On Saturday, December 4th at 3:00pm, Two Friends Books, an independent bookstore located in downtown Bentonville, is hosting a conversation between the authors Thomas Michael Kersen and Jared M. Philips about how countercultural movements helped shape the Ozarks region and popular culture more broadly.
Kersen, an associate professor of sociology at Jackson State University, recently published the book Where Misfits Fit: Counterculture and Influence in the Ozarks. In it, he explores how the Ozarks became a haven for people living on the margins of mainstream culture, including UFO enthusiasts, cults, musical troupes, and back-to-the-land groups and how these groups have influenced popular culture at large. Jared M. Phillips, a farmer, assistant professor of International Studies at the University of Arkansas, and author of the book Hipbillies: Deep Revolution in the Arkansas Ozarks, will be joining Kersen.
This event is free and open to the public. Books will be for sale on the premises and both authors will be signing books afterwards. Two Friends Books is located at 234 SW 7th St, Suite 106, Bentonville, AR 72712. For more information or to learn more about Two Friends, you can visit www.twofriendsbooks.com or find them on social media at @twofriendsbooks.
