Book Talk: A Conversation with Author William S. Walker

Join us in commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II with a talk and video presentation from author William S. Walker about his book published by USC Press on the discovery of the lost letters from a fallen soldier in the Battle of the Bulge.

Dearest Mama: The Lost Letters of a Fallen Soldier and the Stories of Those He Left Behind began with a cache of letters that led to a journey of discovery, revealing the long and lasting consequences of war.

William S. Walker never knew his uncle, Fletcher "Bud" Blanton. Blanton had been killed fighting in Europe during World War II before Walker was born. Walker had heard stories about Bud, but for most of his life his uncle had existed only as a faded memory. That path changed when Walker opened a dusty cabinet forgotten in his garage attic and found a paper sack and a note in his father's handwriting that read, "Go through before you throw away." The bag was filled with family photos, correspondence, and a collection of letters and postcards that his uncle Bud had written to his family during his time on the frontline as a US Army infantryman in Europe. The first letter he pulled from the bag opened with the line, "Dearest Mama." Walker's Dearest Mama is Bud Blanton's story. More than that it is a deeply personal family chronicle that resonates for all those left behind when servicemembers do not return home from combat.

Books will be available for purchase. Light refreshments will be provided.

This program is free to the public. Online RSVPs are encouraged by emailing cHVibGljcHJvZ3JhbXMgfCBzY211c2V1bSAhIG9yZw==.

You may also like the following events from South Carolina State Museum:

• This Friday, 1st August, 12:30 pm, Summer Spotlight Talk in Columbia
• Next Saturday, 9th August, 09:00 am, Accessibility Morning - Elephant and Piggie in Columbia

Also check out other Arts events in Columbia, Literary Art events in Columbia.