Welcome Students!

I am excited to have all of you in my special First Year Experience course. This will be the third semester for "Beyond the Grave: What Old Cemeteries Tell and Teach the Living."

Simonds Sarcophagus at Charleston's Magnolia Cemetery

This course is varied in its content, studies and activities, so get ready! You will also be blogging throughout the semester so I hope you will embrace and enjoy that part of the class. And that you will keep blogging after this semester too! It's a neat way to share your views, experiences, photographs and videos.

I've been blogging since 2010 with what I call a "hobby" blog, BirdsEyeViews. I also use the site to promote and market the books I have written, two of which have been about Charleston's grand Victorian Magnolia Cemetery.

I am, in fact, close to publishing a third book about my passion for nature and bird photography. I started the project in May, writing and laying it in Adobe inDesign.

The cover, spine and back cover are show, as they look in inDesign.



Along with photography, I also enjoy tennis, running, history and traveling. I will be asking you to share some of your interests in the information sheet to be given today.

Thank you for signing up for my class. I hope you enjoy it and learn lots!

I use different ways to present information to you. One is via Prezi presentations. You will be doing your own Prezi later in the semester. Here's is one to introduce you to this course.

Jillian Johnson (center) flanked by her roommates Maddy (left) and Vic

Among my students this fall is Jillian Johnson. She is pictured center holding a copy of my Magnolia Cemetery book, "In the Arms of Angels." Welcome Jillian and the rest of the Class of 2020!