Curtis Copeland is a self-proclaimed “romantic” about Ozarks culture. The Springfield native has spent the majority of his life reading literature about Ozarks history and will soon celebrate the release of his own book, which features a collection of unpublished works by none other than Vance Randolph.

To be released in late December, “Mildred, Quit Hollering! and other Ozark Folktales” features 38 never-before-published stories written by Randolph, an acclaimed Ozarks folklorist, known for his fiction and nonfiction books that documented the region’s culture.

Those interested in learning more about the book should attend its unveiling at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 13, at Wire Road Brewing in Battlefield. Copeland will discuss how he compiled the book and attendees will have the chance to purchase a signed, first edition copy before its official release next month.

Extension of “Pissing in the Snow”

During the final years of his life, while living in a nursing home, Randolph published “Pissing in the Snow and Other Ozark Folktales.” Released in 1976, the book features “bawdy” stories Randolph collected from those he interviewed over the years. Up until the book’s publication, these stories were never widely shared because of their often erotic or “indecent” nature.

“None of his publishers would touch that material,” Copeland said. But by the 1970s, decades after these stories were collected, the University of Illinois Press was interested and so were readers.

“That book outsold all of Randolph’s books combined many times over,” Copeland said. “The public wanted to read that stuff for sure.”

Following the success of “Pissing in the Snow,” Randolph began working on a second manuscript that featured more of these bawdy tales. However, Randolph died in 1980 before the book was completed.

This unfinished manuscript was passed down from Randolph to Gordan McCann, an Ozarks folklorist who is widely known for collecting traditional Ozarks music. McCann was a close friend of Randolph’s while he was in a nursing home, helping him publish two volumes of “Ozark Folklore: An Annotated Bibliography.”

Around five or six years ago, Copeland met McCann for the first time.

“The neat thing about Gordan … he was kind of my Randolph,” Copeland said. “Gordan met Vance in his 40s and Vance was in his 80s and it’s kind of flip-flopped. I was in my mid-40s when I met Gordan. It was almost like getting that same experience, which was really neat.”

The two are friends now, but Copeland said McCann quizzed him for about six weeks on Ozarks history before he began to open up about his own knowledge.

“He said, ‘Curtis, I’ve got something here,’” Copeland recalled. “‘Vance started a follow-up book to ‘Pissing in the Snow’ and there’s a few dirty stories in there but nothing like ‘Piss.’ Why don’t you take it and do what you want with it?’”

The unfinished manuscript had 42 stories, Copeland said, which was not enough for a full book.

To supplement the content, Copeland spent two and a half years researching each of the informants who contributed one of the 42 stories. These biographies are featured alongside the collected stories in “Mildred, Quit Hollering!” When he couldn’t track down information about someone, Copeland mirrored the collected story with more information from that time.

“Mildred, Quit Hollering!” also includes contemporary folktales from Michael Galloway, who writes under the name Augustus Finch. Galloway is a retired school teacher.

As for the book’s title, Copeland said it is an original concept from Randolph.

“Randolph, he was an ornery character. He liked to raise folks’ eyebrows. He actually created two titles and the title that my publisher selected was Vance’s second alternative title. His first title, I would be embarrassed to even repeat to you,” Copeland said. “There are also about four or five stories that my publisher insisted on cutting from the manuscript as well, just because he felt like they were a little over the top for this particular publisher’s typical clientele.”

On an “edginess” scale of one to 10, Copeland said “Mildred, Quit Hollering!” is about a five, compared to “Pissing in the Snow” at a 10.

In addition to “Mildred, Quit Hollering!”, Copeland has freelanced for local publications including “Ozarks Watch” and the “White River Valley Historical Quarterly.” He also helped rejuvenate the “Society of Ozarkian Hillcrofters.” The organization was initially established in the 1930s by folks like Randolph, O’Neill, McCord and Rayburn to help preserve Ozarks history. In 2017, Copeland and a handful of other Ozarks enthusiasts began to host meetings again following the same mission.

Where can you pre-order ‘Mildred, Quit Hollering!’?

Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Story idea? Email her at[email protected].