Ozarka College will host a special lecture on April 17 from 5:00 to 5:45 p.m. in the Miller Building Lecture Hall on the Melbourne campus. This event, titled "Now That's One Wild Woman! ": The Legacy of Billy Joe Tatum in the Arkansas Ozarks, is free and open to the public.

The lecture will be presented by Dr. Lauren Adams Willette, the Fieldwork Coordinator at Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts. Willette holds a Ph.D. in Heritage Studies from Arkansas State University and has extensive experience in folk arts and cultural heritage.

Billy Joe Tatum was a renowned naturalist, author, and educator known for her work in wild foods and foraging. She authored Billy Joe Tatum's Wild Foods Field Guide and Cookbook, a groundbreaking guide that introduced gourmet-style recipes for foraged foods. Tatum contributed to The Ozarks Mountaineer magazine and appeared on national television, including Late Night with Johnny Carson. She was also the first herbalist at the Ozark Folk Center State Park, where she played a key role in establishing the Heritage Herb Garden.

Tatum's work in the Ozarks spanned decades, where she built a community around wild foods, environmental conservation, and heritage foodways. Her legacy continues to influence nature writers and foragers today.

For more information about this event, please contact Maegon Mayes at 870.269.1230, or email: mlmayes@ozarka.edu.