Chris Epting
About Chris Epting
Speech topics
Personal Storytelling
As a New York Times bestselling memoirist, Chris Epting possesses a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the art of personal storytelling. Through his own experiences and his work with notable individuals, Epting has honed his skills in helping others discover and develop their literary voice. His presentations offer valuable insights and practical techniques for individuals seeking to unlock the power of their personal narratives.
Speaking videos
Books by Chris Epting
“It Happened Right Here: America’s Pop Culture Landmarks” (2023)
Author Chris Epting established a new genre in book publishing when a trio of titles in the early 2000s--James Dean Died Here: The Locations of America's Pop Culture Landmarks, Elvis Presley Passed Here, and Marilyn Monroe Dyed Here--were released to critical acclaim and introduced readers to a groundbreaking travel concept: The pop culture road trip. Epting promptly followed these hugely popular and influential titles with two more legendary books: Led Zeppelin Crashed Here and Roadside Baseball. A Booksense 76 pick at the time, James Dean Died Here was covered by such major news outlets as NPR's "All Things Considered," USA Today, Los Angeles Times, and Publishers Weekly. Everyone from Ken Burns to The Sporting News to the New York Post expressed their love for Roadside Baseball, while Led Zeppelin Crashed Here was recommended for all public libraries by Library Journal and outlets from the Associated Press to Newsday encouraged any fan of rock and roll history to buy the book. Now, in honor of the 20th anniversary of James Dean Died Here, Epting has produced It Happened Right Here: America's Pop Culture Landmarks, which collects the best of the best from all of Epting's prior books, and then adds dozens and dozens of new sites, many of them based on the pop culture of the 21st century. It Happened Right Here once again takes you on a journey across North America to the exact locations where the most significant events in American popular culture took place. It's a road map for pop culture sites, from Patty Hearst's bank to the garage where Apple Computer was born. Fully updated, the book includes such new entries as
“Rock 'n' Roll in Orange County:: Music, Madness and Memories” (2014)
The great acts--from Hendrix to Joplin and from Kiss to Korn--played to the Orange County crowd at such classic venues as Huntington Beach's Golden Bear, the Anaheim Convention Center and Anaheim's Doll Hut. Rock 'n' roll's OC roots include Leo Fender's electric guitar factory in Fullerton and the birthplace for the garage-band standard Louie Louie" in Anaheim. As the music changed, iconic OC groups like Social Distortion and Avenged Sevenfold helped lead the way. Final curtains came down here, too: though killed in England, Eddie Cochran is buried in Cypress, and Bobby Hatfield, half of the Righteous Brothers, is interred at Corona del Mar. Join pop culture expert Chris Epting for the essential big hits plus idiosyncratic flip-side riffs of Orange County's mighty rock 'n' roll history."
“Roadside Baseball” (2009)
Capturing such quintessentially American pastimes as baseball and road trips in one fascinating work, this updated and expanded guide chronicles more than 500 important events in baseball history with detailed descriptions of the event and information on each location. Packed with historical data, trivia, photographs, and baseball lore, entries include the birthplaces of baseball legends, ballparks, museums and halls of fame, final resting places, and many locations that are no longer standing. From out-of-the-way spots to the most popular stadiums in the U.S. and Canada, no site is too small or insignificant to be included in this comprehensive directory. Entries include the Buckminster Hotel in Boston, where the Black Sox planned their fix of the 1919 World Series; the original little league field and museum in Williamsport, Pennsylvania; the birthplace of Jackie Robinson; the place where Mickey Mantle was discovered by a scout from the New York Yankees; and the site of the original Wrigley Field, erected in Los Angeles in 1925.
“Vanishing Orange County (Postcards of America)” (2008)
Orange County formally separated from Los Angeles County in 1889, and there's been no looking back. Wilderness gave way to rich farmlands, where oranges, lemons, avocados, and walnuts made agriculture the new county's most important industry; the region was actually named for the prevalence of its citrus groves. The 20th century brought with it plenty of entrepreneurs, including Walter Knott and later Walt Disney, along with the aerospace industry, oil drilling, beach culture, and more. But the more popular "the O.C." became, the more the past began to be lost to development and sprawl. This evocative compendium of photographs revisits many of the places locals held near and dear, including the Golden Bear nightclub, Japanese Village Deer Park, Lion Country Safari, plus popular stores, restaurants, and, of course, the ever-shrinking farmlands. Many of these images are courtesy of the Orange County Archives,
“The Ruby Slippers, Madonna's Bra, and Einstein's Brain” (2006)
Anyone who has ever wondered where Dorothy's ruby slippers, George Washington's teeth, or the world's largest olive are located will be thrilled to take this journey to find hundreds of the most important items from America's popular culture. Found in such major institutions as the Smithsonian and the Basketball Hall of Fame as well as in such offbeat collections as the Sing Sing Prison Museum and the Delta Blues Museum, these pop culture treasures include the most famous—and quirkiest—items from movies, crime, TV, sports, music, history, and America's roadside attractions.
At a glanceChris Epting
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