The Pulitzer Prize-winning author pretended to be president of the American Pawpaw Growers Association. Or National Association of Pawpaw Growers. Or some configuration of those words. There was no such organization at the time, from the 1930s into at least the 1950s. But the title gave him fodder for absurdist writing, jabs at elite organizations, and a chance to mock his fancy delphinium-growing brother-in-law.
And we only know this now because of the rabbit-hole skills of researcher and curator of the Mini Pop-Up Pawpaw Museum, J.P. Goguen. The University of Illinois-based pawpaw superfan told Under Rocks about his pursuit of the truth about The Poet and the Pawpaws late one night in his booth at the Ohio Pawpaw Festival. Did Sandburg actually like pawpaws? Did he even know what they were? Signs point to yes-ish, but you can hear the whole story in this Under Rocks episode.
But wait, there’s more! In celebration of Paw Paw, Illinois’ third annual pawpaw festival, we check in with an organizer AND revisit our visit to the tiny Lee County town in 2021, in our search for the delicate tropical-tasting fruit.
Under Rocks is produced at Northern Illinois University and is a public service of Northern Public Radio.
Send your ideas for our next adventure to rocks@niu.edu.
