Mississippi Arts Hour: Recent Episodes
MPB Think Radio
Each week, members of MAC's staff host The Mississippi Arts Hour, a radio program broadcast on Mississippi Public Broadcasting's FM and digital radio networks. The show features interviews with Mississippi artists, musicians, craftspeople, and others involved in arts and culture from around the state.
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David travels to Meridian to visit with Penny Kemp, President and CEO of the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience (The MAEX). They talk about Kemp’s roots in Meridian and her previous work in the arts. They also highlight MAC’s upcoming “Day for Artists” convening at the museum and several of the MAEX’s ongoing and planned activities.
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This week Larry travels up to Oxford to talk with singer/songwriter Arnie Brenn. Brenn is a Laurel native who creates multi-layered psychedelic influenced rock. They talk about Brenn's childhood working as a church musician, how the bass lines in his music originate from him playing sousaphone in marching band and the freedom of creating music in a tiny house.
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This week, we’re playing a classic “Arts Hour” show featuring the late Calvin Phelps, founder and longtime director of Pike School of Art who passed away last month. Through PSA, Phelps produced a lot of innovative arts programming in McComb and across the county. The interview was recorded in May 2017 by Malcolm White, MAC’s former executive director.
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Larry catches up with Scott Barretta, host of Highway 61 on MPB. They talk about a number of things in the current blues scene in Mississippi, including the re-constituted blues band at the state penitentiary (Parchman), Mississippi artists at the Chicago Blues Festival and some of the young musicians who are starting to make a name for themselves, including Harrell “Young Rell” Davenport.
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This week, David visits with painter and visual artist Brejenn Allen from Meridian. They talk about her rural roots and the creative spirit within her family, her studies at the Art Institute of Chicago, and the role that Mississippi plays in her work and artistic practice.
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This week, Larry talks with Harrell “Young Rell” Davenport, a 19-year old blues guitarist and Vicksburg native who has been taking the national blues scene by storm. Davenport has just released Young Rell, his debut album that features his own original songs. He is touring throughout the U.S. and Europe through the end of this year.
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Guest host Julian Rankin (Walter Anderson Museum of Art) visits with painter and visual artist Jerrod Partridge from Ocean Springs. They talk about Jerrod’s recent artist residency at the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum and his current project documenting the shrimpers on the Gulf Coast.
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This week, Larry speaks with Price Walden, an Oxford-based composer and musician. Walden received this year’s music composition award from the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters. A native of Booneville, Walden composes a wide range of compositions, including pieces for vocalists, wind ensembles, and choral groups.
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To celebrate the Arts Hour’s twentieth anniversary, we’re sharing some classic shows with you. This one from 2016 features two current MPB hosts. Deep South Dining’s Malcolm White interviews Jim Dees from Thacker Mountain Radio. They talk about Dees’ new book. Also joining them in the studio is the late Ron Shapiro, a legendary Oxford businessman and arts supporter.
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This week Larry speaks with Jackson-based muralist Gavin Bird. Bird paints outdoor murals for communities and private companies throughout the state. One of his more notable recent works was a large mural completed in Oxford that features several legendary artists who lived in the city.
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Have you ever thought about becoming a teaching artist or wondered how you would even begin the process? This week on the Mississippi Arts Hour, Leslie talks with Amanda Koonlaba and Erin Mulligan. Both members of the Mississippi Whole Schools Team, they discuss their personal artistic journeys and how those paths converge with teaching. Amanda and Erin share valuable resources, practical advice, and unforgettable stories.
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Larry visits with sculptor and ceramicist Harold Miller from Brandon. Miller talks about starting into art while growing up in Vicksburg and the influence of the neighborhood on his current work. He also explains how he has built up a clientele through years of exhibiting at art shows around the region.
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MAC Executive Director, David Lewis, chats with author John T. Edge to discuss his new book, House of Smoke. They also discuss Southern culture, John T's show "True South," and their shared work with South Arts, as well as the literary magnet that is Oxford, MS. If you enjoy listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast.
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Leslie Barker talks with writer and teacher, Catherine Simone Gray. An Emerging Writer in Roxane Gay’s The Audacity, her work has been published in The Bitter Southerner and The Michigan Quarterly Review: Mixtape. Catherine is the creator of the blog Unsilenced Woman and recently released her first book, PROUD FLESH: A MEMOIR OF MOTHERHOOD, INTIMATE VIOLENCE, AND RECLAIMING PLEASURE. In the interview, Catherine will discuss how she came to write this book, her creative process, and what it means to be a Mississippi writer.
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David Lewis sits down with Landon Bryant to discuss his new book "Bless Your Heart". They talk about his journey as a social media personality and guru of Southern culture. Bryant shares his past work as an educator with the Mississippi Whole Schools program and talks about his current and future work moving into stand-up comedy. If you enjoy listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast.
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Lauren Rhoades talks with author Addie E. Citchens about her widely acclaimed debut novel DOMINION, a searing family drama set in the Mississippi Delta. Citchens is a Clarksdale native who now lives in New Orleans. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Paris Review, and Oxford American's "Best of the South." Citchens writings on blues history have been featured in Mississippi Folklife. On the Arts Hour, Citchens discusses how her Mississippi upbringing shaped her writing, the experience of publishing her first novel, and the writers and artists who have influenced her work. If you enjoy listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast.
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Larry Morrisey travels to Pontotoc to visit with bluesman Terry “Harmonica” Bean. Bean’s latest record, “Drop Dead on Your Front Door,” has just been released by the Music Maker Foundation in North Carolina. Terry talks about his family roots in the blues, getting started playing in the Delta and his regular work in Europe. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast.
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Lauren Rhoades talks with children's book author Allen R. Wells and New York Times-bestselling children's book illustrator Shamar Knight-Justice. Their beautiful new picture book, Danté Plays His Blues, was published earlier this year. Danté Plays His Blues is a tender and heartwarming children's book about a boy affected by housing insecurity who learns the power of expressing his feelings through music. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast.
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Kristen Brandt interviews Julie Whitehead. Julie works a freelance writer with a focus on mental health with, and her forthcoming book titled “Hurricane Baby” will release on August 20. This collection of short stories is based on the author’s experiences, observations and speculations about Hurricane Katrina but is presented through the lens of narrative fiction. They discuss Julie’s path to writing this book as well as her upcoming author event at Lemuria Books. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast.
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Lauren Rhodes talks with artist Noah Saterstrom, whose exhibition What Became of Dr. Smith is currently on display at the Mississippi Museum of Art. What Became of Dr. Smith envisions the life of Saterstrom’s great-grandfather, a traveling optometrist who, according to family lore, disappeared in 1924. Through a years-long search in state, local, and private archives, Saterstrom discovered that his great-grandfather spent the final four decades of his life at the Mississippi State Insane Hospital (also known as the “Old Asylum”) in Jackson, and later at the Mississippi State Hospital in nearby Whitfield. Presented as an immersive narrative painting of 183 canvases that together span 122 feet, What Became of Dr. Smith is the visual culmination of the story that emerged one century after it was erased from his family’s record. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast.
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Revisiting a 2023 conversation between Mississippi Arts Commission Director David Lewis and Meridian Symphony Orchestra Education Director Kayla Fuentes.
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Larry Morrisey visits with Jim Beaugez, a music writer based in Clinton. Beaugez has been writing about Mississippi musicians and culture for the past decade for a number of national publications, including Rolling Stone, Smithsonian Magazine and Garden and Gun. He also produced “My Life in Five Riffs,” an online video series that showcased prominent guitar players demonstrating the songs that helped them to develop as musicians. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast.
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Lauren Rhodes talks with author Lawrence Wells, whose memoir, Ghostwriter: Shakespeare, Literary Landmines, and an Eccentric Patron’s Royal Obsession, was just published by the University Press of Mississippi, along with the novel Fair Youth, which he ghostwrote for Gertrude C. Ford. Larry is the director of Yoknapatawpha Press in Oxford, Mississippi, which he established with his late wife, Dean Faulkner Wells. The author of two historical novels, Rommel and the Rebel and Let the Band Play Dixie, Wells’ manuscript Ghostwriter, was awarded the 2014 Faulkner-Wisdom gold medal for narrative non-fiction at the Words and Music Festival in New Orleans. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast.
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Larry Morrisey visits with writer Boyce Upholt. He writes articles on the natural world for a wide range of publications. Upholt has just published “The Great River,” a book on the history of man’s attempts to control Mississippi River. The book includes looks at the mound builder civilizations who built along the river, through the steamboat era and to today. Upholt examines the damage to the Mississippi from various efforts to control it over the years and its ability to change and adapt around the controls.. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast.
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Maria Zeringue revisits a conversation from 2022 with two traditional artists – quilter Janice Mitchell and tatter and jewelry maker, Alan Kolodny. Janice and Alan were both part of the exhibit, Mississippi Traditions: An Exhibit Celebrating Featured Artists of the Mississippi Folklife Directory. Janice recently passed away and we are sharing this episode in her memory. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast.
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Maria Zeringue talks with musician Eden Brent. A native of Greenville, MS, Eden has spent her life playing tribute to the music of the region that raised her. As a talented piano player and songwriter, she carries on the tradition of Mississippi blues and boogie-woogie through her energetic performances and recording output. Eden is also a MAC Folk Arts Fellowship awardee and has been given numerous honors by her peers in the blues community. She recently released an album of new material called "Getaway Blues." The album was recorded in London with her husband, Bob Dowell. In this episode, we discuss her new album and hear stories from Eden’s life in Mississippi music. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast.
