James B. WellsJAMES 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.
St. John’s Episcopal Church in College Park, GA—the church where I was raised, where my father’s funeral services were held, and where Brenda and I were married—recently sent me a booklet describing all the stained glass windows in the church, including one donated by our family and paid for with memorial funds after my father’s […]
Brenda and I stumbled upon a hidden gem as a venue for one of my author events. The Rockport Fulton/Corpus Christi KOA RV Park, with its welcoming spirit and scenic surroundings, proved to be the perfect setting. We had the pleasure of collaborating with Marie, the energetic and creative Activities Director, who went above and […]
The Rockport Fulton Book Festival overlooking Arkansas Bay in Texas has been one of the most rewarding and well-organized book festivals Brenda and I have attended. The festival began with an onstage interview about my investigative memoir, Because: A CIA Coverup and a Son’s Odyssey to Find the Father He Never Knew. Later that afternoon, […]
What a truly remarkable author event my cousin, Joni Foster, orchestrated at the Dr. Eugene Clark Library—the oldest library in Texas—located in charming Lockhart. The event space was both elegant and inviting, the library staff exceptionally gracious and helpful, and the audience engaged deeply with my investigative memoir, “Because: A CIA Coverup and a Son’s […]
It has been deeply moving to see how many people have connected with our fight to uncover the still-classified truth behind our father’s 1965 death in Vietnam — a man who died a whistleblower. My siblings and I are grateful to have Bradley P. Moss fighting alongside us in our lawsuit against the CIA. Moss […]
This morning I feel blessed for many reasons, but none more so than the bond between siblings — the kind that holds firm when life grows difficult and the road ahead feels uncertain. There is something unbreakable about brothers and sisters who choose to stay, who show up for each other through the hardest seasons, […]
Our mother never got the answers she deserved. Widowed at 38 when our father was killed in a CIA Air America plane crash in Vietnam in 1965, she was left with nothing but his letters to piece together what had really happened. The unanswered questions haunted her for the rest of her life — she […]
I am deeply grateful to everyone who voted for my investigative memoir, Because: A CIA Cover-Up and a Son’s Odyssey to Find the Father He Never Knew, for Best Book Cover — and we won first place! A special thank-you to my wife, Brenda, whose initial design set the vision, and to Michelle Bradford Art, […]
I had a wonderful time at the 2026 Bluegrass Writers Coalition Conference! This was our largest gathering yet, and I thoroughly enjoyed serving on the conference committee, speaking on a nonfiction research and writing panel, promoting and signing my award-winning investigative memoir, Because, and connecting with fellow writers.
I have a passion for researching and writing what is called persuasive prose — writing that weaves together logical arguments, emotional appeals, and evidence to move readers toward a specific viewpoint or action. Attending the last BGWS open mic of the semester was a highlight, where I read my latest persuasive prose, reconnected with old […]
James B. Wells