The Gumbo Diaries: Mississippi and Beyond

Peanut butter carpool rage, a beer-toting dog, a misappropriated rocking chair and even an Edsel find their way into The Gumbo Diaries, Mississippi and Beyond, a refreshing slice-of-life collection. Anecdotes about raising three sons, maneuvering small town life, and surviving a near-career in teaching provide laughs and an occasional tear. The author’s personal essays begin on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and travel to the Kansas plains, with stopovers in Louisiana, Florida and Texas – all in a quest to find meaning in the small things in life. Part-journalist and part English-teacher, Skelton mixes Southern charm with a keen wit to describe everyday adventures in a style reminiscent of small town newspaper columns. The stories, inspired by family, friends, students and colleagues, offer a mirror for readers to discover the significance of small things in their lives and to realize that their lives, too, hold stories the world longs to hear.