Historian David Cecelski has written several award-winning books and hundreds of articles about history, culture and politics on the North Carolina coast. His most recent book is The Fire of Freedom: Abraham Galloway and the Slaves’ Civil War (UNC Press, 2012). He divides his time between two places he loves deeply, Durham, N.C. and his family’s homeplace in Carteret County, N.C. His writing focuses passionately on telling stories from his little corner of the world that illuminate American history more broadly. Dr. Cecelski was recently the co-recipient (with Tim Tyson) of the N.C. Literary and Historical Association’s Crittenten Award for lifetime achievement.