Ozark Speakers Directory
The purpose of the Ozark Speakers Directory is to promote those individuals willing
and eager to share their expertise on Ozarks focused topics. If your civic organization,
museum, historical society, library, or similar institution or group is looking for
an expert to give a presentation on a topic related to the history, culture, geography,
and/or people of the Ozarks, we hope you will consider what this list has to offer.
Dr. Craig Albin
Professor and author; specializes in Ozarks fiction and poetry.
Email: CraigAlbin@MissouriState.edu
Phone: 417-274-3086
Phone: 417-274-3086
Vincent Anderson
Historian and teacher, leads historical Ozarks tours, hosts a weekly radio show, Retracing
Our Roots
Barbara Baird
Publisher/editor/writer - The Accidental Ozarkian
Dr. Brooks Blevins
Historian and author of the Ozarks trilogy; expert on regional identity, history,
folklore
Email: brblevins@missouristate.edu
Phone: 417-836-5914
Phone: 417-836-5914
"Cowboy Rick" Hamby
Owner of the "The Journey" stagecoach; focuses on transportation by stagecoach, old
west, etc.
Email: stagecoachjourney@gmail.com
Phone: 417-372-3344
Phone: 417-372-3344
Danette House
Traditional Ozarks Storyteller, Folklorist and educator; focuses on oral traditions
and cultural heritage.
Email: danettehouse@gmail.com
Phone: 417-505-9300
Phone: 417-505-9300
Mara Cohen Ioannides
Scholar of Jewish communities in the Ozarks and regional cultural identity.
David Jerome
Independent researcher and writer, biographer, wrote Bill Virdon: A Life in Baseball
Email: davidjerome1974@gmail.com
Phone: 816-489-8223
Phone: 816-489-8223
Dawn Larsen
Storyteller/singer-songwriter; specializes in Ozarks folklore, music, and women’s
history.
Email: dawnlarsenmusic@gmail.com
Phone: 843-617-1137
Phone: 843-617-1137
Website: www.dawnlarsenmusic.com
Kathryn Ledbetter
Former DJ, emerita professor, and author; local history projects including Si Siman
and the Ozark Jubilee
Dave Malone
Poet, screenwriter, and content creator with a focus on Ozarks themes.
Rick Mansfield
Storyteller and historical reenactor; shares Ozarks traditions through performance.
Co-founder of the Ozark Heritage Project which was created with the goal of preserving
our Ozark streams and the communities that grew up around them.
Email: emansfield2004@yahoo.com
Phone: 573-247-4037 or 573-247-2269
Phone: 573-247-4037 or 573-247-2269
Kaitlyn McConnell
Founder of Ozarks Alive; storyteller and documentarian of Ozarks culture.
Robert McCormick
History of abandoned sites in the Ozarks, including schoolhouses
Email: ramccormick58@yahoo.com
Phone: N/A
Phone: N/A
Richard McGee
Mills and springs of the Ozarks
Crockett Oaks III
African Americans, Lincoln School, and Sadie Brown Cemetery all in West Plains, Missouri
Email: CrockettOaks@MissouriState.edu
Phone: 281-706-3420
Phone: 281-706-3420
Anthony Priest
Writer and educator with deep ties to Ozarks storytelling.
Email: AnthonyPriest@missouristate.edu
Phone: 417-293-5954
Phone: 417-293-5954
Carol Silvey
Retired history professor - Native Americans (migration, settlements, etc.), Ozarks
History
Email: carolsilvey@missouristate.edu
Phone: 417-234-3362
Phone: 417-234-3362
Denise Henderson Vaughn
Independent science journalist who specializes in Ozark natural resources, particularly
forests and waterways
Email: denisevaughn@littlepinecreek.net
Phone: 417-247-7874
Phone: 417-247-7874
Steve Wiegenstein
Author, speaker, retired teacher.