Some Forever

Jude Southerland Kessler is the leading authority on John Lennon, having spent the last 40 years researching and writing the first six books in the anticipated nine-volume John Lennon Series. Jude attended Northwestern State University of Louisiana, garnering two undergraduate degrees in three years. She did her master's work at the University of Maryland and taught English at Troy State University in Alabama. As part of Kessler's research for The John Lennon Series, she traveled to London and Liverpool 7 times from 1993-2000, interviewing over 100 Beatles friends, relatives, band members, and business partners including John's sister Julia Baird, Cavern Club DJ Bob Wooler, EMI second engineer Richard Langham, John's college flat mate Rod Murray, Beatles first manager Allan Williams, John's friend and the founder of Mersey Beat Bill Harry, Beatles early bass player Chas Newby, John's friend and designer of his famous cap Helen Anderson, Beatles early drummer Pete Best, and many more. In the United States, she has interviewed CEO of Apple America Ken Mansfield, Elephant's Memory Band bassist Gary Van Scyoc, and reporters who traveled with The Beatles in 1964 and 1965, including Larry Kane and Ivor Davis, as well as other noted Beatles associates. Kessler hosted "The John Lennon Hour" on BeatlesARama radio for five years and the monthly Beatles podcast "She Said She Said" with Recipe Records Series author, Lanea Stagg for 10 years. Currently, she is the host of the bi-monthly podcast "Tell Me Why." She has appeared on BBC radio with Martin Kelner and ABC Radio Australia with Rod Quinn; Kessler has also been featured on Radio Merseyside, on PBR's "Up All Night" with George Noory. She writes a monthly column for Culture Sonar entitled "Lennon Matters," and is a Contributing Editor for Beatlefan magazine. For the last 11 years, Kessler has been the official blogger for The Fest for Beatles Fans and for 20 years has served as a Guest Speaker at the Fest in Chicago, New York, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. In 2016, Kessler chaired the GRAMMY Museum of Mississippi Beatles Symposium and from 2012-2019, she chaired the "The Authors and Artists Beatles Symposium" for Beatles at the Ridge, Arkansas. The first five books in The John Lennon Series – Shoulda Been There, Shivering Inside, She Loves You, Should Have Known Better, Shades of Life, Part 1 and its companion book Some Forever, Shades of Life, Part 2 – were recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH, and Kessler was selected to join the Author's Guild, with Professional Author status. Her books are available on her website www.johnlennonseries.com, on all e-book formats, and in all online booksellers.