Robert Armstead and I worked seventeen months on Black Days, Black Dust: The Memories of an African American Coal Miner. When I met Bob in 1997, he had fifty-two handwritten pages. From that core and a discussion of what Bob wanted to accomplish, we set to work. He continued writing. I typed and organized. Next step, dig in for details. Hours at his kitchen table, on his front porch, or on the telephone. Transcribe tapes. Don't ask! During the last year, I also met monthly with my friend and editor, Teresa Hearl. She shared the vision of preserving Bob's words and voice. We struggled with wordsmithing but never lost focus: make every paragraph flow. Finished, revised, polished, find a publisher. Then that fateful call--January 25, 2001--The University of Tennessee Press said, "Yes!"