Dispatches from Iraq

I have two posts up about Iraq today. The first is for Gadling and is perhaps the most serious post I'm doing for the series. It's about my experience meeting a child refugee from Syria. Read the story, but don't watch the video if you have a weak stomach.

The other article is about Exploring Medieval Baghdad, written for the Black Gate Magazine blog, which published my historical fantasy novella The Quintessence of Absence. So head on over to these sites and get some good free reading. That's where this little Iraqi girl is going!

Wild West Photo Friday: Black Cowboys

Wait, isn't this supposed to be Civil War Photo Friday? Well, I decided to mix it up a bit this week. In honor of the First Kansas Colored Volunteers getting their own state historic site, I wanted to show where some of them probably ended up.

After the Civil War, former slaves were faced with choices for the first time in their lives. Many moved to big cities, especially in the North, to look for work. Sadly, they found prejudices just as engrained there as back on the plantation. Some decided to join the great movement westward.

An estimated 15-20% of all cowboys were black. Prejudice wasn't as serious on the frontier, where everyone had to get along just to survive. In the Old West a man could work hard and maybe make a fortune regardless of the color of his skin. There was racism in the West, of course, but there was also a lot more opportunity. Some black cowboys even banded together to form towns such as West Texas City near Galveston. This town was originally called Our Settlement, showing the pride of these former slaves in finally having something to call their own. One of its founders, Calvin Bell, was the first African-American to have his own cattle brand, in 1874.

Here is one of the most famous black cowboys of them all, Nat Love, who was responsible for his own fame by being one of the few black cowboys to write an autobiography.

More interesting reading on Iraq

Want to learn about Iraq? This bookstore in Baghdad has plenty of good source material. The problem is, it's all in Arabic! So if you can't read Arabic, read my Iraq series.

The latest installment is titled Muqtada Al-Sadr Promotional Posters--Why Saddam's Hanging Makes For Good Advertising. It's all about how a poorly read cleric scrabbled his way to the top through a combination of Daddy's reputation and sheer ruthlessness.

In the next few days, you'll meet a nine-year-old refugee, visit the holiest shrines of Shia Islam, and see some cool street art. Stay tuned!

And if you do happen to read Arabic, check out Baghdad's bookshops. You can even find an Arabic edition of Orwell's 1984.

First Kansas Colored Volunteers honored with State Historic Site

I've written here before about the First Kansas Colored Volunteers, a unit mostly comprised of runaway slaves from Missouri and Arkansas who fled to Kansas. They had the honor of being the first black regiment in the American army to see combat when they fought the Battle of Island Mound in Missouri on October 26, 1862. There they defeated a much larger force of Confederate bushwhackers.

Now, after long preparation, Missouri has set up the Battle of Island Mound State Historic Site. On the 150th anniversary of the battle they had a formal opening and reenactment. Check out the photo gallery on their site for some great shots!

Yeah, I'm a bit late with this news. Much have something to do with traveling in Iraq. :-)

Going on a road trip in Iraq

The next post in my Iraq travel series, Iraq Road Trip: Who Takes The Ultimate Adventure Vacation And What's It Like? is now live on Gadling. As usual, if you like what you see, please tweet, share, etc. I want to make this series something big!

Here's a group photo of my travel companions and some Iraqi cops in front of the famous spiral minaret of Samarra, which I was sure I was going to fall off of. I'll be posting about that little experience later in the series. I'm the guy in the blue shirt just to the left of center. That's a money belt, not a pot belly!

How I nearly got arrested in Iraq

The next in my adventure travel series, Destination: Iraq, is now live on Gadling. Titled A Run-in With Iraqi Police, it tells the story of how I nearly got arrested for being too trusting of the Iraqi people.

I really want to make this series big, so please share, tweet, and blog about it. I'd be happy to drop by your blog and answer a few questions. Help me out or this guy will come after you!

My series on traveling in Iraq has started!

My new series, Destination: Iraq, about my 17-day trip through Iraq, has started over at Gadling. The first article, Going on Vacation in Iraq explains just why the hell I'm doing this.

I really put myself on the line for this one, folks, so please tweet, share, like, comment, and blog about this series. It would really help me out and encourage my editor to send me on more trips like this one. So spread the word! Nabu, the Babylonian god of wisdom and literature, commands you!!!