Greenwood native Mary Hughes will be appearing at Turnrow Book Co. Saturday to sign copies of "Chicken Soup for the Tea Lover's Soul," which includes her story, "Porch Tea."
In "Porch Tea," Hughes recounts her memories of sitting on the porch of her husband's parents' house in Greenwood and drinking the sweet tea made by her mother-in-law, Margaret Hughes. The special recipe for the tea is included in the book as well.
"I'm not sure exactly why people are so attracted to sweet tea. Some of it may be simply that a lot of people have grown up with it. Maybe the fact that it's made at home makes it special," Hughes said. "But Southerners hold the rights to it, so to speak — it's iconic."
Hughes, who graduated from Pillow Academy, now lives in St. Louis, but she still has family in the area including her mother, Janie Dale, and her aunt, Viola Sanders.
Hughes writes for her church, publishes a monthly Christian newsletter called, "Christian Potpourri" and recently started a speaking ministry. She has also been a guest columnist for the St. Louis Suburban Journals.
Hughes got involved with the "Chicken Soup" series through a CLASS seminar for speakers and writers she had attended.
"When I saw the title to an upcoming book they were requesting stories for, ‘Chicken Soup for the Tea Lover's Soul,' it didn't take me long to realize I might have a story they would be interested in," Hughes said.
The book signing will be held at 2 p.m. on Turnrow's lower level.
For more information, call Turnrow Book Co. at 453-5995.