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Leslie Barker speaks to Jason Bouldin. Jason is a portraitist who works out of his Oxford-based studio. He is also the son of portrait painter Marshall Bouldin, whose career of more than 50 years as a professional painter is being celebrated by dual art exhibitions at the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art in Laurel and the Walter Anderson Museum of Art in Ocean Springs. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast.
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Lauren Rhoades talks with filmmaker and FY24 MAC fellowship recipient Carys Glynne Snyder. After attending high school in Starkville, Carys graduated from Columbia University in 2019, where she studied screenwriting, acting, and art. Her short independent film “Io’s Lament,” which she wrote, produced, and starred in, won Best Homegrown Movie from this year’s Magnolia Film Festival. Carys is also a professional actor with over twenty short films under her belt. She is currently in the U.K. working on her first full-length feature film entitled “Washed Up,” which will be filmed in Cornwall. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast.
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Larry Morrisey talks with singer/songwriter (and Jackson native) Dent May. He first came to prominence as a musician while living in Oxford, but he’s currently based in Los Angeles. His new album, “What’s for Breakfast?” features collaborations with other musicians, including the singer Jordana and the group Pearl and the Oysters. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast.
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This week on the Mississippi Arts Hour, Leslie talks to Dan Splaingard and Scott Barretta about the Hush Puppy Music Coop. Join us for our conversation about this unique community-driven organization that brings live music to Greenwood.
The Mississippi Arts Hour airs Sundays at 5 p.m. CST on MPB Think Radio. You can also listen through your favorite podcasting app.
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David Lewis sits down with Hector Boldo and Jacqueline Wooton. They talked about their work as artists, Hector's mural works in Hattiesburg, their joint endeavor with Tom Boldo to create the Mississippi Latinx Art Association and their new gallery Nuestro Arte. Hector and Jacqueline shared how they wound up in Mississippi and the importance of their community's support of the arts. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast.
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Lauren Rhoades talks with author Gerry Wilson, whose new novel That Pinson Girl follows a young mother in a rural North Mississippi community, against the backdrop of the deprivation of World War I and the 1918 influenza epidemic. A seventh generation Mississippian, Gerry Wilson grew up in the red clay hills of the north. Her short story collection, Crosscurrents and Other Stories, was nominated for the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Fiction Award. On the Arts Hour, Gerry talks about her journey to becoming a writer, her years as a high school English teacher, and, of course her new novel. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast.
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Maria Zeringue talks with musician and drummer Jimmi Mayes. Originally from Jackson, MS, Mayes has had a successful career playing professionally all over the world with legendary performers such as Little Walter, Joey Dee and the Starliters, Jimi Hendrix, and many more. In addition to his musical output, Mayes wrote a memoir about his life, titled: "The Amazing Jimmi Mayes: Sideman to the Stars." This past year, he was awarded a Folk Arts Fellowship from the MS Arts Commission. They discuss these topics and more of Mayes' life on the road. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast.
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Larry Morrisey visits with writer Patrick Parker from McComb. He is the co-author (along with renowned outdoors writer Ernest Herndon) of Paddleways of Mississippi, a new book on University Press of Mississippi that presents an overview of the state’s rivers and their accessibility to canoers and kayakers. In addition to descriptions of paddling conditions, the book also contains histories of local communities, the authors’ encounters with other “river people,” and stories of their canoeing/kayaking adventures on the rivers. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast.
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David visits with sculptor Jason Kimes from Laurel. Jason works in welded steel, cast iron, bronze, aluminum, and wood. His work is primarily focused on the human figure and its surrounding environment. They discuss his work and his career.
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Lauren Rhoades talks with Di Rushing, whose new memoir, The Delta in the Rearview Mirror: The Life and Death of Mississippi's First Winery (University Press of Mississippi), tells her firsthand account of the splendid rise and frightening fall of Winery Rushing. Di grew up in the Mississippi Delta. In 1976, she and her husband established the state's first winery near Merigold, Mississippi. A few years later, Di opened Top of the Cellar Tea Room and published a companion cookbook featuring its recipes. In 1990, she and her family relocated to Ouray, Colorado, where she taught high school English for twenty years. Lauren and Di discuss the memoir and the harrowing events that led up to her family’s move away from Mississippi. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast.
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In honor of national poetry month, Kristen Brandt talks to Hattiesburg based poet, Todd Osborne. They will discuss Todd’s forthcoming debut poetry collection Gatherer. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast.
A link to an interview with the 2024 Poetry Out Loud State Champion can be found here: https://msartscom-my.sharepoint.com/:u:/g/personal/ebanks_msartscom_onmicrosoft_com/EZw1qqX2GexGiXA4mFxnDcEBwkHGnIxLKow7F2clXV3XHg?e=MVGRkc.
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Larry Morrisey talks with singer-songwriter Schaefer Llana. The Batesville native studied at the Delta Music Institute at Delta State and tours as a solo artist as well as in Jimbo Mathus’ band. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
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MAC Executive Director David Lewis talks with Sherri Lipscomb of Center Stage Biloxi about her work in theatre and film. Center Stage Biloxi recently completed a renovation that was funded in part by the Mississippi Arts Commission’s Building Fund for the Arts grant. David and Sherri discuss what that process was like from start to finish and how Sherri came to the arts. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
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Maria Zeringue interviews fiber artist Yolande Van Heerden of Greenwood, Mississippi. From colorful quilts, license plate art, silent wind chimes, and more, Yolande's work is centered on creativity, storytelling, and community. She is also a teacher and passes on her love of craft and quilting through public workshops and in her role as Art Director for the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Mississippi Delta. This year, Yolande is a recipient of MAC's Folk Arts Fellowship grant. In this episode, we discuss the impact of the pandemic on her work, quilting as an improvisational art form, new projects, art clubs, and more. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
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Lauren Rhoades talks with poet A H Jerriod Avant, the 2024-2025 John and Renee Grisham Writer-In-Residence at the University of Mississippi. Jerriod was born and raised in Longtown, Mississippi. A graduate of Jackson State University, Jerriod has earned MFA degrees from Spalding University and New York University. His debut collection of poetry, Muscadine (Four Way Books), was published in 2023.
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Kristen Brandt talks with Diane Williams and Richelle Putnam. A former host of the Mississippi Arts Hour, Diane returns as a guest with her writing partner Richelle Putnam to discuss their new project identifying and recording the history of Mississippi's museums. Their book A Guide to Mississippi Museums takes the advantage of all the skills and experience from these two distinguished Mississippi artists and authors in the development of a guide to the diverse cultural institutions that share and celebrate Mississippi's arts and culture. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
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Larry Morrisey talks with writer Lee Hendrix about his new book “Peep Light: Stories of a Mississippi River Boat Captain.” The book details his 50-year career working on the river, including his start as a deckhand and piloting towboats and passenger boats (including the “Delta Queen”).
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Highlights of the 2024 Governor's Arts Awards ceremony held at the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson on February 8, 2024.
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Kristen Brandt talks with Gulf Coast-based writer Patti Golden. Patti left her twenty-five-year legal career behind to move abroad, and during her extensive travels, she began her new career as a full-time writer. Her mystery novels are influenced by her travel journals as well as her adventures sailing across the Gulf Coast and beyond. She is now the author of five books, including four thrilling mystery novels and a new work of nonfiction that uses her personal experiences to provide insight into the world of sailing through a woman’s eyes.
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David Lewis sits down with two young Mississippians representing our state on the National and International stages! Edward Wilson is the 2023 Poetry Out Loud (Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest) 2nd Place National Finalist from Jackson Preparatory School. In June, Alexei Orohovsky took home the gold medal in the Junior Males category at the USA International Ballet Competition held in Jackson, MS. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
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Larry Morrisey visits with stained glass artist Rob Cooper and his family members (and fellow artists), spouse Wendy Eddleman and daughter Lucie Cooper. They each talk about their work as artists as well as how the arts fit into their family life. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
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Lauren Rhoades talks with writer and MAC artist fellowship recipient Exodus Brownlow. Exodus graduated from Mississippi Valley State University with a BA in English and earned her MFA in creative writing from Mississippi University for Women. Her debut fiction chapbook “Look at All The Little Hurts of These Newly-Broken Lives” and “The Bittersweet, Sweet and Bitter Loves” were published with Ethel Zine & Micro-Press this year, along with her debut collection of essays “I'm Afraid That I Know Too Much About Myself Now, To Go Back To Who I Knew Before, And Oh Lord, Who Will I Be After I've Known All That I Can”, which was published with ELJ Editions. Tune in to hear more about Exodus's latest books and her journey as a writer and creative. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
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David Lewis speaks with Kayla Fuentes. Kayla is a mezzo-soprano, vocal pedagogue, and quirky theatre teacher from Starkville, Mississippi, where her passion for music and singing found its roots. She is currently the Director of Education and Community Engagement at the Meridian Symphony Association. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
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David Lewis speaks with visual artist Alexis McGrigg, a contemporary artist who examines themes of Blackness, space, spirituality, identity, and collective consciousness. Her artwork utilizes the mediums of painting, drawing, and interdisciplinary media to explore the multiplicity of Blackness through figurative abstraction and conceptual narratives. She integrates poetry, sound, and performance in her arts practice and research. Alexis is currently South Arts 2023 Mississippi’s Fellow for Visual Arts. Her work is featured in the South Arts 2023 Southern Prize and State Fellows Exhibition at the Ohr-O'keefe Museum of Art from August 17 - December 13, 2023. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
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This is a special back-to-school edition of the Arts Hour, celebrating the start of a new school year by taking a close look at our Mississippi Whole Schools program. Recorded at this year’s Whole Schools Summer Institute in Hattiesburg, Leslie Barker talks with some educators, teaching artists, and administrators who bring the magic of arts integration to classrooms all over our state. Interviewees include Chris Espinosa, XYZ, Katie Coon, Andrea Schipke, Dana Bell, Misty Ratliff, and Amanda Koonlaba. Photo Credit: Dr. Stephen Coleman
Larry Morrisey speaks with Jacob Crook, an artist, and printmaker in Starkville, this week on the Mississippi Arts Hour. Crook teaches in the art department at Mississippi State University. His artwork is focused on the mezzotint process, a labor-intensive printmaking technique with roots in the 17th century. Crook is one of MAC’s recently announced Artist Fellowship grant recipients.
