Here is an updated list of upcoming events. I hope to see you there!

Saturday, November 13
Homespun: Modern Handmade
12-2 p.m.

Sunday, November 14
Christmas Gift & Hobby Show @ Fairgrounds
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday, November 27
Lew Wallace Hoosier Author Fair (Crawfordsville)
4-7 p.m.

Sunday, November 28
Museum Store Sunday @ Indiana State Museum
Time TBD

Friday, December 3
Shapiro’s Delicatessen
11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Saturday, December 4
Holiday Author Fair @ Indiana History Center
12-4 p.m.

Excited to get your hands on a signed copy of “Indianapolis: An Illustrated Timeline”? Come see me at any of these events:

Books & Brews — South Indy location
Saturday, October 2
2-4 p.m.

Irvington Farmers’ Market
Sunday, October 10
12-3 p.m.

Books & Brews — Brownsburg location
Saturday, October 23
5-7 p.m.

Homespun: Modern Handmade
Saturday, November 13
Time TBD

Christmas Gift & Hobby Show
Sunday, November 14
10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Museum Store Sunday @ Indiana State Museum
Sunday, November 28
Time TBD

Holiday Author Fair @ Indiana History Center
Saturday, December 4
12-4 p.m.

Stay tuned for more events coming soon!

It was delayed for a year (thanks, COVID), but the new book is finally coming! Indianapolis: An Illustrated Timeline will hit bookstores September 15. Watch this space for info on upcoming book signings and other events. In the meantime, here’s a sneak peek at the cover, as well as a brief description.

Indianapolis didn’t yet exist when the Indiana legislature chose it as the new state capital in 1821. The city was purpose-built, emerging from a wilderness of swamplands and forests to become the Crossroads of America. Indianapolis: An Illustrated Timeline traces the city’s history from the Ice Age to the present, focusing on the people and events that shaped the Circle City. Early settlers overcame illness, isolation, and the Great Squirrel Invasion of 1822. But the arrival of the railroads in 1847 finally transformed Indy from a sleepy backwater to a Midwest boom town. In the 1870s, suffragette May Wright Sewall laid the groundwork for the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Lyman S. Ayres invested in a downtown department store, and Civil War veteran Eli Lilly opened a pharmacy on Pearl Street. By the turn of the century, Indianapolis was a thriving cultural and commercial center, and the cycling craze of the 1890s had paved the way for a thriving automotive industry. Indianapolis: An Illustrated Timeline tells some dark stories—the massacre of Native Americans in 1824, for example, and the dominance of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s. But it also highlights success stories such as Madam C. J. Walker, the nation’s first self-made female millionaire; jazz legend Wes Montgomery; and Nellie Simmons Meier, palm reader to the stars. And it traces the trajectory of revitalization strategies such as Unigov and the push to position Indianapolis as a global sports capital. Richly illustrated with maps, paintings, and historic photographs, this essential book celebrates 200 years of the Circle City story.

The COVID-19 pandemic has put many things on hold, among them the publication of Indianapolis: An Illustrated Timeline. The book has been delayed until spring so we can celebrate its publication properly with signings, presentations, and other events. I can’t wait for you to see it.

In the meantime, here’s a snippet from the early years:

1823 | Indy’s First Theatrical Performance

As New Year’s Eve approached in 1823, Indianapolis residents had something special to look forward to: the town’s first theatrical performance. Mr. and Mrs. Smith, an elderly couple “late from the New York theater,” advertised that they would perform several short plays. In addition, Mrs. Smith would sing the “Star-Spangled Banner” while dancing a hornpipe, blindfolded, amongst eggs.[i]

The performance was held in the Rosebush Tavern owned by Thomas Carter, a religious man who insisted on solemn music. “This restriction, considering the nature of the performances and the character of the players, was so extremely ludicrous that the audience was convulsed with laughter during the whole evening,” one historian wrote.[ii] Calvin Fletcher later wrote in his journal, “I apologized to myself for going.”[iii]

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[i] Bolton, Early History, 167–168.

[ii] Bolton, Early History, 168.

[iii] Thornbrough, Diary of Calvin Fletcher, 101.

In honor of the city’s upcoming bicentennial, my next book is all about Indy history. (Can you believe Washington Street ever looked like this?) It’s called Indianapolis: An Illustrated History, and it’s coming this September from Reedy Press.

Here’s a quick description of the book:

“Two hundred years ago, Indianapolis was carved out of a forest in the middle of nowhere—a planned capital city at the geographic center of a new state. The first few decades were marked by economic isolation, squirrel invasions, and a canal project that bankrupted the state. But the arrival of railroads in 1847 transformed Indianapolis into an economic powerhouse. And this “Crossroads of America” has been growing, transforming, and reinventing itself ever since.

“This book tells the Indianapolis story from prehistoric times to the present day, exploring its Native American heritage, its rich automotive history, and its most beloved restaurants, sports teams, and cultural institutions. The timeline includes terrible disasters and crimes, but it also celebrates the city’s unsung heroes and the rich cultural diversity inherent to a city of immigrants. At its core this is a story about people, from humble pioneers to US presidents—not to mention a celebrity palm reader, a vaudeville mayor, a wide array of writers, and the nation’s first self-made female millionaire. It’s all right here at the heart of the Hoosier state.”

I’ve been having a blast researching this book, and I can’t wait to share it with you.

Spring is upon us, and 100 Things Indy has some great ideas to get you out of the house this April. I’ve been on WISH-TV several times lately to share those ideas! Here are two of those clips.

March 24 (Daybreak): Fun Spring Activities in Indianapolis

April 3 (Indy Style): Author Highlights “100 Things to Do in Indianapolis Before You Die”

I also appeared on the mid-day news last Friday, but I can’t seem to find that clip. Meanwhile, the Daily Reporter in Greenfield also featured the book last week. You can read the full article here: “A Bucket List of Indy Fun”

This weekend I’ll be signing books at the Indiana Artisan Marketplace at the fairgrounds. Stop by and say hello!

The official launch party for “100 Things to Do in Indianapolis Before You Die” is happening Friday, Oct. 12, at New Day Craft in Fountain Square! Stop by from 7pm to 9pm for Indy-themed trivia/prizes and get your book signed! While you’re there, you may as well try a tasting flight of New Day’s meads or hard ciders. (I’m partial to the South Cider.) Hope to see you there!

Other upcoming events include:

• Sunday, Oct. 7 – Signing at Costco (Castleton), 1-3pm
• Saturday, Oct. 13 – Signing at Goose the Market, 1-3pm
• Sunday, Oct. 14 – Booth at Irvington Farmers Market (all day)
• Saturday, Oct. 20 – Signing at Costco (Michigan Road), 1-3pm
• Tuesday, Oct. 30 – Trivia and signing at Books and Brews (Broad Ripple)
• Friday, Dec. 7 – IndieAna Handicraft Exchange at the Harrison Center for the Arts

Y’all, I’m so excited to officially launch the second edition of 100 Things Indy, now available wherever books are sold! The mini book tour kicked off this morning with an appearance on Fox59. (Here’s the link in case you missed it.) Check back soon for a complete list of signings, presentations and other events!

A brand new edition of 100 Things is coming this fall! It’s been three years since the first edition hit the shelves, and writing this second edition made me realize how much has changed. In the end, seventy of the entries had to be updated, overhauled, or simply replaced. This is a whole new book for a whole new city, and I can’t wait to share it!