RSGS Inspiring People Talk: Markus Stitz: From Ozarks to Delta Blues

Markus Stitz comes to The Royal Scottish Geographical Society in Edinburgh on Wednesday 18 November, talking through a journey that takes him from the Ozarks to the Mississippi Delta. It's part of the RSGS Inspiring People series, which the Society has staged across several locations including Edinburgh, Kirkcaldy and Glasgow.

Stitz blends cycling, music history and encounters with local people to recount a trip that starts on the mountain bike trails of Bentonville and Fayetteville in the Ozarks, runs through Hot Springs and Little Rock, and ends in the cotton fields, gravel roads and river towns along the Mississippi. The music history side of things is a big part of it — the Delta is the birthplace of the blues, after all, and that's where the journey leads.

It's a talk that works on a few levels: the physical challenge of the ride, the history of the region, and the people he meets along the way. If you've ever spent time on a bike or have a soft spot for the blues, there's plenty here to get stuck into. It's less of a travelogue and more of a story told from the saddle, with the music of the Delta as the backdrop.

Markus Stitz will be at The Royal Scottish Geographical Society in Edinburgh on Wednesday 18 November. The talk is part of the RSGS Inspiring People series, which has also stopped in Kirkcaldy and Glasgow.