From stories about the Salem witchcraft trials to the daily life of pioneers to the thoughts of Wild West lawmen, the new edition of “More Yester Yore” has topics to captivate readers for hours.
The book is the second produced by Michael Borich’s English 102 class. Last year, the class produced its first book. Proceeds from that sale allowed the class to give the Ozark Food Harvest $100.
This year, all royalties will go to the non-profit.
“A student asked last year if the money could go to the Food Harvest,” Borich said. “This year, we decided to do the same thing.”
The organization is grateful for the donation.
“It is with deepest gratitude that we thank you for your gift. Your support of Ozarks Food Harvest helps us move forward in the fight against hunger. Families in southwest Missouri will receive life-sustaining help thanks to your gift of $100 royalty proceeds from your class publication ‘Yester Yore,’” wrote Denise Green, director of development and communication for Ozarks Food Harvest to the class.
Students were assigned to research and develop fictionalized but historically based journals or diaries of people during various periods of history. Students selected a historic scenario and used their research skills to find accurate details about their character and the time period.
The 32 journal stories involved a variety of characters, including nurses and soldiers from the Civil War, a Dust Bowl survivor, a Sioux Indian and a survivor of the Chicago fire.
“I’m delighted with the results. The students are excited with it,” Borich said, adding that the project was designed to improve the students’ research and writing skills.
Many of the students were not writers and had never written anything that was published. Davis Collins, a student in the class, selected and edited the articles for publication.
“The process of editing was a little tedious. I like writing,” Collins said. “But I also kind of liked the whole process. I might want to see editing as part of my career.”
Today and Tuesday, the book is available for a free at Amazon.com and searching for “More Yester Yore.” Otherwise the book costs 99 cents to download.
Steve Koehler is coordinator of media relations at Ozarks Technical Community College.