Kevin James Shay has worked or written for more than 45 newspapers, blogs, and magazines. Those include The Dallas Morning News, The Washington Post's Gazette, Minority Business News USA, Texas Catholic, Dallas Times Herald, and Medium.

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His books include It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Trip: On the Road of the Longest Two-Week Family Road Trip in History [2022], Walking through the Wall [2022], Operation Chaos: The Capitol Attack and the Campaign to Erode Democracy [2021], Death of the Rising Sun: A Search for Truth in the JFK Assassination [2017], A Parent's Guide to Dallas/Fort Worth [2003], and And Justice For All: The Untold History of Dallas [1999]. He also contributed to Big Bush Lies, published by White Cloud Press/Riverwood Books [2004]. Several books have made Amazon bestseller lists and Goodreads best books lists. An earlier version of the Dallas book was featured in D Magazine's Who's Who, What's What in 1992.

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Shay has met and interviewed Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Robert Redford, Jesse Jackson, Amelia Boynton Robinson, Granny D, Magic Johnson, and Tiger Woods, among others. He has exposed political and business corruption, systemic racism, government waste, psychiatric facility abuse, contracting inequities, and other societal ills. He was kicked out of the former East Germany several times, detained by authorities in the former Yugoslavia, and strip searched by guards at Los Angeles International Airport.

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His honors include Maryland-Delaware-Washington, D.C. Press Association Best of Show awards for feature writing and business coverage, beating out larger daily papers such as The Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, and Washington Times; two First Place Lincoln University Unity Awards in Media for political stories; $500 prize winner in 4th Annual International PeaceWriting Awards; Dallas Press Club Katies Award Finalist for business story; several First Place Suburban Newspapers of America Awards for business coverage; two Second Place SNA Awards for environmental coverage; First Place award from American Cancer Society, Texas Division, for news story; First Place Mental Health Association in Texas Media Award, best story; and Bethesda Literary Festival Essay Finalist.

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An avid traveler, he drove his kids through 22 states and 6,950 miles across the United States and back in 17 days. That trip was recognized by a world records website. He also walked some 5,000 miles across the United States and Europe as part of a group that set a record for the longest group walk for a cause in 1984 and 1985.

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Shay does some photography and collects art, rare books, autographs, and other memorabilia. One of his landscape works placed fourth in its division in the Texas State Fair and was exhibited there. An Eagle Scout, he has been active in community organizations, including as a board member of the ACLU and Rainbow Bridge, Scouting adult leader, and youth sports coach.

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After his father passed away in 2008, Shay started using his middle name, James, which was his dad's name. His work is under several names, including Kevin James Shay, Kevin J. Shay, Kevin Shay, and pen names.