Tall tales, true crime and TikTok: University of Alabama at Birmingham alumnus Joshua Dairen uses social media to share Alabama’s urban legends.
Now hear from Dairen about how the paranormal and history are intricately intertwined in the South during a free webinar, “Haunts and History: The Reality of Urban Legends,” on Thursday, Oct. 26, at 7 p.m. Register online to attend the virtual talk.
The webinar series is presented by the UAB National Alumni Society. Explore past webinars on the UAB NAS YouTube channel.
Dairen, an Alabama native and verified content creator, will explore the rich history of folklore and urban legends in Alabama and the South. Hear about the stories, legends and myths passed down through generations, and how storytelling keeps the past alive and interactive. Delve into the origin and evolution of ghostly lore, and find out why they are more than just haunting stories.
Paranormal activity captured Dairen’s imagination at the foot of the TV in his childhood home, according to his bio. As he grew, so did his passion for Alabama’s urban legends. Dairen graduated from UAB with a degree from the College of Arts and Sciences Department of Communication Studies in 2016, beginning a journey he says has taken him to nearly every avenue of modern communications. With a concentration in broadcasting, he worked as a production assistant for a broadcast company immediately after graduating.
In 2022, Dairen’s career in communication and passion for urban legends collided in the form of TikTok and the NAS featured him on the UAB Green & Told podcast. Through hundreds of well-received videos on his verified account as well as Instagram and Facebook at @joshuadairen, he shares Alabama’s and the South’s true crime, urban legends and paranormal history with more than 157,000 followers.
Dairen’s followers have heard from him on such legends as Memorial Mound in Bessemer, the bank heist of Hartselle, the Morgan-Curtis House, Little Nadine’s dollhouse grave in Lanett, the old Bryce Hospital, Bass cemetery in Irondale, Spring Villa in Opelika, “The Southern Torso Slayer” Viola Hart, “The Man Lightning Would Not Forget” William Cosper, the haunting of Homewood Library, Fort Morgan, the Alabama “White Thang” and the Coosa River serpent.