Forest Isaac Jones’ GOOD TROUBLE
Forest Isaac Jones’ ‘Good Trouble’
A Maine Irish Author Event
Thursday, October 29th, 7:00pm
Doors open 6:30pm
Join us on Thursday, October 29th for an evening of conversation with author Forest Issac Jones as he discusses his book, ‘Good Trouble.’
Jones will be joined in conversation by author Margo Shea, a history professor at Salem State University.
Books will be available for sale and signing at the event!
About the Author:
Forest Issac Jones is an award-winning author of non-fiction and essays, specializing in the study of Irish History, the US Civil Rights Movement and Northern Ireland. His latest essay, ‘The Civil Rights Connection Between the USA and Northern Ireland’ was awarded honorable mention in the category of nonfiction essay by Writer’s Digest in their 93rd annual writing competition in 2024.
Over the years, Jones has won awards from Writer’s Digest in 2022 and 2023. His award winning essay about African Americans at D-Day was published in 2024 by WWII History Magazine.
In addition to writing, Jones is a frequent speaker who has given talks about everything from African Americans at D-Day and The Troubles in Northern Ireland.
His first nonfiction book, ‘Good Trouble: The Selma, Alabama and Derry, Northern Ireland Connection 1963-1972’ was released by Anthem Press on April 1, 2025.
He has presented ‘Good Trouble’ at the MLK Library in Washington, DC, the Columbus Book Festival, the Frederick Douglass Celebration Week in Boston at the Irish Embassy, and the Fall for the Book festival at George Mason University.
In 2026, he presented ‘Good Trouble’ at the Jack Hadley Black History Museum in Thomasville, Georgia, the Virginia Festival of the Book in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Belfast Book Festival. ‘Good Trouble’ is being used at Macalester College, Buffalo State University, Saint Mary’s University, and Sacred Heart University.
Forest is a member of the James River Writers, American Conference for Irish Studies, African American Irish Diaspora Network, and the Historical Writers Association.
Dr. Jones holds a doctorate degree from Virginia Tech in education and a master’s degree from Hollins University in history (focusing on Northern Ireland history and South Africa history). He currently is an adjunct professor for James Madison University. He currently lives in Salem, Virginia.
About the Book:
“Good Trouble” shows the strong connection between the Black Civil Rights Movement in the United States and the Catholic Civil Rights Movement in Northern Ireland – specifically the influence of the 1965 Selma to Montgomery march on the 1969 Belfast to Derry march through oral history, based on numerous interviews of events leading up to both marches and afterwards. This is close to the author’s heart as both of his parents marched to integrate lunch counters and movie theatres in Salisbury, North Carolina, in 1963 as college students. His mother was at the 1963 March to Washington where Martin Luther King gave his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech.
Award winning author Julieann Campbell (On Bloody Sunday) wrote the introduction for Good Trouble, looking back at her times growing up in Derry, in the heart of the Catholic Civil Rights Movement. Forest travelled to Dublin, Belfast, and Derry to conduct interviews for the book. In all, he did fifteen interviews with people who were involved in the movement in Northern Ireland (including Billy McVeigh – featured in the BAFTA winning documentary, Once Upon A Time In Northern Ireland) and in the United States (including Richard Smiley and Dr. Sheyann Webb-Christburg – both were at Bloody Sunday in Alabama and on the Selma to Montgomery march among others). Jones was also able to talk with civil rights leader Eamonn McCann.
Praise for “Good Trouble”:
“Jones has written a book that is worthy of its subject”- The Daily Express UK
“His book reads like a historical thriller at times. A must read.” – The Sun UK
“Good Trouble is very much, a historical tale of the good, the bad and the ugly, and ultimately, the good again.”- The Belfast Telegraph
“This is a wide-ranging story about connections between the civil rights movement in Alabama and Northern Ireland”- The Irish Times
“The new history may well be the definitive account of the connection between the civil rights and liberation movement mounted by Black Americans in the 1960s and its sister campaign in the North.” -The Derry Journal
“Good Trouble is a fascinating read that connects America’s civil rights movement with Northern Ireland’s movement to end discrimination against Catholics in the 1960s.”- Kristen Green, NY Times Best Selling Author of ‘Something Must Be Done About Prince Edward County’
“Jones creates an insightful and compelling examination of a terrible period in our shared histories.” – Brian McGilloway, Sunday Times and NY Times Best Selling Author
About Margo Shea:
Margo Shea is Professor of History at Salem State University, in Salem, Massachusetts, where she teaches public history, Irish history and world history, oversees a graduate public history certificate program and supervises internships for History majors. She is the author of Derry City: Memory and Political Struggle in Northern Ireland and many articles and chapters in anthologies on heritage, memory and collaborative practice.
