Officials with the Ozarks Heritage Research Center (OHRC) at Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) will host a presentation, “A Road Trip into America’s Hidden Heart” at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, August 25, at OHRC, which is located inside MSU-WP’s Garnett Library, 304 W. Trish Knight St., in West Plains.

Free and open to all, this event is sponsored by the OHRC, Missouri Humanities and West Plains Council on the Arts. Refreshments provided.

The presentation will be given by John Drake Robinson, who drove every mile of every road on the Missouri state highway map for thirteen years. In a relaxed storytelling style, Robinson will relay stories of his encounters during his travels.

More about Robinson

Robinson, an Emmy Award-winning writer and former Missouri director of tourism, graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism in 1974. He has worked for the Rolla Daily news and Gardner Advertising Company in St. Louis.

Called the “King of the Road” by Missouri Life Magazine, Robinson lives in Columbia, Missouri when he isn’t sleeping in his car. His articles and columns are regularly featured in several magazines, including Missouri Life, Rural Missouri and Show Me Missouri Magazine.

His newest book, “Souls Along the Road,” continues road trip revelations of his earlier works: “A Road Trip into America’s Hidden Heart” and “Coastal Missouri”. He won an Emmy Award for the series “Finding Wild Missouri,” produced by the Missouri Department of Conservation.

For more information about the event, contact Rebekah McKinney at 417-255-7949 or RebekahMcKinney@MissouriState.edu. Visit WP.MissouriState.edu/Ozarks for additional information and upcoming events hosted by OHRC.