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Maria Zeringue talks with Esther Young, the Director of Finance and Administration and the Gala Director for the SOARPRENEUR/JXN Film Festival. A 1997 graduate of Tougaloo College, Esther joins former classmates Maximus Wright and Candice Love Jackson in living out their mutual love of film and collective passion for community and cultural development via the JXN FILM FESTIVAL. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
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Leslie Barker talks with author and Community Engagement Coordinator for the Mississippi Book Festival, Tonja Murphy. They will discuss community, Tonja’s writing process, and lots of exciting details about the upcoming festival, Mississippi’s literary lawn party. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
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Leslie Barker talks with Tupelo native and arts administrator Melanie Deas. Melanie has extensive theatre experience, having worked at several New York and New England theatres. Now, she works with all art forms and a wide range of community organizations through her job as the Executive Director of Tupelo’s Link Centre.
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Lauren Rhoades talks with novelist Katy Simpson Smith, who was born and raised in Jackson and now lives in New Orleans. Katy's fourth novel, THE WEEDS, was published this spring. She is also the author of the novels THE STORY OF LAND AND SEA, FREE MEN, and THE EVERLASTING, as well as a book of nonfiction. On the Arts Hour, Katy talks about her unconventional path to writing fiction and the process for writing her most recent novel set in Rome. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
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David Lewis speaks to the Executive Director of the USA International Ballet Competition (USA IBC), Mona Nicholas. David and Mona discuss what it takes to pull together what is considered the Olympics of ballet and the village it takes to put together this remarkable international competition. The International Ballet Competition happens every four years in Jackson, Mississippi, the only location in the United States, and will take place June 10-24 this year. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
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This week on the Mississippi Arts Hour, Maria Zeringue talks with writer, filmmaker, and mentor Maximus Wright. As a proud native of Yazoo City, Wright is passionate about telling Mississippi stories and fostering talent in his home state. In 2020, Wright started the Jackson Film Festival through his non-profit, Soarpreneur, to help give Mississippi filmmakers a platform to showcase their work. He has written 3 books and directed two films, “My Name is Lola” and “Soul Damage.”
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Leslie Barker talks with Coldwater, Mississippi native, Princeton James. Princeton is a film, television, and theatre artist who has appeared in the Netflix film, Uncorked and has worked on the NBC shows, Bluff City Law and Young Rock. He is also very passionate about creating meaningful arts experiences for young people in the Mid-South. Don’t miss our conversation about his creative journey and how Coldwater finds its way into his work. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
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Lauren Rhoades talks with documentary film director, writer and producer Roderick Red. Roderick is also the owner of Red Squared Co, a video production and communication design firm based in Jackson. Tune in to hear more about Roderick's entrepreneurial path and unique approach to community building and creativity. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
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Leslie Barker talks with storyteller, teaching artist, and member of the Mississippi Artist Roster, Da Terrence Roberts. Not only does Da Terrence dive into his process and the importance of stories – he also performs one! If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
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Poetry is alive and thriving in the Magnolia State! On the Mississippi Poetry Podcast you’ll hear poets sharing their work, telling their stories, and offering tips to help listeners flex their poetic muscles. In this episode, poet Christie Collins joins host and Mississippi Poet Laureate Catherine Pierce for a conversation about sound in poetry, the difference between writing and being a writer, and baby elephants.
A resource for teachers or community leaders can be found here: https://arts.ms.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Podcast-Supplement_Collins-.pdf
Larry Morrisey talks with Will Thompson, a jazz musician and college professor based in Hattiesburg. Will talks about his student years as a pianist in New Orleans, playing with legendary musicians in Jackson, and his current work in experimental music and sound design. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
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Lauren Rhodes speaks with vocalist Holly Brand, from Meridian, Mississippi, who has just wow-ed audiences across the country with her appearance on NBC’s The Voice. When she was 10, Holly opened for country artist Blake Shelton after winning a local competition. She started singing in public at church and then began participating in beauty pageants, which led her to be crowned Miss Mississippi in 2021. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
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David Lewis talks with the George Bassi. George is the Director of the Lauren Rogers Museum in Laurel, Mississippi. In the conversation, they talk about the unique and moving history of how the museum came to be, the impact that the Building Fund for the Arts has had on the Museum, and the current 100th anniversary celebration of the Museum's collection. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
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Maria Zeringue talks with Katie Clark. Katie is a crochet artist, and she is a current participant in MAC’s Folk Arts Apprenticeship program. In their conversation, Katie discusses her path to learning crochet and developing as an artist, her apprenticeship experience mentoring Sarah Rose Govero, and her work with the Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi. Photography: Rory Doyle. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
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Leslie Barker talks with Teneia Sanders. Teneia is an award-winning international touring musician and songwriter whose work has been featured on HBO and Netflix. In our conversation, Teneia reflects on making music from Jackson to Tanzania. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
Lauren Rhoades talks with Church Goin Mule, a Southern artist born and raised across the South. Mule's work is influenced by Southern literature and music and has been exhibited widely across the Southeast. Today she can also be found managing the JX Farms artist residency in Cleveland, Mississippi. Tune in to learn about Church Goin Mule's artistic journey and the inspiration she gathers from the Delta landscape and community. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast.
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Larry Morrisey visits with David Lewis, the new executive director of the Mississippi Arts Commission. David comes to MAC from the City of Jackson, where he served as the Deputy Director for the Department of Human and Cultural Services. While with the city, he worked on a wide range of projects that bolstered the city’s arts community. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
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Larry Morrisey talks with Ke Francis, the recipient of the 2023 Governor’s Arts Award for Excellence in Visual Art. Francis is a narrative artist who has been actively producing artwork for over fifty years. His book works, paintings, prints, photographs, and sculptures are in numerous public and private collections. He currently maintains an active studio practice in Tupelo, Mississippi, where he and his wife, Mary, own HOOPSNAKE PRESS.
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Poetry is alive and thriving in the Magnolia State! On the Mississippi Poetry Podcast you’ll hear poets sharing their work, telling their stories, and offering tips to help listeners flex their poetic muscles. In this episode, poet Ann Fisher-Wirth joins host and Mississippi Poet Laureate Catherine Pierce for a conversation about the necessity of adventure, the mysteries of childhood, and why it's important to remember that the poem is not you.
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Larry Morrisey talks with Ed McGowin, the recipient of the 2023 Governor’s Arts Award Lifetime Achievement Award. McGowin is an internationally recognized multi-media artist who has participated in more than ninety one-person exhibits and four hundred group exhibits across six continents. They talk about his path from Hattiesburg to being an internationally known artist.
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Lauren Rhoades talks with Ralph Eubanks, the 2023 Governor’s Arts Award-winner for Excellence in Literature & Cultural Ambassador. Eubanks is a writer whose work focuses on race, identity, and the American South. He is faculty fellow and writer-in-residence at the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at The University of Mississippi - Ole Miss. He is the author of the book A Place Like Mississippi, as well as two other works of nonfiction, Ever Is a Long Time and The House at the End of the Road. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
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Maria Zurang talks with King Edward Antoine. They discuss King Edward’s career as a musician playing zydeco, jazz, country, rock, R&B, and most notably, the blues. King Edward is this year’s Governor’s Arts Award recipient for Excellence in Music, If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
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Leslie Barker talks with the Mississippi Museum of Art Director Betsy Bradley. Bradley is this year’s Governor’s Arts Award recipient for Leadership in Visual Arts and community. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
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Poetry is alive and thriving in the Magnolia State! On the Mississippi Poetry Podcast you’ll hear poets sharing their work, telling their stories, and offering tips to help listeners flex their poetic muscles. In this episode, poet Jermaine Thompson joins host and Mississippi Poet Laureate Catherine Pierce to talk about individuality in poetry, the importance of loving language, and why tree frogs are one of his favorite sounds.
A resource for educators or community groups can be found here: https://arts.ms.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Podcast-Supplement_Thompson.pdf
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Lauren Rhoades talks with Dr. Ann Fisher-Wirth, the 2023 Governor’s Arts Award-winner for Excellence in Literature and Poetry. Fisher-Wirth is a poet, scholar, and environmental educator who has lived all over the world. Her seventh book of poems, Paradise Is Jagged, is forthcoming from Terrapin Books in February.
If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
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Leslie Barker talks with professional voice-over artist, actress, puppeteer, and writer, Keri Grayson Horn. Join us as Keri discusses her journey as an artist and her Emmy Award-winning Mississippi-made work.
