Opie Percival Read

Born in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1852, Opie Percival Read built his career first in newspapers before becoming widely known as a humorist, novelist, and lecturer. Reliable reference sources describe him as an American journalist and writer whose work drew heavily on the people, language, and storytelling traditions of the South, especially Tennessee, Kentucky, and Arkansas.

He edited several newspapers in the South and founded the humor paper The Arkansas Traveler, a publication strongly associated with his early fame. Later, he wrote prolifically—sources credit him with around sixty books—and became known for fiction and comic writing that mixed local color, satire, and a warm eye for ordinary life.

Read died in Chicago in 1939, but his reputation rests on the way he captured regional voices with energy and wit. For listeners today, he remains an engaging figure from the era when journalism, storytelling, and public performance often lived side by side.