Looking for Harper Lee

Novelist Mark Childress ("Crazy in Alabama," "Georgia Bottoms") happened to be born in Monroeville, Alabama -- the town Harper Lee called Maycomb when she wrote about it in the classic "To Kill a Mockingbird." For years, as a journalist, Childress was told to pursue an interview with the famously reclusive author, who refused all entreaties. This essay describes the importance of Harper Lee's novel to the Southern fiction of today, and goes a distance toward exploring the question of why Harper Lee prefers to remain a figure of mystery. (The author did not meet Miss Lee until after writing this article.) 2,500 words. This essay is about ten pages, or the length of a typical magazine article. A portion of the proceeds of this book is donated to DONORSCHOOSE.ORG to further reading and literacy in poor communities. Thank you for reading!