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Event in Frankfort

Last night, I had the honor of conversing with Kentucky Poet Laureate and author Richard Taylor at the Paul Sawyer Library in Frankfort. During our discussion, Richard asked me questions about my investigative memoir, “Because: A CIA Cover-Up and a Son’s Odyssey to Find the Father He Never Knew.” He wrote an amazing testimonial about my book, stating that it “unearths the spiritual truths that bind a son to his father” and helped me gain “an understanding of a deeper spiritual wisdom that transcends cultures.” I was pleased to delve deeper into that topic during our conversation.

I was thrilled that we were able to have an extensive Q&A session with those in attendance, including a few members of the Bluegrass Writers Coalition, of which both Richard and I are members. I would like to thank Lizz from Poor Richard Books for coming by to sell books and for having me sign copies of my memoir to promote it in their store. I also want to thank Diane and Megan from the Paul Sawyer Library for hosting and promoting the event; they did a fantastic job.

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By James b. Wells

JAMES B. WELLS is a retired criminology and criminal justice professor in the School of Justice Studies in the College of Justice, Safety, and Military Science at Eastern Kentucky University, and is the recipient of the 2025 Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences John Howard Award, an award given intermittently, upon significant demand, to recognize an individual who has made significant and sustained contributions to the practice of corrections. A former carpenter, soldier, and correctional officer in a super-maximum-security prison and later as a researcher/planner assisting architects in prison design, he has multiple degrees, including an M.S. in Criminal Justice, a Ph.D. in Research, and an MFA in Creative Writing. He’s authored or co-authored over sixty-five books, chapters, articles, and essays, as well as over a hundred and fifty research reports for various local, state, and federal agencies. Recent essays from his research and memoir work appear or are forthcoming in Collateral Journal, About Place Journal, Wild Roof Journal, Military Experience and the Arts, The Wrath-Bearing Tree, Shift, Proud to be: Writing by American Warriors, Trajectory Journal, and From Pen to Page III: More Writings from the Bluegrass Writers Coalition.

His investigative memoir about his father's still CIA-classified death in Vietnam in 1965, titled Because: A CIA Coverup and a Son’s Odyssey to Find the Father He Never Knew, will be launched on Father's Day weekend, 2025. Links to publications, presentations, trailers, social media, blog, and other information can be found at https://jamesbwells.com. James enjoys spending much of his leisure time with his spouse on their Lexington, Kentucky farm located on the palisades of the Kentucky River, where he is an organic gardener and beekeeper.

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