art people had given her (her neighbor is folk-artist Charlie Lucas); of the fake leg with the fake blood coming out the top that she talks about in her stories; of quilts from a quilter in Gees Bend, Alabama. But she assured us we’d have time for the tour after we got back from lunch—at the best barbeque place in the world.

While Hancock’s barbeque was good, I’m not sure it’s the best I’ve ever eaten. But it was obviously a favorite of Miz Windham’s. They all knew her in there. She told us a story (she told stories all day, making the tour and the drive home fly by) about how one week she’d had a newspaper reporter come interview her on Monday and she’d taken him to Hancock’s for lunch. On Tuesday she had a different reporter come, and she took him. On Wednesday a friend from her college (she went to Huntingdon) came, and she took him to lunch at Hancock’s. And on Thursday yet another reporter ate lunch with her at Hancock’s. The same new waitress served her and her male guests all four days. After lunch on Thursday, the owner, a woman Miz Windham knows, walked up to her, smiling. “The waitress just came back and said, ‘That woman’s been in here every day this week with a different man. Who is she?’”

More about who she is in the next couple of days.

Comments

Jen said…
Oooooh! All the ghost books, I have a signed book, that was my grandmothers. As a child I would sit in my grandmothers living room. With the sun warming my shoulders, I would read about the face "burned" into the windows at the courthouse, the "ghost dog" story and others.
I didn't know she was still around.

Also, Selma has some beautiful homes.
Unknown said…
it is nice to know how miss kathryn is doing. her daughter dilcy was one of my best friends in high school. we amde cupcakes one time in her house where jeffrey lived. needless to say, there was rumor of some of them missing. dilcy's older brother was the photographer that took the pics of jeffrey. all of our friends knew first hand of most of the ghost from ala. i have visited each site. i live in oregon now, and truly miss the stories and storytelling of one of the greatest ladies of ala. joy little taylor
I saw her again in October and while she was looking a little care-worn, she stood for an hour at a time telling spellbinding stories at the National Storytelling Festival.

Great to hear from you!
Farhan.Jee said…
Usually the long-term rentals are charged for one month, which will be much less expensive than daily rates offered to leisure and holiday tourists. Before booking a car, never forget to see whether the company is having hidden extras or not private transfers and tours

Popular posts from this blog

Donkey with a death wish

Nana goes to college

The cats who killed Christmas