Author finds inspiration in Brookens' oral history collection

Melinda McDonald, of Springfield, is the author of Water and Fire, a work of historical fiction set during the city's 1908 race riot.

When she was researching the book, one of McDonald's principal sources was the oral history collection housed in the archives at Brookens Library at UIS. "Those were very, very helpful," she noted.

An article about McDonald and her book appeared in the June 9, 2008, Mattoon Journal Gazette/Charleston Times-Courier.

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20080609-JGTC-AuthorUsesOralHistoryCollection.pdf