Smack Dab in Dog Crossing

The first word Ed Grisamore ever said was "boat." He doesn't remember saying it. That's just what he was told. His grandfather had a boat on a small pond in Hawkinsville.

The first word he ever learned to spell was "Pepper." It was on the blackboard in Mrs. John's first-grade classroom at Harwell Elementary in LaGrange.

Since then, words have shaped his life. He has written them. He has spoken them. He has read them. And, in his career as a columnist for The Telegraph in Macon, Ga., he has shared them with a loyal readership.

In Ed's fourth book, "Smack Dab in Dog Crossing," he has assembled a collection of columns that will make you laugh, cry, think and feel. Ed is one of those writers who believes there is a story waiting for him around every bend in the road. That's why he has been referred to as the "Charles Kuralt of Middle Georgia."

Hang around Ed for a while, and you'll meet preachers, teachers and assorted creatures. You'll travel to a few places you've never been or even heard of — from Mauk to Musella, from Blount to Eudora and from Dry Branch to, of course, Dog Crossing.

It's all here, from a story about a former Miss America to a homeless man who roams Macon‘s downtown streets. The legend of Hogzilla. The Shake ‘N Bake twins. The lady who has a museum with Elvis' wart and toenail. The preacher who preaches from a casket. Macon's most famous caveman. And the lowdown on outhouses.

If you're a fan of Ed Grisamore's columns, then you've been anxiously waiting for his third collection of columns. If you are new to his writing, then you're in for a treat.

Ed Grisamore is a columnist for The Telegraph in Macon, Ga. He is a native of Atlanta and graduated cum laude from the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism. He began his newspaper career in the Telegraph sports department, where he was an editor, reporter and columnist. He began writing local columns in December 1996 and replaced the retiring Bill Boyd in June 1998. Ed has won more than 40 writing awards, including a "grand slam" in the Georgia Press Association in four different categories: Best Sports Writing (1985), Best Feature Writing (1998), Serious Columns (1998) and Humor Columns (2000). He is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. In addition to writing his newspaper column, Ed is the advisor for the Telegraph's Teen Board and does radio commentary statewide on Georgia Public Radio's "Georgia Gazette."

Ed and his wife, Delinda, have three sons— Ed , Grant and Jake. He serves as a deacon at First Baptist Church and is involved in numerous community activities includiing serving as a volunteer tour bus guide for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival. He teaches a course, "Writing Your Autobiography for Loved Ones," as part of the "senior college" program at Wesleyan College.