This is in Atlanta, Georgia.  I'll be right there this summer, and I'll have to add it to my agenda!

MLK Jr Historical Site

Truman Capote was famous for his story telling almost as much as he was for the stories that he told.  He was often to be found in the center of any party, captivating all around him with his tales.  Is it possible that this love of exaggeration seeped into his non-fiction novel, In Cold Blood.

While this question is not a new one, new evidence is being analyzed to determine just what creative licenses Capote might have taken in his novel. 

In the novel, the "hero" of our true crime is Alvin Dewey, the head investigator into the Clutter family killings.  Capote glosses over the delay between an ex-con naming the suspects and Dewey's action to arresting them.  Could this delay have allowed the killers, Dick and Perry, to commit more murders?  DNA evidence collected from another family killing done during that time span is being analyzed.

The question remains, if Dewey did wait too long, why does Capote leave it out of his story?  We, as readers, feel a measure of compassion for Perry, as it seems that Capote himself did.  Would he have found this tried beyond bearing if this were not the true case of a weak man who snapped, but rather the first of a growing murder spree?

When I travel to Monroeville, Capote's childhood home, I will definitely keep this question in mind!  Capote is a wonderfully complex man, and at least as hard to reconstruct as the errors from a 50 year old murder.

Capote's Greatest Lie

GPS is my friend....

but in case it dies, I'll have this!

Click on the link for each stop!

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Making the Calendar

An outline of our trip! Still a work in progress...

Want to check out some of our sites and stays?  Check the links below!

Recommendations for restaurants and other places to see, let me know!

New York, NY

Lodging: Harlem Bed and Breakfast

Things to do: Harlem Heritage Tours

Washington, DC

Lodging: Akwaaba DC

Things to do: African American Heritage Trail, Busboys and Poets, Frederick Douglas' House

Atlanta, GA

Lodging: The Social Goat B&B

Things to do: Margaret Mitchell House, Alice Walker Driving Tour

Montgomery, AL

Lodging: Red Bluff Cottage

Things to do: (Birmingham) Civil Rights Institute, Fitzgerald House, (Notasluga) Zora Neale Hurston, (Monroeville) Capote and Harper Lee

New Orleans, LA

Lodging: Hotel Monteleone, Bed and Breakfast

Things to do: Literary Tour, Literary Tour 2, Swamp Tours, Plantation Tour

And more to come!

Planning the Journey

"It is better to travel well than to arrive."- Buddha


I was born and raised in Boston, MA, and I consider myself to be a true Bostonian.   I love the city of Boston and I love the state of Massachusetts.  Like all good Bostonians, I can complain about the snow, marvel at the leaves changing and plan my weekends at the cape with equal enjoyment.   I am proud of my accent, my slightly crazy driving and my fluent use of the word "wicked."  Though not a huge sports fan, I always cheer for Boston in any activity because their win reaffirms my opinion that Boston is the greatest city.  I love to travel, but I always love to come home.  I went to college here, and I teach high school feet away from the Boston hospital where I was born.


Having been raised by a family that is routed in Massachusetts for generations has given me a define New England bias about life.  I don't talk to strangers on the bus, my door is always locked, and I think its fair to say that I am a little cynical.  It would not be incorrect to say that I am a proud Massachusetts liberal that would make Fox News shake their fists in frustration.


At my high school I teach a mix of British, World and American literature.  Though some of my favorite authors are Southern, I have never been to the South, and sometimes I feel that limitation when I am trying to explain it to my students.  I can conceptualize a place where doors are left unlocked and neighbors wander in and out, but I don't really get it on a gut level.  My impressions of the South are a mix of movie cliches, bad country songs and stories from the news.  


When I had the opportunity to apply for a grant through the Fund For Teachers that would allow me to travel anywhere I wanted to, I started designing a road trip that would let me visit some of the important settings from some of my favorite novels.  Five months later, here I am thanks to FFT!  Surfing the web, talking to friends and laying out a 5 day trip that will help me to experience some of the South for myself.  Will I find myself sipping iced tea in a large sun hat or riding in the back of a pick up truck singing along to a harmonica wielding musician? Most likely, neither, but I am willing to see where the road takes me!


I am, by nature, a type A planner.  Though I can't fly totally by the seat of my pants, I am trying to keep Buddah's proverb in mind.  I want to travel well on this trip.   I care less about where I arrive and more about what I will experience.  I want to visit some sites but more than that, when people ask me what I am going to do in the South I answer "I'm going to feel it."


On this journey will be my son, Hank, who is 5.  We have been practicing saying "Nahlins" so I think he will be ready.  Also with us will be Walter.  Walter is a very good friend of my family's, and a former student of mine.  Walter is a Biology major in college and he is always excellent company!  We have had many adventures together, and I can't imagine a better road trip companion!