March 9, 2004 -- Award-winning author Vicki Rozema of Harrison, Tenn., will speak at 7 p.m. Thurs., March 18 at a meeting of the Coosa Valley - Jacksonville State University Archaeological Society in Room 234 of Martin Hall. The public is invited.

Ms. Rozema, a freelance writer and photographer, has published three widely acclaimed books on the Cherokees. Her first book, Footsteps of the Cherokees: A Guide to the Eastern Homelands of the Cherokee Indians, received the Award of Merit from the Tennessee Historical Commission. Her most recent book is Voices from the Trail of Tears.

Ms. Rozema will deliver a color slide presentation about Cherokee sites of the Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee area from early occupation to removal in 1838.

Her articles and photographs have appeared in several southern magazines, including Southern Living and Native Peoples. She has won numerous awards, including "Best Mountain Photographer" by readers of Blue Ridge Country Magazine.

A native Chattanoogan, she is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.