Joey McClure
Joey was born Joseph Hyman McClure, Jr. on April 24, 1952. The first 13 years of his life was spent in a little white house sitting on the line between Coosa County and Talladega County on U.S. Highway 231. The rest of his childhood was spent on Anniston Circle in Sylacauga Alabama until he left for a stint at Jacksonville State University. Though he was not very studious, he first found enjoyment in writing late in high school, and it eventually became one of his many great passions of life — along with grandchildren, photography, and automobiles.
For the past 45 plus years, Joey’s professional life centered around redevelopment, renovation, restoration and generally saving Birmingham’s historic downtown buildings. His first book was a collection of jokes he compiled over the years called Joey’s Nasty Collection of Jokes, and his next book will be The Christmas Pixie which should be out before next Christmas, subject to production of illustrations.
You may contact him at [email protected]. Some of his photography is currently on display at Bistro 218, 218 Twentieth Street North, downtown Birmingham. His famous Christmas Train Village can be seen at 208 Twentieth Street North, also in downtown Birmingham.
Real “characters” are not hard to find in the rural South, and during his life, Joey has found a bunch of them. “Real Stories from a Fictitious Man” is a sampling of Joey McClure’s short stories and though it meanders, this original work is mostly Southern in content and country in derivation. It is the culmination of memories, encounters, and the imagination of a Southern boy who, as a grown man, found delight in putting those into his own words. His favorite people were always the tellers-of-tales, better known in rural Alabama, as liars. His recollection of fragments of their stories, as well as his actual experiences, were the resource materials, but as he says, “Most are my own lies.” Filtered throughout, you will also encounter several of his poems (which are mostly songs he has written) and a scant few of his photographs from his vast library.
$19.99 (Soft Cover)
$24.99 (Hard Cover)