If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
Lauren Rhoades talks with Jamal Cyrus and Maude Schuyler Clay, two artists who have special exhibitions now at the Mississippi Museum of Art. Jamal Cyrus is a Houston-based multidisciplinary artist whose works explore the evolution of African American identity. Maude Schuyler Clay is a Mississippi photographer with generational roots in the Delta. Tune in to learn about their artistic practices and current exhibitions: Cyrus’s “The End of My Beginning” and Clay’s “Portraits of a Place.”
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Leslie Barker talks with musician Rob Detjen. Rob plays the French horn for the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra and the Meridian Symphony Orchestra. In this interview, Rob Detjen will discuss his life as a professional musician as well as his work as an educator, specifically his work with Mississippi Whole Schools.
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Larry Morrisey visits with David Evans, a retired University of Memphis professor and music researcher, on his new book “Goin’ Up the Country: Adventured in Blues Fieldwork in the 1960s.” It recounts his trips to Mississippi and Louisiana during the mid-1960s to interview and record the last of the first generation of blues musicians. The book is a collaboration with the late folklorist Marina Bokelman, who collaborated with him on the project.
If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
Poetry is alive and thriving in the Magnolia State! On the Mississippi Poetry Podcast you’ll hear poets sharing their work, telling their stories, and offering tips to help listeners flex their poetic muscles. In this episode, poet, fiction writer, and professor RaShell Smith-Spears joins host and Mississippi Poet Laureate Catherine Pierce to talk about verbs, influences, notebooks versus phones, and vampires.
A resource for educators or community groups can be found here: https://arts.ms.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/PodcastSupplement_Smith-Spears.pdf
Maria Zeringue talks with Dr. J. Janice Coleman, an accomplished quilter and English professor at Alcorn State University. She creates quilts that are in dialogue with Mississippi’s culture, heritage, and landscape, and she is often inspired by the Delta, where she grew up.
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Lauren Rhoades talks with Gloria Gipson Suggs, a visual artist whose work seeks to preserve heritage and cultural pride. A native and resident of Marshall County, Gloria was named the 2022 South Arts State Fellow of Mississippi. After several accidents brought her twenty-plus-year career in education to a halt, she turned to art in her recovery. Her work depicts people, places, and things from the Civil War, Depression, and Desegregation Eras as passed down through folklore, written and oral history, photographs, and her own experience. Gloria is also a musician and the author of several books of fiction and poetry.
If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
Larry Morrisey talks to Oxford musician and writer Tyler Keith. Keith is known for his work as a bandleader and songwriter over the past twenty years, but he has just released “The Mark of Cain,” his first book. It’s a self-described “southern noir,” set in the Florida panhandle, where Keith grew up. Larry and Tyler will talk about his music and his development as a writer.
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Maria Zeringue talks with master woodturner Sammy Long. Long is a two-time master artist in the Mississippi Arts Commission's Folk Arts Apprenticeship Program and a MAC Folk Arts Fellowship grant recipient. He is a member of the Mississippi Craftsmen's Guild and active in the Magnolia Woodturners Club.
Sammy Long’s artist website: http://www.sammylong.com/
Website for the Magnolia Woodturners Club: https://mwt.clubexpress.com/
Photo Credit: Roy Adkins (Light & Glass Studio)
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Leslie barker talks with actor, director, playwright, and poet T.K. Lee. T.K. is a recipient of MAC’s Literary Fellowship for playwriting and teaches in the Mississippi University for Women’s MFA Program in Creative Writing.
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Lauren Rhoades talks with Tema Stauffer, a photographer whose work examines the social, economic, and cultural landscapes of American spaces. Tema's new series of photographs, SOUTHERN FICTION, explores the settings that shaped the literary imaginations of 20th-century Southern writers, including Eudora Welty, William Faulkner, and Richard Wright. A monograph of SOUTHERN FICTION will be released by Daylight Books this month.
If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
Poetry is alive and thriving in the Magnolia State! On the Mississippi Poetry Podcast you’ll hear poets sharing their work, telling their stories, and offering tips to help listeners flex their poetic muscles. In this episode, poet and high school teacher James Dickson joins host and Mississippi Poet Laureate Catherine Pierce to talk about the importance of reading widely, why failing spectacularly is a good thing, and the surprising variety of the Waffle House menu.
A resource for educators and community groups can be found here: https://arts.ms.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Podcast-Supplement_Dickson-.pdf
Larry Morrisey talks with Nasheet Waits and JD Allen, two New York City-based jazz musicians with family roots in Mississippi. Waits and Allen talk about their years as students of music and their hopes for building community with music. They recently played a series of performances and master classes in Jackson as part of a grant program bringing jazz professionals to the south.
In the photo, JD Allen is on the left and Nasheet Waits is on the right.
If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
Leslie Barker talks with two new MAC staff members, Director of Grants, Lauren Rhoades, and Communications Director, Ellie Banks. Lauren and Ellie will tell us about their work at the Arts Commission and how they express their creativity.
In the photo, Lauren Rhoades is on the left and Ellie Banks is on the right.
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Lauren Rhoades talks with fiction writer Dr. Iheoma Nwachukwu, a recipient of one of MAC's highly competitive artist fellowships. They talk about Nwachukwu 's writing style and influences, and his journey from growing up in Lagos, Nigeria, to playing professional chess, to now teaching as an assistant professor at the Mississippi University for Women.
Photo by Chinenye Nwachukwu.
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Sarah Story speaks with visual artist and illustrator Adam Trest. Adam is an artist from Laurel, Mississippi, known for his southern folk art style. He is represented by the Caron Gallery, a Mississippi Art Gallery with locations in both Tupelo and Laurel. Most recently, Adam illustrated the New York Times Bestselling children’s book The Lantern House with friend and cohost of HGTV’s Hometown, Erin Napier. He has also released a collection of paintings, Mississippi: Lost and Found, currently on view at the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience (MAX) in Meridian.
If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
Poetry is alive and thriving in the Magnolia State! On the Mississippi Poetry Podcast you’ll hear poets sharing their work, telling their stories, and offering tips to help listeners flex their poetic muscles. In this episode, poet, performer, and educator Treasure Shields Redmond joins host and Mississippi Poet Laureate Catherine Pierce for a conversation about voice, form, and how the legacy of Fannie Lou Hamer has shaped her work.
A resource for educators and community groups can be found here: https://arts.ms.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Podcast-Supplement_Redmond.pdf
Leslie Barker talks with Adrienne Domnick. Adrienne is a visual artist, curator, and community leader in Jackson. A champion for contemporary artwork in the Deep South, she owned and operated AND Gallery in the Midtown District and has presented over a dozen exhibitions and public artworks around the city. Adrienne also works as MAC’s Systems Administrator.
If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
Sarah Story interviews two authors, Kendra Allen and Becky Hagenston, who will be appearing at the upcoming MS Book Festival on August 20 in Jackson, MS, at the Mississippi Capitol.
Kendra Allen was born and raised in Dallas, TX. She is the recipient of the 2018 Iowa Prize for Literary Nonfiction for her essay collection When You Learn the Alphabet, awarded by Kiese Laymon. Her work has been taught by New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds alongside that of Jamaica Kincaid and Eve Ewing. She is the author of The Collection Plate.
Becky Hagenston is the author of four award-winning story collections, as well as the recipient of two O. Henry Awards and a Pushcart Prize. Her latest collection, The Age of Discovery and Other Stories, won the 2022 Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Award in fiction. She's a professor of English at Mississippi State University.
If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
In the photo, Allen is on the left and Hagenston is on the right.
Poetry is alive and thriving in the Magnolia State! On the Mississippi Poetry Podcast you’ll hear poets sharing their work, telling their stories, and offering tips to help listeners flex their poetic muscles. In this episode, poet Derrick Harriell joins host and Mississippi Poet Laureate Catherine Pierce to talk about paying attention to our senses, writing about what we might not discuss, and why an overcast day is perfect.
A resource for teachers and community groups can be found here: https://arts.ms.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Podcast-Supplement_Harriell.pdf
Lauren Rhoades talks with Annette Trefzer, professor of literature at The University of Mississippi and author of the new book Exposing Mississippi: Eudora Welty's Photographic Reflections. They discuss Eudora Welty's work as a photographer and Annette's fascinating research in the Mississippi Department of Archives and History Welty Collection.
If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
Larry Morrisey visits with violinist Marta Szlubowska. They talk about her early musical training while growing up in Poland, her tenure as the concertmaster for the Mississippi Symphony, and her current work as a group leader and featured soloist.
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Mississippi Arts Commission Executive Director Sarah Story speaks with award-winning writer and director Patrick O’Connor. His most recent film about the battle over the Mississippi state flag, Look Away, Look Away, won the 2022 Erik Barnouw Award for outstanding documentary dealing with American History from the Organization of American Historians. It was also the Audience Choice Awards for Best Film and Best Documentary at the 2021 Oxford Film Festival. This past June, he received a Special Achievement Award from the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters for his work on Look Away, Look Away. He lives in Pass Christian, Mississippi, with his wife, the writer Margaret McMullan.
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Lauren Rhoades (@laurenrhoades) talks with Jackson-based visual artist and pastry chef Guillermo "Billy" Salinas (@guillermosalinasart) about his experience on a Food Network baking competition, his plein air drawing practice, and his newest culinary venture, Just Vanilla Bakes (@just.vanilla.bakes).
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Leslie Barker talks with music creator and curator, Stephen Brown (also known as 5th Child), about how growing up in Jackson inspired him as a hip-hop artist. He also discusses his work as a mentor to students and young artists, his brand-new music, and exciting upcoming projects.
