Brian Lee Knopp ’83

Brian Lee Knopp ’83 didn’t intend to write a book on his colorful life as a private investigator. He was challenged by author and friend Elizabeth Gilbert (“Eat, Pray, Love”), whom he met while teaching a wilderness orientation course. After initial success selling it to GQ magazine, he self-published “Mayhem in Mayberry: Misadventures of a P.I. in Southern Appalachia.” Knopp, who holds a master’s degree in English literature, is married and raises sheep on his farm outside Asheville, N.C. He said his next book could be about his equally colorful career as a professional sheep shearer. “I like nonfiction,” he said. “The world is so weird, why would you not write about it?” For more, see his Mayhem in Mayberry Facebook fan page.