Interview with John Egerton, June 2, 1992

Interview Summary

Egerton was the youngest of five children. Egerton's father was a traveling salesman. During a childhood illness, he wrote a school newspaper, which he shared with the students in his class. After attending the University of Kentucky, he joined the army, where he worked in public relations. He began to do freelance writing, and published a book about the vanishing South, as the South became more like the rest of America. He was inspired to write the story of an American family, by an interview with Sue Alston, a 105 year-old woman who explained a century of U.S. history to him. Egerton began writing about Southern food, analyzing social and cultural aspects of the South through Southern cuisine. He has a varied resume of works, including a booklet about a medical condition, essays to accompany books of journalism, and a book about the U.S. civil rights movement for racial equality. Egerton discusses the process of writing, teaching, and the nature of creativity.

Interview Keyword

John Walden Egerton Kentucky writers Linda Beattie Race relations Racism Travel and Leisure Magazine Creative writing Southern food Cholesterol

Interview LC Subject

Authors, American--Kentucky Intellectual life Literature American literature--Kentucky Appalachian Region Kentucky--In literature Appalachia Beattie, Linda Clark, Tom, 1941- Race relations Cooking, American--Southern style McClanahan, Ed Racism Egerton, John

Interview Rights

All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.

Interview Usage

Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.