During the Civil Rights movement, Birmingham, Ala., experienced so many bombings and church burnings that the city became known as “Bombingham.” Writer Anthony Grooms used the nickname as the title of his most recent book, Bombingham.

Grooms was the featured author for this semester’s first Writer’s Read on Jan. 31. Grooms read from Bombingham, a fictional novel in which a Vietnam veteran reminisces about growing up in Birmingham during the civil rights movement.

Grooms began his reading with a scene from his book in which Walter Burke, the main character, observes the interactions between his sick mother and a family friend who brings them some food. The friend also brings her new boyfriend, a reverend from out of town.

The reverend, a strong supporter of Martin Luther King Jr. and civil rights, tries to convince Walter’s mother to let her children become involved in the movement. Walter’s mother strongly opposes him and insinuates that he’s merely stirring up trouble. "Part of my intention in writing this book was to debunk the myth that all African-Americans supported Martin Luther King Jr.’s cause," explained Grooms.

After reading various passages, Grooms offered time for a question and answer period that allowed him to explain some aspects of his novel and clear up misconceptions. He noted that one reviewer called Bombingham “a novel about the destruction of hope." Grooms made it clear that this was the opposite of his intent. He felt the review misrepresented what the novel communicated. He also talked about how he decides what perspective to take in his stories.

"I can fill in the creative context," Grooms said of his decision of Walter Burke as the narrator for Bombingham. "He’s a man thinking back to childhood, yet he’s still trying to find himself and work out his own problems."

For the majority of his research, Grooms talked to his wife and in-laws who lived in Birmingham at the time. In addition to interviewing people, he also looked at old advertisements, newspaper articles and other published material to see what trends were popular and what events were occurring.

Grooms began his education with the intent of being an anthropologist, but then graduated from the College of William and Mary with a degree in Theater. He went on to get his master’s degree in Creative Writing at George Mason University. Grooms has published a book of poetry called Ice Poems, a novel titled Trouble No More, and has been published several times in African-American Review and the Crab Apple Review.

Grooms explained that writing is ideal for anyone. “You can explore your interests,” he said. “You can follow your bliss."