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This Sunday, Larry visits with Oxford-based author Chris Offutt about his new book, “Shifty’s Boys.” It’s the second in a series of books that follows Mick Hardin, a veteran of the war in Iraq and an expert woodsman, as he solves a murder in rural eastern Kentucky. They also talk about Offutt’s longtime love of photography.
If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
Sarah Story talks with Charles Williams, a contemporary visual artist from Georgetown, South Carolina and Calvin Phelps, the founder and director of the Pike School of Art in McComb, Miss. Charles worked with Calvin and the community of McComb to create a new album with sounds and interviews from the town.
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In the photo, Charles Williams is on the left and Calvin Phelps is on the right.
Mississippi Arts Commission emeritus director Malcolm White visits with photographer and filmmaker David Rae Morris. They discuss his new book, “Love, Daddy: Letters from My Father,” a collection of letters from his father, the late Mississippi writer Willie Morris.
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Leslie Barker talks with MAC’s Folk and Traditional Arts Director, Maria Zeringue and two folk artists - quilter Janice Mitchell and tatter and jewelry maker, Alan Kolodny. Janice and Alan are both part of the current exhibit, Mississippi Traditions: An Exhibit Celebrating Featured Artists of the Mississippi Folklife Directory.
In the photo, Janice Mitchell is on the left and Alan Kolodny is on the right.
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Larry Morrisey visits with David Dennis, Senior and Junior on their new book collaboration, “The Movement Made Us.” The book documents David Sr’s work in the Civil Rights movement in Louisiana and Mississippi during the 1960s, including working closely with fellow activists Medgar Evers, Bob Moses and Fannie Lou Hamer. Also included are David Jr’s reflections on how his father’s work effected their family when he was growing up.
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MAC emeritus director Malcolm White guest hosts the show and talks with painter and designer Reshonda Perryman. Perryman serves as Creative Design Manager at Visit Jackson, but is best known for her colorful community murals, including the one featuring Jackson legends that is across the street from the Two Mississippi Museums and one in downtown Fayette, her hometown.
If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
Sarah Story talks with William Dunlap, a painter, author, advocate and commentator. With a career spanning over four decades, Dunlap has exhibited internationally and is included in numerous public and private collections. The 1991 Governor's Arts Award recipient will be awarded the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters 2022 Noel Polk Lifetime Achievement Award on June 11 in Jackson.
If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
Larry Morrisey talks with filmmaker John Rash. Rash creates films for the Southern Documentary Projects center at the University of Mississippi. He has also established the Southern Punk Archive at UM. He is collecting oral histories and materials on punk music in the American South for the collection.
If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
Poetry is alive and thriving in the Magnolia State! On the Mississippi Poetry podcast you’ll hear poets sharing their work, telling their stories, and offering tips to help listeners flex their poetic muscles. In this episode, poet Joshua Nguyen joins host and Mississippi Poet Laureate Catherine Pierce to talk about form, embracing weird obsessions, and his least favorite vegetable.
A resource for teachers and community groups can be found here https://arts.ms.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Podcast-Supplement_Nguyen-.pdf
Malcolm White talks with Marcy Fischer Nessel, owner of Fischer Galleries in Jackson. They talk about her initial years in the gallery work, working for the late photographer and gallery owner James Patterson, the development of Fischer Galleries and the artists who she currently exhibits.
If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
Sarah Story talks with Elizabeth Abston and Margaret Bucci about organizing the Andrew Bucci centennial series of exhibitions, programs, and events across the state. Abston is a curator and owner of fine arts appraisal and advisory business Elizabeth Abston LLC. Margaret Bucci, who is Andrew Bucci’s niece and executor of his estate, has been an integral part of organizing exhibitions honoring his legacy for many years.
If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB.https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
Leslie Barker talks with film and television actor, Allie Grant. You may know her as Isabelle Hodes on Weeds or Lisa Shay on Suburgatory. She also happens to be a Mississippi native. Allie talks about life as a working actor in Los Angeles and New York, but also about her upcoming Mississippi-based projects
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Poetry is alive and thriving in the Magnolia State! On the Mississippi Poetry podcast you’ll hear poets sharing their work, telling their stories, and offering tips to help listeners flex their poetic muscles. In this episode, poet Angela Ball joins host and Mississippi Poet Laureate Catherine Pierce to talk about childhood games, poems as wish fulfillment, and how everything can be an opportunity for poetry.
A resource for teachers and community groups can be found here https://arts.ms.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Podcast-Supplement_Ball.pdf
Larry Morrisey talks with Grammy Award-winning music producer Scott Billington, who has a new book out on University of Mississippi Press on his career producing southern roots musicians. He details his work with many legends, including Irma Thomas, Charlie Rich, Solomon Burke, Ruth Brown, Bobby Rush and many more.
Photo courtesy of University Press of Mississippi.
If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
Poetry is alive and thriving in the Magnolia State! On the Mississippi Poetry Podcast you’ll hear poets sharing their work, telling their stories, and offering tips to help listeners flex their poetic muscles. In this episode, poet Charlie Braxton joins host and Mississippi Poet Laureate Catherine Pierce to talk about boldness in writing, the importance of breath, and why we might think of poems as "word-music."
A resource for teachers and community groups can be found here: https://arts.ms.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Podcast-Supplement_Braxton.pdf
Sarah Story talks with Jenny Mann, the new executive director of the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra. She began her tenure with MSO in January and was previously the executive director of the Tuscaloosa Symphony and its principal bassoonist. Jenny’s passion and career focus in music management, fundraising, performance and education led her to Mississippi Symphony Orchestra. Sarah and Jenny discuss leadership in the arts and the exciting events on the horizon for MSO.
If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
Malcolm White guest hosts the show and visits with painters Paul Fayard and Ron Lindsey. Both live in Clinton, Mississippi and often paint together on location. They discuss their individual styles and life of a painter. Listen at 5 p.m. on MPB Think Radio. The show is also available on major podcasting platforms.
If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
In today’s episode, we speak with musicians Queen Iretta and Johnnie B. Queen Iretta was born in Tunica and moved to Chicago where she met Johnnie B, whose family was also from Mississippi. In today’s conversation, these musicians share how Mississippi hospitality brought them back to our special state.
To celebrate our exhibition "A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration," this podcast explores conversations with Mississippians on both sides of the Great Migration: those that left and those that stayed. This weekly limited series dives deep into how the U.S. has evolved due to this historical phenomenon that saw more than six million African Americans leave the South. Food, music, and literature are just a few of the topics to be highlighted. Brought to you by the Mississippi Museum of Art, in partnership with the Mississippi Arts Commission and Mississippi Public Broadcasting.
Committed to honesty, equity, and inclusion, the Mississippi Museum of Art is a leader in engaging art, artists, and participants in the critical work of reckoning with the past, connecting with each other in the present, and envisioning a future without division.
Leslie Barker talks with Alehandro Wooten (Alē), visual artist and Executive Director of the Hattiesburg Arts Council. Alehandro discusses the power of the arts in communities, what it means to be accessible for everyone, and upcoming Hattiesburg Arts Council events.
If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
Portrait by Traci Stover
To celebrate our exhibition "A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration," this podcast explores conversations with Mississippians on both sides of the Great Migration: those that left and those that stayed. This weekly limited series dives deep into how the U.S. has evolved due to this historical phenomenon that saw more than six million African Americans leave the South. Food, music, and literature are just a few of the topics to be highlighted. Brought to you by the Mississippi Museum of Art, in partnership with the Mississippi Arts Commission and Mississippi Public Broadcasting.
In today’s episode, Monique talks with Mississippi chefs Nia Minard and Enrika Williams. Nia spent her childhood in Yazoo City, where she learned the importance of Southern food, including fish frys, collard greens, and pimiento cheese. Enrika is a West Point native who’s family taught her how food brings communities together. In this conversation, that is sure to leave you hungry, both chefs share how food keeps them connected to Mississippi, archiving family recipes, and what effect food has on our community and our memories.
Committed to honesty, equity, and inclusion, the Mississippi Museum of Art is a leader in engaging art, artists, and participants in the critical work of reckoning with the past, connecting with each other in the present, and envisioning a future without division.
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Poetry is alive and thriving in the Magnolia State! On the Mississippi Poetry Podcast you’ll hear poets sharing their work, telling their stories, and offering tips to help listeners flex their poetic muscles. In this episode, poet and Mississippi Review editor Adam Clay joins host and Mississippi Poet Laureate Catherine Pierce to talk about inventing new forms, being a little reckless, and how writing poetry is like long-distance running.
A resource for teachers and community groups can be found here: https://arts.ms.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Podcast-Supplement_Clay.pdf
Larry Morrisey talks with Nicholas Ciraldo, a classical guitarist from Hattiesburg and director of the University of Southern Mississippi’s Guitar Studio. Ciraldo talks about how he first got interested in classical guitar, how the style of playing is different from folk and other guitar styles and how he used the funds from a recent Arts Commission fellowship to help him work on digital and remote partnerships during the pandemic.
If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
To celebrate ther exhibition "A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration," this podcast explores conversations with Mississippians on both sides of the Great Migration: those that left and those that stayed. This weekly limited series dives deep into how the U.S. has evolved due to this historical phenomenon that saw more than six million African Americans leave the South. Food, music, and literature are just a few of the topics to be highlighted. Brought to you by the Mississippi Museum of Art, in partnership with the Mississippi Arts Commission and Mississippi Public Broadcasting.
