February Lunchtime Lecture
John Cribb, best-selling author and South Carolina native, is the featured speaker for the February Conversation at the Cultural Arts Center. The free lunchtime lecture will begin at noon on Wednesday, February 1. The talk will be all about Lincoln whose birthday is February 12.
Cribb is the perfect choice to lead a discussion about Abraham Lincoln, our 16th president.
He has published two historical fiction books on Lincoln – Old Abe and The Rail Splitter.
“I’m looking forward to being in Lancaster to talk about Abraham Lincoln, including the years before he was president, which in many ways were, I think, the most fascinating part of his life. The story of his growing up on the frontier and finding his way in life is incredibly inspiring,” Cribb said. “It’s also important because it’s the story of who we are as an American people, or who we aspire to be.”
Cribb’s fascination and love of Lincoln began in elementary school when he read about Abe growing up on the frontier.
Old Abe, published Sept. 15, 2020, explores the last five years of Lincoln’s life including his election in 1860 and the Civil War. Cribb shows the emotional struggle not readily available in non-fiction books. He takes you inside the heart and mind of Lincoln as the president tries to bring the divided country back together even as his wife has three brothers fighting for the Confederate Army.
Old Abe received unsolicited high praise from Mike Pence, the former vice-president, who personally phoned Cribb and told him, “Old Abe is the best book on President Lincoln I have ever read. It is deeply inspiring.” Pence hails from Indiana which was the boyhood home of Lincoln.
The Rail Splitter, published Jan. 24, 2023, covers the years before the presidency offering readers a chance to understand the man by knowing the boy. It’s a coming of age story, a rags to riches story, and a love story. Cribb takes you on a journey from a log cabin in Kentucky to the White House.
Cribb said he worked on both novels on and off for a dozen years.
“That means, it took three times as long to write the darned things than it did for Lincoln to win the Civil War,” he noted.
Cribb has a relaxed, unassuming air and is a great storyteller. He is a bestselling author who has written about subjects ranging from history to education. He has appeared on many TV, radio, and podcast shows including C-SPAN’s Washington Journal and Fox News’s Fox & Friends, and his writing has been published in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, FoxNews.com, The Hill, Real Clear Politics, and other publications.
He and his wife live in Spartanburg and have two daughters in college.
More Conversations
Organizer John Craig was excited to share his observations on the Conversations at the CAC.
“We now have the monthly Conversations fully scheduled for 2023 and even have a great start on the 2024 schedule,” Craig said. “People seem to be really enjoying these events and the turnout is strong. Every speaker is different, knowledge-building, and entertaining in their own way.”
For more information on Cribb, visit his webpage at http://www.johncribbauthor.com.
The CAC lecture series, “CAC Conversations” features authors, researchers, civic leaders and entrepreneurs and relies on donations to the Lancaster County Society for Historical Preservation. Donations can be mailed to LCSHP, 1859 Craig Farm Rd., Lancaster, SC 29720 or made online at lcshp.org. The Cultural Arts Center is housed in the Old Presbyterian Church at 307 West Gay Street. The Old Church was built three years before President Lincoln died.
The free noontime lectures are held on the first Wednesday of each month. The next lecture is March 1 and features Ernest Jenkins, Robert Folks, & Gavin Witherspoon. The local historians will talk about many of the buried people in the graveyard next to the CAC in “Gone But Not Forgotten: Who’s Who in the Historic Old Presbyterian Church Cemetery.”
For more information on the Cultural Arts Center and Lancaster County Society for Historical Preservation, please visit https://www.lcshp.org.
Tailgates & Typewriters 