Author Charles Hood returned to the Pickens Village Library on Wednesday, December 3, 2025 to speak and read selections from his book Looking for Space: My Pickens Journey, his memoir about growing up in Pickens in the 1970’s. He also took questions from the audience and signed copies of his book. Since the book was released four months ago, 1,000 copies have been sold, raising $5,000 for the Young Appalachian Musicians (YAM) camp scholarship in memory of his late son, Ryan. 

During the Author Talk at the Pickens library on December 3, Hood spoke about his childhood in Indiana, about his family moving to California after his father passed away when Hood was age 10, and then moving to Pickens. Beginning with the family’s move to Pickens when he was in the seventh grade and ending with his high school graduation, the book is about his journey to discover himself. “Without a father to be embraced by,” he said, “so many people in the Pickens community — employers, church members, neighbors, teachers, coaches — all these people just kind of wrapped their arms around me and helped me set out on the right path.”

He spoke about his son Ryan, a talented musician who passed away at the age of 17. He and his wife, Anita, established a YAM scholarship in Ryan’s name, and all proceeds from the sale of the book go toward the music camp scholarship in Ryan’s memory, providing a way for YAM students to learn to play a string instrument at a one-week camp.

Hood read selections from his book, including about male role models who, he said, “strove to help me in the absence of my father during the sometimes difficult transition from boyhood to manhood. And I can see how the silent hand of God worked behind the scenes to put all the pieces in place.” He added, “In Pickens, I was blessed to have so many surrogate fathers to help me fill that huge void and give me the self-confidence to take on the world.”

Hood also spoke about another book he is working on, which also is about Pickens people and places. 

To listen to the audio from the Author Talk event at the Pickens Village Library on December 3, click on the play button below.

Also, follow the links below to read The Pickens County Chronicle‘s story when Hood spoke about his book during an Author Talk at the Pickens Village Library in September and also to read The Pickens County Chronicle‘s story after interviewing Hood for a story published in August.

Also, follow the links below to purchase Looking for Space: My Pickens Journey from Amazon and to read more about the Ryan Hood Memorial Scholarship Fund.