Truly amazing day yesterday with Sister Reiddie Harper! After meeting her at the barn we were invited over to the house and we spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening engrossed in conversation and photographing her. For ninety-one she has a steel trap mind and has deep family ties to the Dry Creek, La. area that go back many generations.
She has written and self published four books and has two more to write. We are talken total self publishing here. They are printed on her computer, then cut and put into her home made glue press and glued up. They are bound by hand and she reads each book twice to check for errors. Her dining room, bedroom and small office have books all over in various stages of completion.
The books deal with her life, the early history of Dry Creak, the depression and Hoover Hogs. Her stories entwine history, religion, humor, and The Holy Ghost. They are written in a style that is truly her own. To read them is to be sitting in her kitchen, as the lighting and thunder seem to punctuate her words as she serves up everything from frozen pizza to smoked chicken. Sister Reiddie is a Pentecostal Preacher and just talking to her you feel the power of The Lord. Her Bible is so old and worn; many pages have had to be replaced. You can reach her at: Reiddie@peoplepe.com, I recommend getting all her books!
Sister Reiddie Harper in front of her smoke house
Sister Reiddie at her computer
The author in her “production room”
In Sister Reiddie’s living room