In this episode, hear from Mississippi authors Ralph Eubanks and Kiese Laymon. Born in Mount Olive, and a graduate of Ole Miss, Ralph’s books explore our state’s landscape and history. Kiese is a Jackson native whose writing focuses on race and family. In this incredibly open conversation, both authors share family stories, what keeps them connected to Mississippi, and what effect our special state has had on their writing.
Committed to honesty, equity, and inclusion, the Mississippi Museum of Art is a leader in engaging art, artists, and participants in the critical work of reckoning with the past, connecting with each other in the present, and envisioning a future without division.
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Sarah Story speaks with Jessica Bell Brown and Ryan N. Dennis, co-curators of the exhibition A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration, opening at the Mississippi Museum of Art on April 9. Co-organized by the Mississippi Museum of Art and the Baltimore Museum of Art, this major exhibition will unveil newly commissioned works by 12 of the most acclaimed African American artists working today, examining the profound impact of the Great Migration on the social and cultural life of the United States. Ryan N. Dennis is MMA’s Chief Curator and Artistic Director of the Museum’s Center for Art and Public Exchange and Jessica Bell Brown is BMA’s Associate Curator of Contemporary Art. The MMA and BMA will also create a range of digital assets, including an upcoming podcast series, tied to the exhibition.
If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
Poetry is alive and thriving in the Magnolia State! On the Mississippi Poetry Podcast you’ll hear poets sharing their work, telling their stories, and offering tips to help listeners flex their poetic muscles. In this episode, poet and librarian C.T. Salazar joins host and Mississippi Poet Laureate Catherine Pierce to talk about the words that have value to us, reading aloud, and why he’d like to hang out with a grizzly bear.
A resource for teachers and community groups can be found here: https://arts.ms.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Podcast-Supplement_Salazar.pdf
Leslie Barker talks with Professor and Chair of the Department of Music at the Mississippi University for Women, Julia Mortyakova. Julia recently received a MAC Performing Arts Fellowship for Piano. She is particularly passionate about giving women composers a platform. She speaks about the Music by Women Festival of which she is the founder and director.
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Poetry is alive and thriving in the Magnolia State! On the Mississippi Poetry Podcast you’ll hear poets sharing their work, telling their stories, and offering tips to help listeners flex their poetic muscles. In this episode, former Mississippi Poet Laureate Beth Ann Fennelly joins host and current Mississippi Poet Laureate Catherine Pierce to talk about poetry as time travel, the magic of memorization, and really good desserts.
A resource for teachers and community groups can be found here: https://arts.ms.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Podcast-Supplement_Fennelly-.pdf
Sarah Story speaks with Myrna Colley-Lee, a 2022 Governor’s Arts Awards recipient for Excellence in Costume Design and Arts Patron. Myrna Colley-Lee is an internationally known costume designer as well as a philanthropist, arts advocate and patron. Credited as one of the foremost costume designers in the Black Theatre Movement, she started her career in the late 1960s and is an active designer today.
If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
Poetry is alive and thriving in the Magnolia State! On the Mississippi Poetry Podcast you’ll hear poets sharing their work, telling their stories, and offering tips to help listeners flex their poetic muscles. In this episode, poet, essayist, and Prince scholar C. Liegh McInnis joins host and Mississippi Poet Laureate Catherine Pierce to talk about how poetry can be a history lesson, the importance of being a sponge, and the Prince song he returns to the most.
A resource for teachers and community groups can be found here: https://arts.ms.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Podcast-Supplement_McInnis-.pdf
Leslie Barker talks with Governor’s Arts Awards Governor’s Choice Award recipient, Holly Lange. Holly’s commitment to the arts in Mississippi led her to coordinate events such as Jubilee!JAM and the Crossroads Film Festival. She also founded the Mississippi Book Festival. Holly shares stories about her incredible creative endeavors
If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
Sarah Story talks to Thad Lee, an Oxford-based artist. Lee is an award-winning filmmaker, photographer, and writer, known for All That You Love Will Be Carried Away (2020) and October (2003). He and Sarah discuss a recent collaboration project Lee exhibited with his wife, artist Carlyle Wolfe Lee. The exhibition at Southside Gallery in Oxford featured a series photographs and paintings inspired from the couple’s travels and explorations of nature.
If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast
Poetry is alive and thriving in the Magnolia State! On the Mississippi Poetry Podcast you’ll hear poets sharing their work, telling their stories, and offering tips to help listeners flex their poetic muscles. In this episode, poet and essayist Aimee Nezhukumatathil joins host and Mississippi Poet Laureate Catherine Pierce for a lively conversation about where poems come from, being a “noticer,” and her favorite sea creature.
A resource for teachers and community groups can be found here: Podcast Supplement_Nezhukumatathil (ms.gov)
Sarah Story talks with photographer Ashleigh Coleman, a MAC fellowship recipient and 2020 South Arts State Fellow for Mississippi. They discuss Ashleigh’s experience living in rural Mississippi and documenting her children’s lives, finding joy and magical moments in their messes. Ashleigh’s work has been exhibited throughout the U.S and has been published in Oxford Magazine, Garden & Gun, and Southern Living.
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Leslie Barker talks to ASU Jazz Festival longtime organizer and ASU music professor, David Miller. This year, the ASU Jazz Festival is being honored with the Governor’s Arts Award for Arts in Community. For more than four decades, the festival has brought some of the most significant jazz performers in the history of the genre to the state, often representing the only occasion many of these musicians perform in the state. Under the direction of Dr. Miller for 35 years, the festival aims to educate students and others though workshops and discussions with artists.
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Sarah Story talks with Maurice Carlos Ruffin, an author and the 2020-2021 John and Renee Grisham Writer-in-Residence at The University of Mississippi. He is the author of "We Cast a Shadow," which was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award, the PEN/Open Book Award, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize and long-listed for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and International Dublin Literary Award. His latest book “The Ones Who Don’t Say They Love You” is a collection of stories set in New Orleans. He and Sarah talk about his residency, new book, and life as an attorney turned writer.
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Malcolm White interviews filmmaker Anthony Thaxton and restauranteur Robert St. John about the newly released “Walter Anderson: The Extraordinary Life and Art of The Islander,” a documentary and accompanying book based on the fascinating life and work of Mississippi Gulf Coast watercolorist. The documentary premiered on MPB Television on Nov. 4 and features family interviews, never-before-seen artwork and breathtaking images from Anderson’s beloved Horn Island. The companion book was released in November and is available at independent bookstores and online.
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Leslie Barker interviews artist, illustrator, teaching artist and Greenwood, Mississippi native, Chuck Galey. Chuck will talk about Adventures in the Imagination, an exhibition featuring his original illustrations from published books. The exhibition will be at the MAX in Meridian through March 12.
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Sarah Story talks with Claire Whitehurst, an Oxford-based painter, printmaker and ceramicist. The two talk about Claire’s techniques and inspirations as well as the new book Mirror Drawings. Published by Drum Machine Editions, Claire created this bound suite of screen prints as a 2021 publishing resident at Drum Machine. They also discuss Claire’s online exhibition, Mississippi Shade with Steve Turner gallery in Los Angeles
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Larry Morrisey visits with Daniel De Vise, author of the new biography on BB King (“King of the Blues: The Rise and Reign of BB King”). De Vise talks about how King’s childhood shaped his drive to succeed, how he invented his own unique guitar style and the ups and downs of his 60+ year career.
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Melody Moody Thortis talks with Harry Bolick and Tony Russell, authors of the new book "Fiddle Tunes from Mississippi: Commercial and Informal Recordings, 1920–2018, a new publication from the University Press of Mississippi. Harry and Tony share their work collecting the music of Mississippi fiddlers, including many previously unheard recordings from across the state.
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Leslie Barker talks with one of this year’s Performing Arts Fellowship recipients, Nancy Maria Balach. Nancy Maria discusses her life in music, the crucial role of arts in education, and the University of Mississippi’s upcoming production of THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA.
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Malcolm White welcomes guests Ellen Rodgers Daniels and Ralph Eubanks. Ellen Rodgers Daniels is the executive director of the Mississippi Book Festival and Ralph Eubanks is an author who presented at this year’s virtual festival. The group talks about the 2021 festival offerings, its pivot from in-person to virtual this past August as well as Ralph Eubanks’ new book “A Place Like Mississippi.” All presentations and panel discussions from the 2021 Book Festival are now available, free of charge, as videos or podcasts via bookfestival.com.
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Larry Morrisey visits with Tom Kersen, a professor at Jackson State University about his new book “Where Misfits Fit: Counterculture and Influence in the Ozarks.” The book looks at the distinctive culture of the Ozarks region and how it has drawn a wide range of musicians, counter-culture types and back to the land enthusiasts since it was initially settled.
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Melody Moody Thortis speaks with 2021 MAC Fellowship recipient, Sophie Glenn. Sophie is a furniture maker and steel fabricator who works to explore the relationship between the two. Sophie's work invites the viewer in to discover that things may not always been as they seem. They talk about the craft of metalworking, its connection to history and how it’s being transformed through Sophie's work to explore a contemporary version of this traditional work.
Photo Credit: Megan Bean
Leslie Barker talks with The End of All Music record store owner, David Swider. David tells us about the origins of the original Oxford location and the new Jackson store that just opened up in Fondren. He also gives lots of great Mississippi music recommendations.
