An Author Presentation with Forest Issac Jones
Category: Event Calendar
Date and Time
- Saturday, Apr 4, 2026 6pm - 7pm
Location
Old Town Library
201 Peterson Street
Details
Old Firehouse Books is thrilled to welcome Forest Issac Jones to Fort Collins to discuss his book, Good Trouble: The Selma, Alabama and Derry, Northern Ireland Connection 1963-1972! Forest will be at the Old Town Library from 6:00-7:00 PM where he will be delivering a presentation about this book. Books will be available to purchase in store and online leading up to the event, as well as at the event! We ask that all attendees wait to ask for personalization until the end of the event. We can't wait to see you there!
About Good Trouble:
Good Trouble will show 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 Montgomery to Selma march on the 1969 Belfast to Derry march through oral history, based on numerous interviews of events leading up to both marches and afterwards. Both of the author's 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. 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. Jones 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 Eamonn McCann (he took part in the Belfast to Derry march in 1969; he was the John Lewis of Northern Ireland). Unlike most books on Northern Ireland, this goes into detail about the connection and the influence between the two movements. Also, most focus on Bloody Sunday and not the pivotal incidents at Burntollet Bridge and the Battle of the Bogside. Building off of unprecedented access and interviews with participants in both movements, Jones crafts a gripping and moving account of these pivotal years for both countries.
About Forest Issac Jones:
Dr. Forest Issac Jones is an award-winning nonfiction author focused on Irish history, the US Civil Rights Movement, and Northern Ireland. His essay, 'The Civil Rights Connection Between The USA and Northern Ireland' earned honorable mention in the 2024 from Writer's Digest. His D-Day essay, 'African American D-Day Heroes, was published by WWII History Magazine in 2024.
Jones holds a doctorate from Virginia Tech and a master's in history from Hollins University. Based in Salem, Virginia, Jones speaks frequently on civil rights and conflict history. His debut nonfiction book, 'Good Trouble' was released by Anthem Press in April 2025.
This event is produced by an outside organization and is unaffiliated with the Downtown Development Authority. The DDA website serves as a marketing outlet for events and promotions occurring inside the Downtown boundary. For questions regarding the event, please contact the event producer.
