A student of cultural history, Steve Edison graduated from Antioch College with a Bachelor of Arts in Literature. After spending three years in the U.S. Army, Steve Edison served for nearly 40 years as the President of the International Folklore Federation of Greater St. Louis, a nonprofit historical society dedicated to sharing the cultural history of St. Louis’ international immigrant populations. In his final two years with the International Folklore Federation, Steve Edison designed a celebration to mark the centennial of the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, which included a broad-scale reenactment of the event and featured artists, craftsmen, musicians, and dancers from around the world.

Steve Edison’s current project focuses on a different aspect of American history. As founder and Director of Abolition News Network, Steve Edison spent six years meticulously studying every aspect of slavery in 18th and 19th century America. As a result of Steve Edison’s intensive research, Abolition News Network currently has seven volumes of DVDs available that share slavery’s stories in a news interview format. Four more volumes are planned in the next three years.

Designed to engage viewers and draw them into the individual tales, Steve Edison’s videos employ re-enactors who offer depth and emotional range not available in standard textbooks. Steve Edison hopes that teachers and homeschooling parents will use the 90-minute DVDs to provide a far sharper and more distinct version of slavery than what currently exists in most school curricula.

Even Steve Edison’s personal life demonstrates his fascination with history. Mr. Edison is a member of the Abraham Lincoln Association, an organization that commemorates the President’s birthday every year through speakers and symposia.