BIRD JONES is an emerita of Elon University and an ethnographer by training. Her love of stories and story collecting has taken her from Appalachia to Central Asia. She has published widely in academic journals and presented at conferences. Her book And That's the Way of It: Life in a Maine Village became a popular read in Down East Magazine, was a best-book pick by independent bookstores along the coast, and was featured on Maine Public Radio. Together, Bird and Marshall wrote Hold Fast, a historical novel. Blue-Eyed Slave is their second collaboration.