Skills in thinking, collaborating, creating, solving problems, communicating, and leading are less likely to come from specialized educations than from a traditional liberal-arts paradigm, according to experts such as futurist Roger E. Herman. . . . There's something timeless about thinking and reading and writing, Hallwas says. If you are a regionalist like I am, your audience is going to be mainly in your own region. This audience is limited, but the writings will tend to have a longer appeal than, say, mysteries meant for a worldwide audience. It apparently has a lasting appeal for people in the region.
Local histories deal with something people really care about.
You can have an impact on people's lives by working on the history of the regional authors and literature of western Illinois.