Joe Formichella is the prize-winning author of two novels, Waffle House Rules and The Wreck of the Twilight Limited. He has written three books of nonfiction: Murder Creek, Staying Ahead of the Posse, and Here’s to You, Jackie Robinson, which captures the history of the Pritchard Mohawks of the Negro Baseball League and was accepted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Joe edited The Shoe Burnin’ and is currently editing The Salvage Man, written by Kurt Meyer. Known for his constant support and nurturing of new writers, Joe lives on Waterhole Branch, a retreat and inspiration for writers, musicians, and visual artists on Fish River near Mobile Bay, Alabama.
We do this thing down on Waterhole Branch, near Fairhope, Alabama, every Thanksgiving season called the Shoe Burning. Maybe you’ve heard of it. Used to make Carl cackle that laugh of his when I told him stories about it. The deal is, we gather out at the Branch, usually the first Saturday after feasting, everyone brings a bottle, a story, a guitar, if you’ve got one, and a pair of shoes. You pass
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