Collected Stories and Elizabeth’s Field are set on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
Rhodesdale, Maryland, June 23, 2020 ̶ Barbara Lockhart is pleased to announce the release of
Collected Stories on July 4, 2020. Also on that date, the award-winning author from Dorchester
County will re-launch her historical novel titled Elizabeth’s Field. Both books are published by
Secant Publishing in Salisbury, Maryland.
Suffused with lyricism and sensitive to the human condition, in Collected Stories Lockhart
captures the flavor of small town and rural Eastern Shore in Maryland. The tone is set with the
first story, “Beginning with Puckum,” which finds Christmas angels detaching themselves from
lampposts on Main Street and rendering a bird’s eye view of a typical small town. The symbolism
is found in the stories that follow as the author imbues her character studies with impressive depth
and insight. One of the chapters is called “Crab Feast” which is truly an Eastern Shore tradition.
Originally published under the title The Night is Young, Collected Stories has been updated with
new material including five previously unpublished stories.
Elizabeth’s Field is the story of the free black population living in Dorchester County, Maryland,
the birthplace and home county of Underground Railroad conductor Harriet Tubman, in the years
just prior to the Civil War. The main character, Elizabeth, is a free black woman who owns 22
acres in a time when free blacks and the enslaved lived in continuous tension and uncertainty
about their futures. Elizabeth’s story and that of Sam Green, the local minister who was sentenced
to 10 years in prison for possessing a copy of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, attest to the turmoil that
wracked the Eastern Shore. Originally published in 2012, Elizabeth’s Field is being re-released at
a time when issues of racial inequality and justice are again at the forefront of the national agenda
and interest in African American history is high.
Kathryn Lang, former editor of Southern Methodist University Press, gave this review:
“Elizabeth’s Field captures the realities of pre-Civil War life on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and
creates characters that struggle in extraordinary adversity. Lockhart traces the branches of several
Zang Writing ■ PO Box 1161 ■ Chestertown, MD 21620 ■ 443-566-0040 ■ charlotte.zang@gmail.com
generations of black families, their histories merging, the memories of their grandparents’
miseries facing yet not forgotten. Her carefully limned descriptions of the land—the profusion of
flora and the turning of the seasons—are masterful. Through fully rounded characters and lyrical
prose, Lockhart’s novel teaches some hard lessons about man’s inhumanity to man.”
Commenting on Collected Stories and Elizabeth’s Field, Lockhart said, “I’m thrilled to offer my
updated Collected Stories which are set on the Eastern Shore because I love the small town life.
The re-release of Elizabeth’s Field is very timely considering what is going on in the world today.
In researching the history of my farm, I learned about the woman who owned it in the 1850s. That
information, coupled with an oral history from my neighbor, inspired me to write a fictional
account of the people who lived here before the Civil War.”
Author-signed print books are available for pre-order and pick up on July 4, 2020 at these fine
area bookstores:
Book Bin in Onley, VA
http://bookbinva.com/
Sundial Books in Chincoteague, VA
https://www.sundialbooks.net/
The Greyhound – An Indie Bookstore in Berlin, MD
https://www.greyhoundbookstore.com/
Lockhart’s eBooks are available now on Amazon with print books available on July 4, 2020.
Elizabeth’s Field
Collected Stories
The following online retailers also carry Elizabeth’s Field:
Apple Books
Rakuten Kobo Inc.
Bookmate
Children’s books by Barbara Lockhart may be found at World of Toys and The Greyhound in
Berlin, Maryland as well as the Sundial in Chincoteague, VA.
About Barbara Lockhart
Award-winning author Barbara Lockhart uses the setting of the Eastern Shore of Maryland for
her historical novel, Elizabeth’s Field, and her latest work in Collected Stories. She has been the
recipient of two Maryland Arts Council Awards for excerpts from her first novel, Requiem for a
Summer Cottage and excerpts from her short stories. Elizabeth’s Field won a silver medal in the
Independent Book Publishers Award for Regional Fiction, and her previous collection of short
stories, The Night is Young won a Finalist position in the National Indie Excellence Awards.
Zang Writing ■ PO Box 1161 ■ Chestertown, MD 21620 ■ 443-566-0040 ■ charlotte.zang@gmail.com
Lockhart has an MFA degree in Creative Writing from Vermont College. Through lectures,
readings, and book discussion groups, Lockhart’s interest has been to explore Shore life and
history, while recognizing and honoring the humanity that links us all.
Her children’s books celebrate Shore life in such titles as Rambling Raft (on the Choptank River),
Once a Pony Time (at Chincoteague), Mosey’s Field (our corn harvest) and Will’s Tractor (a
champion inventor). A teacher for 25 years, Lockhart’s interest in children’s literature culminated
in her program for parents and teachers called Read to me, Talk with me, which was used
nationwide. She has given workshops and lectures throughout Maryland and Delaware.
For more information, follow Barbara Lockhart on Facebook or visit
www.barbaramarielockhart.com