Small Towns, Big Troubles - Songs and Stories by Matt Garrison

Originally from Olney, IL, Matt Garrison has lived in Carbondale since 2002, and has taught at John A. Logan College for 21 years where he is a Professor of English and Department Chair of Communication, Humanities, and Social Sciences. He has been writing songs and playing in bands for 35 years.

Small Towns, Big Troubles will feature a collection of Garrison’s songs about southern Illinois life and characters, including “Life on the Line,” a song he wrote for the documentary theatrical production Herrin Made in 2019, which celebrated the voices of the Maytag (Norge) workers. This performance will include a retrospective photo montage of Maytag. Garrison will also read from his historical fiction work-in-progress Son of a Scab, partially set in 1920’s Herrin. His prose, like his songwriting, has a unique, novelistic eye for detail.

The event is presented by the Herrin History Room and is free and open to the public.

You may also like the following events from Herrin City Library:

• Next Thursday, 4th September, 11:00 am, Toys Story Hour in Herrin
• Next month, 27th September, 12:00 pm, Book Sale: Friends of the Library in Herrin