About The Book
DOYLESTOWN, PA - Inside Review is proud to present A Bucks County State of Mind... in his words - a tribute to the late Bucks County journalist Bruce B. Blackburn III, the people he profiled, and his legacy to everyone who knew him.
According to Marie. Izzo, Mr. Blackburn's wife, "This commemorative book includes 40 profiles Bruce wrote in a ten-year period. I chose the profiles of those I feel touched his heart, just as he touched theirs. The book also offers a slice of history in Bucks County and a glimpse into the region's thriving arts and cultural community."
Mr. Blackburn wrote, "Anyone who knows Bucks County, PA, knows of its rich artistic heritage. Author James Michener called the broad swath of territory along the Delaware River Valley between Doylestown, PA and Lambertville, NJ ‘the Genius Belt'—a reference to the remarkable density of original creative talent the region has spawned throughout the 20th century. Songwriters, authors, woodworkers, playwrights, painters, sculptors . . . so fertile has Bucks County been, it's almost impossible to keep track of the prolific people and their accomplishments." Almost, until now...
The book features remarkable profiles of distinguished artists, past and present including:
Ed Adams, Frank Arcuri, Anthony Michael Autorino, Laura T. Barnes,
Robert A. Beck, Irving Berlin by David Leopold, Doris Brandes, Merle
Citron, Anne Cooper Dobbins, Derek Fell, Alan Fetterman, John
Franklin, aka Johnny Dock, Tom Galbraith & Cindy Wuthrich,
Michael Graves, Gordon Haas, Al Hirschfeld, Kat Mojzesz & Don
Hayes, Bob Krist, Jan Lipes, Pat Martin, Ron Labno aka Omar,
Onofrio Paccione, Dick Perez, Phillip Lloyd Powell, Jack Rosen,
Lilly Salvatore, Ashby Saunders, Herman Silverman, Dusty Simi &
Mel Stein, Rusty Thomas, Bernard Ungerleider, Annelies van
Dommelen, Len Ventresca, and Foster Winans.
Says acclaimed New Hope artist Jan Lipes, "Gentle, earnest, dedicated and intense, Bruce Blackburn wrote stories about people that unerringly captured the essence of their personalities and the work they loved. As a writer, his questions were probing and his prose elegant as he demonstrated his superior skills in the art of talking to people."
A Bucks County State of Mind...in his words contains 40 profiles, over 150 pictures, 208 pages in a 9 x 9 format with the cover featuring a painting of Mr. Blackburn by Bucks County's renowned artist Robert A. Beck.
