When Gary Figgins, editor and publisher of “Show Me Missouri” magazine, asked me if I would like to be interviewed about the mill book that my husband and I put together and published last year, I felt quite honored. After all, his publication is “the travel magazine of Missouri.” I had no inkling, though, that it would be the cover story of the fall issue.
“Show Me Missouri”
I have a history with this magazine. A few years ago, I routinely submitted columns on fairs and festivals (titled appropriately “Fairs and Festivals”) and museum trips (titled “Remember When”). I enjoyed those assignments immensely, but had to step away because my other passion – other than travel writing – is the outdoors, and specifically, for the women’s market. I had launched an online blog, “Women’s Outdoor News,” and it needed full-time attention.
I’m happy to say that “Women’s Outdoor News” now has capable hands helping to run it daily and a cache of the best female outdoor writers in the nation.
Meanwhile, the mill book – “Milling Around: Exploring 26 Mills in the Missouri Ozarks” – came out last September (2024) and I have been enjoying adding stories and even more photos about the mills to my website here. (The book only shows one mill photo per chapter.) In fact, I have found even more mills and pieces of mills here in the Missouri Ozarks, and … I have ventured into Arkansas twice so far in search of mills down there. I am planning a second book out in the near future.
For the interview, Gary asked me several questions about the process we took to compile 26 mills into a book, a task which took my husband, Jason, and me about 24 years to do.
Gary added his own photos of mills to the story. He has been wanting to write a coffee table book that features beautiful mill photos from Missouri for years – and I hope he will. The article allows him to showcase some of his photography.
It was so good to be working with Gary again that when he asked me if I would consider returning to write the “Fairs and Festivals” column, I said, “Yes!” My first column appeared in this issue and featured the upcoming Laura Ingalls Wilder festival (called “Wilder Days”) in Mansfield, Missouri, celebrating its 50th anniversary this September 26 and 27. I can’t say what I’ll be featuring in the winter issue, but it’s one of my favorite Christmas events in Missouri.
Find out more about “Show Me Missouri” magazine. Subscribe for only $15.99 per year. It makes for a wonderful read, and will definitely open your mind to further adventures in our Show Me state.
