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Tom Keener – Guest Contributor
Apr 18 2022
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Railroad Hobo/Vagabond Life

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Allen Public Library
300 N. Allen Dr.
Allen, Texas 75013

The Last Professional author Ed Davis will discuss the hobo life at Allen Library.  The writer spent years riding the rails and vagabonding across the U.S. and Canada.   Author and railroad enthusiast Ed Davis will take part in a live event at the Allen Public Library on April 20 as part of his "Great American Whistle Stop Book Tour." Davis will discuss his novel and his personal experiences in the hobo lifestyle in a free live event April 20 at 7:30 p.m. at the Allen Public Library. The event will stream online at allentx.swagit.com. Davis, who once rode the rails as a part-time hobo, is the author of "The Last Professional." Hoboes have a storied history in America. Notable storytellers such as Jack London and Woody Guthrie dabbled in the itinerant lifestyle, riding the rails in search of adventure and a day’s work.

Author Ed Davis’ new novel, The Last Professional, captures the experience of the vanishing hobo lifestyle in the late 20th century, and Davis is something of an authority on the subject: He spent years hopping boxcars and freight trains as he vagabonded around the American West and Canada.

Davis began his writing career more than four decades ago as he sought to document the beats and rhythms of life on the road. His short stories have appeared in numerous literary journals.
Davis has said that as a young man, he lived on $5 a day, worked as a carny and even slept under the same bridge that Jack Kerouac once did. He says his treks across the country eventually led to him becoming a successful business owner and writer.
Davis’ stop in Allen is part of a 30-day, 15-city book tour that will cover 6,500 miles, showing that he still has a thirst for the road.

The library is at 300 N. Allen Drive in Allen. For more information, call 214-509-4911.