Tom Poland (born February 4, 1949 in Augusta, Georgia), as Thomas Mitchell Poland to John Mitchell Poland and Ruth Walker Poland. Known as a writer of things southern. He graduated from Lincoln High School in Lincolnton, Georgia. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and a Masters in Education from the University of Georgia.
A frequent contributor to magazines, he has written approximately 700 features. Poland’s first book, South Carolina—The Natural Heritage, was published in 1989 by the University of South Carolina Press. James Dickey wrote the foreword. In 1994, the University of South Carolina Press published his second book, South Carolina—A Timeless Journey. In 1996, he published "Deliver Me from Leviathan" in Reckon magazine, a literary feature on the career of James Dickey. Excerpts and references from "Deliver Me From Leviathan" were published in 2000 in The World As A Lie—James Dickey, the Dickey biography authored by Henry Hart. In 1999, the University of South Carolina published his third book, Reflections of South Carolina. In 2005, Bookhouse Group published his fourth book, A Just & Noble Cause. Poland has also written speeches for South Carolina governors and Bill Gates. He has won "Best of Show" at the ADDY Awards for his work and concepts in marketing and advertising.
His novel, Forbidden Island ... An Island Called Sapelo (ISBN 1425992021), deals with themes of hope and destruction: man's alteration of the Earth and man's efforts to stave off the inevitable loss of family.
He was the 2011-2012 playwright for Swamp Gravy, Georgia's official folk life drama. His play, Solid Ground, present the hardships, joys, and beauty of the farming life in south Georgia. Save The Last Dance For Me, a book on how the blues led to beach music and the shag phenomenon along the Carolina beaches, was published by the University of South Carolina Press in the summer of 2012. He's in State of the Heart, an anthology of writers who contributed essays about their favorite places in South Carolina, foreword by Pat Conroy, edited by Aida Rogers.
Forthcoming books include Transforming A State's Destiny, Georgialina, A Southland, and Reflections Of South Carolina, Vol. II.
He lives in Columbia, South Carolina.
Famous quotes containing the words tom and/or poland:
“And the Angel told Tom if he’d be a good boy,
He’d have God for his father & never want joy.
And so Tom awoke and we rose in the dark
And got with our bags & our brushes to work.
Tho’ the morning was cold, Tom was happy & warm,
So if all do their duty, they need not fear harm.”
—William Blake (1757–1827)
“It is often said that Poland is a country where there is anti-semitism and no Jews, which is pathology in its purest state.”
—Bronislaw Geremek (b. 1932)