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Sarah Story talks with Adrienne Brown David, a painter based in Oxford, Miss. In her work, Adrienne captures black childhood in a way that is pure and uninterrupted, drawing inspiration from her four daughters and the Southern landscape. She has exhibited in New York and Oxford alike, was named one of Buzzfeed’s “26 Black Artists That’ll Help You Start Your Own Art Collection,” and her artwork was recently selected as the poster artwork for the 2021 Mississippi Book Festival.
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Larry Morrisey visits with ceramic artist and potter Stephen Phillips from Crawford, Miss. As a child, Phillips created animal figures out of mud and “fired” them in an improvised kiln. He got his official start working in clay as a student at East MS Community College and later earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts at MUW in Columbus. Phillips has a studio in Crawford but exhibits his work throughout the country.
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Melody Moody Thortis speaks with Eric Stracener. Eric --twice named best singer-songwriter by the Jackson Free Press -- talks about his new album, Ocean Springs and his creative journey throughout his musical career. You'll hear about how his inspirations and how his music and subsequent albums have continued to evolve over the years.
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Leslie Barker talks with one of this year’s Performing Arts Fellowship recipients, Treya Dionne Brown. Treya is a writer and professionally trained film, stage, and voice over actor. Join us as she talks about how her Hattiesburg roots have grown into a life in the arts.
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Sarah Story talks with Ming Ying Hong, an interdisciplinary artist based in Starkville. She has exhibited throughout the U.S. and was recently named the South Arts Mississippi State Fellow. A professor of drawing at Mississippi State University, her work explores bodies at the margins, questioning the way we define, categorize, and assign power to them.
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Larry Morrisey talks with Bruce Watson from Oxford-based Fat Possum Records about “Memphis ’69,” their newly released documentary film. The film documents the final Memphis Country Blues Festival, held in the summer of 1969 that featured performances by several Mississippi blues greats, including Son Thomas, Bukka White and Mississippi Fred McDowell.
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Melody Moody Thortis speaks with Danielle Burns Wilson, guest curator of the 2021 Mississippi Invitational, the Mississippi Museum of Art’s biennial showcase of 42 visual artists from across the state. She also talks to Coulter Fussell, a Water Valley-based quilter and textile artist who is this year’s winner of the Jane Crater Hiatt Artist Fellowship.
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Leslie Barker speaks with Julian Rankin, director of the Walter Anderson Museum of Art. The two discuss Art Museum Month, happening through the month of August, which grants visitors free admission to seven participating art institutions in the state. Julian also talks about Walter Anderson, his work at the Museum and in the Ocean Springs community as well as his passion for multimedia storytelling.
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Sarah Story talks with award-winning author Kiese Laymon. The two talk about their home state, Laymon’s newly revised and repackaged book “Long Division" and the author’s upcoming appearance at the Mississippi Book Festival, which will take place on Saturday, August 21 in downtown Jackson.
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Larry Morrisey talks with Carolyn Brown and Ellen Ruffin, co-editors of "A De Grummond Primer," a new book that examines the extensive children’s literature collection at The University of Southern Mississippi. The collection includes original items from a number of legendary children’s book authors, including Margret and H.A. Rey, the creators of “Curious George.
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Leslie Barker talks with musician, Adam Collier. Also known as AJC of AJC and The Envelope Pushers and AJC the DJ, he is a man who wears many musical hats. It’s a conversation about Adam’s influences, process, and upcoming projects.
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Melody Moody Thortis talks to Erin Rockwell, a dancer and choreographer currently serving as a Professor of Dance at Belhaven University as well as the Director of its MFA Program. Erin is also a former Mississippi Arts Commission Fellowship recipient. They discuss Erin’s journey as a dancer, her frequent collaborations with local musicians and her passion for integrating dance and film.
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Sarah Story interviews Ralph Eubanks about his new book, "A Place like Mississippi: A Journey Through a Real and Imagined Literary Landscape." They talk about Ralph’s experiences of growing up on a farm in Mississippi during the Civil Rights Movement, returning to the state after a long absence, and how he was inspired to write a book about the literary landscape of the state.
The two also discuss the upcoming Mississippi Book Festival, which will take place Aug. 21 in downtown Jackson.
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Larry Morrisey talks with musician and composer Igor Iwanek. Iwanek combines academic training in western classical music with longtime independent study of Indian classical music to create music that fuses the multiple traditions.
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Sarah Story speaks with Catherine Pierce, Mississippi’s new Poet Laureate. Pierce has been a professor of creative writing at Mississippi State University since moving to the state in 2007. She received the 2021 Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters’ Poetry Award for her book Danger Days. Sarah and Catherine discuss the role of the state’s environment on her work, why poetry is for everyone, and Catherine’s plans to promote poetry throughout the state in her role as poet laureate.
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Melody Moody Thortis speaks with H.C. Porter, a visual artist whose work is often recognized due to its unique style and high contrast colors. As a photographer, printmaker and painter, Porter’s work as an artist and cultural ambassador is rooted in an effort to use the visual arts to tell the stories of Mississippians. They talk about her journey to document the people of Mississippi after Katrina and her work with blues legends across the state – this work is chronicled through her books, Backyards and Beyond and Blues at Home.
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Leslie Barker talks with Heather Barnes and Heather Bailey about Uproar Theatre Company, Inc.; a new company in Jackson, created by and led by women. Uproar works to create theatre that will inspire audiences and spark important community conversations.
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Larry Morrisey travels to Malaco Records in Jackson to talk with label president Tommy Couch, Jr. Malaco has just published a large-format book that documents the history of the music label, from its beginnings as a small music booking operation and growing into a highly regarded independent record label focused on blues, R&B and gospel music.
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Sarah Story speaks with Cali Larson Noland, Griot Youth Program founder, and Leonette Henderson, Griot’s new executive director. Sarah speaks with the two about the founding of Clarksdale-based Griot and the diverse arts programs they offer for grades 3 – 12. They share their excitement for the opportunity to create new community in Clarksdale and talk about their local coffee shop, Meraki, which gives workforce development training for young adults.
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Leslie Barker talks with theatre artist and Jackson native, Melissa Mickens. Melissa is an actress, writer, director, producer, and teaching artist based in New York. She is the director of Adler Youth and Summer Shakespeare and the Black Arts Institute coordinator at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. The discussion includes thoughts on the vital importance of arts education and all aspects of the collaborative theatrical process.
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Melody Moody Thortis talks with Kristen Brock, Director of Programs and Promotions at Visit Hattiesburg and Director of the Hattiesburg Alliance for Public Art. They discuss how Hattiesburg has embraced the arts as a driver for community growth, economic development and community engagement.
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Larry Morrisey talks with composer Ivan Elezovic, a professor in the music department at Jackson State and one of this year’s MAC Artist Fellowship grantees. Larry and Ivan talk about his early years as a performer, discovering contemporary music and composition in college and his path to becoming a composer.
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Mississippi Arts Commission Executive Director Sarah Story talks with Jackson-based visual artist Alexis McGrigg. They discuss her influences from the Mississippi School for the Arts, her journey from undergraduate painting to the graduate painting level, and McGrigg’s current exhibitions which reach from Mississippi to New York
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Melody Moody Thortis speaks to Silbrina Wright, executive director of the Greater Jackson Arts Council (GJAC) about her work at the intersection of the arts and social justice. They talk about the efforts of the Greater Jackson Arts Council to grow its programming and expand its work.
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Leslie Barker talks with visual artist and Mississippi Arts Commission Special Initiatives Director, Victoria Meek. They discuss Victoria’s love of museums and how they helped spark her passion for art at an early age.
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Larry Morrisey talks with photographer and folklorist Robert Stone about "Can't Nobody Do Me Like Jesus!" his new book of photographs documenting the "sacred steel" music tradition. A group of African American churches use the steel guitar as their lead instrument. The churches are found throughout the eastern half of the US, including in north Mississippi.
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Sarah Story talks with Benjamin Saulsberry, museum director of the Emmett Till Interpretive Center in Sumner. The two speak about the Emmett Till story and the work of the Interpretive Center. The Center was recently awarded a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support racial healing efforts and strategic planning to coordinate the preservation of the Mamie and Emmett Till story across the Mississippi Delta and in Chicago.
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Leslie Barker talks with her former student, Jay Jurden. Jay is a comedian, actor, and writer who was named one of the Comedians You Should and Will Know in 2020 by Vulture. He has appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Featuring, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and HBO's High Maintenance.
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Melody Moody Thortis speaks to Von Gordon, the Youth Engagement Manager at the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation about his work to use the arts as a tool to connect and empower young people across the state. They discuss the Winter Institute’s new Community of the Future Creatives Showcase contest, which serves as a way for middle and high school students across Mississippi to use the arts as a way to process the events of the past year.
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Larry Morrisey visits with opera conductor Christopher James Ray. Ray is the resident conductor at Opera San Jose and a native of Sumrall, Mississippi. They talk about Ray's career and his recent work conducting a production of the opera "Three Decembers" that was presented virtually and has received a lot of favorable press in the opera community.
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Sarah Story speaks with curator Ryan Dennis about the newly opened Dusti Bongé exhibition at the Mississippi Museum of Art. Widely considered to be the first Mississippi artist to work consistently in a Modernist style, the exhibition includes works from throughout Dusti Bongé's career. Visitors will be able to experience her paintings, works on paper, and sculptures as well as see the influences of Bongé’s life in different stages.
Image description: Dusti Bongé, Void 6 (detail). 1982, Oil on canvas. Collection of the Dusti Bongé Art Foundation
Highlights of the annual Governor's Arts Awards ceremony.
