On Wednesday, January 17 at noon, the Pell City Public Library invites you to join us for a fun-filled author event with award-winning journalist, Julia Harwell Segars.  She will present her new book entitled, Aunt Sister, written by Ms. Segars (under the pen name, Aunt Sister) which celebrates the South, with all its nuances, traditions and charm—back then and now– through the eyes of Aunt Sister.  “Aunt Sister is a Southern lady who was raised right, but overcame it . . .  bless her heart!”   

Aunt Sister’s given name was Julia Adolyn, but to her sisters and brothers, she was known by the family nickname, “Sister.”  Nieces and nephews, quite naturally called her “Aunt” Sister.  She was Julia Harwell Segars’ aunt—her mother’s sister, resurrected (so to speak) to tell her stories.  Written as a creative outlet, on the side, the stories were penned anonymously for a column in The Talladega Daily Home newspaper, and kept separate, on purpose, from her day job as vice president of a fortune 500 company. The book, Aunt Sister, is comprised of those stories, plucked and tweaked from the newspaper column, along with others created exclusively for the book.  The stories tell of family, of old Southern traditions, and of current life experiences, by a sassy Southern lady—Southern style!  As narrator and arbitrator, Aunt Sister introduces readers to a cast of characters and situations, chapter by chapter, that will resonate with them through their humor and truth. 

Julia Harwell Segars graduated, magna cum laude, from the University of Alabama in 1984, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in journalism and a minor in graphic design. She worked as a news reporter for The Tuscaloosa News for two years before joining Alabama Power Company, as a writer in it public relations department, and then editor of its four-color monthly magazine.  Ms. Segars served in various leadership positions within the company, initially as manager in employee communications and progressing to her election in 2002 by the company’s board of directors to vice president and chief information officer.  The last 11 years of her corporate career, she served in Anniston, Alabama as division vice president of customer service operations for 12 counties in East Alabama.   

Julia has also served her community in various leadership capacities, including but not limited to: Chairman of the Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce, Vice-Chairman of the Calhoun County Economic Development Council, on the boards of Jacksonville State University Foundation and Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind Foundation,  and as director of Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama. 

Julia Harwell Segars will present her book, and share some her stories, as special guest speaker for the library’s ongoing Wild & Wonderful Wednesday series on Wednesday, January 17th at noon.  Plan to come and sit a spell, share a glass of sweet tea, and listen to some humorous stories and anecdotes sure to capture your imagination . . . and your heart. The event is free and open to the public, and light refreshments will be served afterwards.