The Place I Live

From Woodruff to Landrum and Wellford to Clifton, they let their creative juices flow into poetry, stories and artwork.

Their imaginations take us to magical places: to a hole in the ground in Cowpens that Alexis Bailey's stepdad says leads to China; to a crossroads where Hunter Brown says the fields look like "tons of grasshoppers standing on their hind legs"; to a neighborhood where Terrica Mullins says the crying babies sound like "an old granny taking out her teeth."

These children introduce us to Trottin' Sally, Little Pink Anderson and a big tree called "Old Chunky." Some take us to places familiar: the clock tower, the Krispy Kreme and the Beacon. Others invite us to their secret places: the old tub in the woods, an Indian burial ground, and a spot under the house that helps Josh Barnes "get unmad."

The Place I Live is a rich and often humorous portrait of the Piedmont. With this imaginative volume, the Hub City Kids take their well-deserved place alongside the rest of Spartanburg's Hub City writers.