As part of The Great American Whistle Stop Book Tour (15-city, 30-day, 6,500-mile tour), author and railroad enthusiast, Ed Davis, will be making a stop in the Dallas, Tx area on Wednesday, April 20th at 7:30 p.m. where he will be appearing at the Allen Public Library. This is a free event that will also be offered virtually at allentx.swagit.com. Ed is celebrating the release of his new novel, The Last Professional. During his visit, he will be talking about the history of train-hopping across the US, hobo culture, and the rich "analog" time in this country where adventure was just a freight car away.
Before the current boom in "van life" and nomadic living, author Ed Davis rode the rails -- hopping boxcars and freight trains -- from Reno to Vancouver, through the Sierras and up and down the Golden State. As a young man, he lived on $5 a day, worked as a carny and even slept under the same bridge Kerouac once did. Living as a part-time hobo, he and his friends - the "knights of the road"- experienced a world that no longer exists. Those treks across the county eventually led Ed to become a successful business owner, a champion discus thrower, an author, and a loving husband to his wife, Jan, who on occasion, has even hopped the trains with him. An impassioned traveler and raconteur, Ed Davis wants to share his America with you.
What makes this stop unique is that Allen, Tx is home to the Old Stone Dam, the only stone dam that was associated with railroads in the state of Texas and was known to be a location where hobos gathered in the past. This historical landmark still stands today.
Ed Davis began his writing career over forty years ago, pausing in boxcars, under streetlamps, and in hobo jungles to capture the beats and rhythms of the road as he caught freight trains and vagabonded around the Pacific Northwest and Canada. As Ed illustrates in Forty Years from Boxcar to Book Launch, The Last Professional was born on the rails. His short stories have appeared in numerous literary journals.
The library is located at 300 N. Allen Dr. Call 214.509.4911 for additional information.