Travel

J. D. Carpenter’s American Odyssey

DAY 27 — TUPELO, MISSISSIPPI: One of Karen’s most fervent wishes for this trip was to visit the amazing quiltmakers of Gee’s Bend, Alabama. The descendants of slaves, these women (most of whom still bear the surname Pettway, which was the name of the plantation owner) have made an international name for themselves through the natural artistry of their quilts. Not only did we meet Mary Ann Pettway and Ritamae Pettway, who were present at the quilt museum when we arrived, but 72-year-old Mary Lee Bendolph — one of the principal quilters — summoned by a phone call from Mary Ann, visited with us and then chauffeured us around Gee’s Bend and nearby Boykin in her sedan, showing us various sites important to her: her church (where Martin Luther King once preached), her house, the houses of her daughter and brother-in-law, a cross on the side of the road commemorating the death of a man she knew who died in a car accident following the annual Gee’s Bend May Day celebrations .

At one point during our visit, Karen asked if she could buy a potholder Mary Ann was working on. “This is the foist potholder I ever made, and you wants to buy it!” Mary Ann said. She got to her feet, embraced Karen, then me, then signed the potholder, as did Ritamae and Mary Lee. This is one potholder that will never hold a pot, but will occupy a place of pride on our kitchen wall.

Tags: American, American Odyssey, language arts

About the author

J.D. Carpenter's Campbell Young novels have been nominated for the Arthur Ellis Award, appeared on national bestseller lists (The Globe & Mail), and received critical acclaim (The Globe & Mail, The Toronto Star, The Edmonton Journal, Maclean's, Quill & Quire).