http://www.metropulse.com/staff/jack-neely/Born in Japan during the reign of the Emperor Hirohito, Jack Neely is a UT graduate and, among other things, a former truck driver, piledriver-crew supervisor, Egyptian museum guide, and criminal-defense investigator. After six years as an editor for for humor, fiction, and other magazines published by Whittle Communications, he worked as a freelance journalist. In 1992 Metro Pulse debuted his column, Secret History. Since then, the column has won several awards, including the East Tennessee Historical Society’s History in the Media award and the East Tennessee Society of Professional Journalists’ First Place award in the newspaper columns category. He has been a staffer for the paper since 1995, and is now associate editor of that weekly, as well as a monthly humor columnist for Knoxville Magazine. Neely has also worked as a consultant and project writer for various historical and cultural projects, including the BBC's 1995 and 2007 audio documentaries about James Agee, and Knoxville's live broadcast of "A Prairie Home Companion" (1999). He has lectured on journalism, history, architecture, music, and literature at UT, Maryville College, and other institutions. His work has appeared in several collections, including "From the Shadow Side" (2003), "Market Square: A History of the Most Democratic Place on Earth" (2009), and "Knoxville, Tennessee: This Obscure Prismatic City" (2009). He also wrote the text for the photographic book, "The Marble City," published by UT Press in 1999, and in 2006 Webb School published his book about Robert Webb’s founding of the school, "A Splendid Instinct." He has contributed essays to recent collections like "Cumberland Avenue Revisited," "Knoxville Bound," and "Agee Agonistes." en-ushttp://www.metropulse.com/news/2010/may/12/best-breakfast-petes-coffee-shop/Best Breakfast: Pete's Coffee shopWed, 12 May 2010 21:00:00 -0000http://www.metropulse.com/news/2010/may/12/best-breakfast-petes-coffee-shop/http://www.metropulse.com/news/2010/may/12/best-concert-venue-tennessee-theatre/Best Concert Venue: Tennessee TheatreWed, 12 May 2010 21:00:00 -0000http://www.metropulse.com/news/2010/may/12/best-concert-venue-tennessee-theatre/http://www.metropulse.com/news/2010/may/12/best-thing-about-knoxville-surprise-newcomers-best/Best Thing In/About Knoxville to Surprise Newcomers With & Best Place To Break Up: Market Square Wed, 12 May 2010 21:00:00 -0000http://www.metropulse.com/news/2010/may/12/best-thing-about-knoxville-surprise-newcomers-best/http://www.metropulse.com/news/2010/may/12/best-gay-club-carousel-ii-and-club-xyz-tie/Best Gay Club: Carousel II and Club XYZ (tie)Wed, 12 May 2010 21:00:00 -0000http://www.metropulse.com/news/2010/may/12/best-gay-club-carousel-ii-and-club-xyz-tie/http://www.metropulse.com/news/2010/may/12/best-middle-eastern-sitar/Best Middle-Eastern: Sitar Wed, 12 May 2010 21:00:00 -0000http://www.metropulse.com/news/2010/may/12/best-middle-eastern-sitar/http://www.metropulse.com/news/2010/may/12/best-wine-list-oodles-uncorked/Best Wine List: Oodles Uncorked Wed, 12 May 2010 21:00:00 -0000http://www.metropulse.com/news/2010/may/12/best-wine-list-oodles-uncorked/http://www.metropulse.com/news/2010/may/12/best-addition-knoxville-strangers/Best Addition to Knoxville: Strangers Wed, 12 May 2010 21:00:00 -0000http://www.metropulse.com/news/2010/may/12/best-addition-knoxville-strangers/http://www.metropulse.com/news/2010/may/12/best-meat-three-chandlers/Best Meat & Three: Chandler’s Wed, 12 May 2010 21:00:00 -0000http://www.metropulse.com/news/2010/may/12/best-meat-three-chandlers/http://www.metropulse.com/news/2010/may/12/best-eyewear-shop-luttrells-eyewear/Best Eyewear Shop: Luttrell’s Eyewear Wed, 12 May 2010 21:00:00 -0000http://www.metropulse.com/news/2010/may/12/best-eyewear-shop-luttrells-eyewear/http://www.metropulse.com/news/2010/may/12/best-salads-trio-caf/Best Salads: Trio CaféWed, 12 May 2010 21:00:00 -0000http://www.metropulse.com/news/2010/may/12/best-salads-trio-caf/