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Leslie Barker talks with this year’s Governor’s Arts Awards honoree for Excellence in Literature, Jesmyn Ward. The first woman to win the National Book Award twice, a recipient of a McArthur Genius Grant, and one of Time Magazine’s Most Influential People of 2018, Ward’s writing pulls deeply from her Mississippi roots. It’s a conversation about storytelling, community, education, and life in DeLisle, Mississippi
Photo Credit: Beowulf Sheehan
Melody Moody Thortis talks with Raphael Semmes, who is being recognized this year with a Governor’s Arts Award as a Cultural Ambassador. Raphael is a lifelong musician, songwriter and event organizer based in Jackson who has contributed to the music and festival scene across the state for decades. His creation of the song, "Feels like coming home" was recorded for Visit Mississippi as a reminder of all the positive attributes of our state.
Photo © Portico, by James Patterson
Sarah Story interviews the Governor’s Arts Awards recipient for Excellence in Media Arts, Arthur Jafa. An acclaimed artist, film maker and cinematographer, Jafa has worked to address African American identity through contemporary imagery for the past three decades. The two discuss Jafa’s early years in Clarksdale and Tupelo, films and comic books that influenced him, his time at Howard University as well as upcoming film projects, some of which may take place in Mississippi.
Photograph by Robert Hamacher. Image courtesy of the artist and Gavin Brown’s enterprise, New York / Rome.
Larry Morrisey talks with 2021 Governor’s Arts Award recipient Nellie McInnis (aka Nellie Mack). McInnis is a Jackson-based bass player and band leader. She has played with several legendary Mississippi blues and R&B musicians and currently leads a number of groups.
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Leslie Barker talks with GRAMMY award-winning musician and this year’s Governor’s Arts Awards Lifetime Achievement honoree, Benjamin Wright. Wright, a native of Greenville, shares stories about his work with Michael Jackson, Gladys Knight, Earth, Wind & Fire, Justin Timberlake, and countless other musical legends.
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As part of The Mississippi Arts Commission’s series of interviews featuring the recipients of this year’s Governor’s Arts Awards, Melody Moody Thortis focuses on the work of the Tutwiler Quilters; known nationally for their quilts, potholders, placemats and purses. During the pandemic, the group transitioned to making masks for local hospitals and others in need. This year the Tutwiler Quilters are being honored for the Arts in Community and on behalf of the quilters, Melody spoke to the Executive Director of the Tutwiler Community Education Center, Melanie Powell. Photo credit: Rory Doyle
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Larry Morrisey and his Arts Commission colleague Maria Zeringue discuss the online publication Mississippi Folklife; a MAC project documenting the state’s present-day cultural heritage. Three Mississippi Folklife contributors are featured. Vish Shenoy, a sitar player based in Clinton, MS; Addie Citchens, the author of two essays about Clarksdale and Oxford-based artist, Lee Harper, creator of a diorama project called History Bones.
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Sarah Story, the new Executive Director of the Mississippi Arts Commission, interviews sociologist and storyteller Dr. Brian Foster about his new book “I Don’t Like the Blues: Race, Place & the Backbeat of Black Life.” An account of Foster’s five years of research in Clarksdale, the book explores the life of Black citizens, their relationship to the blues and blues tourism, and the inequalities that still exist in the rural South. They also discuss his path to becoming a sociologist, the power of place, and his influences growing up in Mississippi.
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Melody Moody Thortis speaks with Leah Kemp, Director of the Fred Carl Jr. Small Town Center at Mississippi State University in Starkville. The Center is a community design center on the campus of MSU where they provide a range of design and planning services for small towns across Mississippi. Melody and Leah talk about how community centric programming continues to change and adapt during the pandemic as well as the new and innovative ways that people and communities are finding to gather together.
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Leslie Barker interviews playwright and librettist, Jerre Dye. Jerre is a recipient of the Fellowship of Southern Writers’ Award for Dramatic Literature. His work has been seen at venues such Chicago Opera Theater and the Kennedy Center. From Faulkner and Welty to his childhood in Amory, Jerre talks about how Southern stories and his deep Mississippi roots always find their way into his work. Photo credit: Joe Mazza at Brave Lux Inc.
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Larry Morrisey visits with Sarah Story, the new executive director at MAC. Story is a Jackson native with family roots throughout the state. She has worked at visual arts museums throughout the south and has just returned home to lead the Commission.
They talk about her artistic journey and what areas she wants to explore at MAC.
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Melody Moody Thortis speaks with artist, canoe builder and river guide, John Ruskey. Owner of Quapaw Canoe Company and former curator of the Delta Blues Museum, John is one of the most experienced guides on the lower Mississippi river. Melody and John talk about his passion for nature and his passion for passing down traditions including the process for making dug-out canoes and his work with young apprentices.
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Malcolm White talks with singer-songwriter Chelsea Lovitt. A native of Hattiesburg, Lovitt now resides in Nashville, Tenn., where she has recently released her album “You Had Your Cake, So Lie In It.” The two talk about country music, garage-rock, MAC grants, and more.
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Leslie Barker talks with comedian, musician, and veteran, Rita Brent. Rita talks about life growing up in Jackson, sharing her Mississippi story with audiences all over the country, and how comedy is her superpower for connecting and sparking vital conversations.
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Larry Morrisey talks with sculptor and MAC Artist Fellowship grant recipient Lawson King. King is a native of the Delta. He creates public sculpture using steel. His current work was influenced by his work as an artist-in-residence in schools around the Delta.
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Malcolm White talks with singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Charlie Worsham. A former member of the Old Crow Medicine Show, Charlie Worsham was born in Jackson, Miss., and grew up in Grenada. Malcolm and Charlie talk about his Mississippi roots, grants from MAC as well as his experiences playing with country music legends.
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Candice Salyers is dance artist based in Hattiesburg and currently serving as Assistant Professor in Dance at the University of Southern Mississippi. Melody Moody Thortis talks to Candice about her exploration of dance and how it intersects with social issues and site-specific locations. Candice, a recent recipient of MAC's new Individual Project Grants, also shares about her time as a dancer and what’s she learned along the way
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Larry Morrisey talks with singer-songwriter Bronwynne Brent. The Greenville native has just released “Undercover,” her third album. It was recorded at the legendary Daptone Studio in New York City and features members the band The Reigning Sound.
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Malcolm White catches up with singer-songwriter Mac McAnally. Malcolm and McAnally, a ten-time CMA Musician of the Year, talk about music, life in Nashville, and the new full-length album, Once in a Lifetime. Hailed as some of his finest material to date, McAnally crafted the album to reflect one of his intimate live shows
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New host Leslie Barker is MAC’s arts-based community development director. She talks to visual artist Robin Whitfield, a Grenada-based artist whose work is inspired by the natural world. They discuss Robin’s work as a visual artist, her role as Founder/Director of Friends of the Chakchiuma Swamp, and how she uses art in her conservation and community work.
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Larry Morrisey visits with writer Richard Grant. Grant, known for "Dispatches from Pluto," his book on his time living in a remote community in the Delta, has just published "The Deepest South of All," a look at the city of Natchez and how its long history continues to impact contemporary life in the town.
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Malcolm White speaks with Lawrence Wells, Oxford-based writer about his new book, In Faulkner’s Shadow. Wells is the author of three novels, director of Yoknapatawpha Press in Oxford, and was married to the late Dean Faulkner Wells, William Faulkner’s only niece. His new book is a memoir recounting not only family stories and rivalries, but also bears witness to Wells’ front row seat in an emerging literary community.
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Melody Moody Thortis speaks to MAC's Director of Arts Industry, Kristen Brandt. In addition to managing MAC's grants to arts institutions across the state, Kristen also manages literary arts related grants and projects including the Poet Laureate and the Mississippi Writers trail. Kristen also serves as the point person for MAC's emergency preparedness initiative including overseeing COVID-19 relief grants.
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Larry Morrisey talks with poet and writer Aimee Nezhukumatathil from Oxford. They will talk about her latest book, "Worlds of Wonder." It is a series of essays about Aimee's love of unique animals and plants and her personal connections to their stories.
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Malcolm White speaks with Betsy Bradley, director of the Mississippi Museum of Art as well as Ryan Dennis, the Museum’s new chief curator and artistic director of the Center for Art & Public Exchange (CAPE). The group discusses the Museum’s current exhibit, Van Gogh, Degas, Monet and Their Times: The Mellon Collection of French Art from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, as well as their experience of operating the art museum during a pandemic.
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This week on the Mississippi Arts Hour, Melody Moody Thortis speaks to Jasmine Williams, a writer, a creative producer and a social entrepreneur. Jasmine is the creator of Sipp Talk Media, a digital platform and creative message company that using storytelling platforms to change the narrative of Mississippi and to center the stories of black experiences.
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This week, remembering the late Mississippi jazz drummer Alvin Fielder. Larry talks with Chad Anderson (pictured), one of Fielder's former students, about Fielder's roots in Meridian, his long career as a musician, and his creative ethos that guided his work.
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Malcolm White talks with Arden Barnett, owner and operator of Ardenland, a music management and promotion company responsible for bringing a wide variety of musical acts to the metro area. The longtime friends discuss the state of the music business during the pandemic and the future of small, independent entertainment venues such as Duling Hall in Jackson.
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Malcolm White talks with Cary Hudson, a legendary Mississippi guitarist, singer and songwriter best known for playing in the alt-country band Blue Mountain as well as his solo career. On the remotely recorded show, the two spoke about Hudson’s lengthy career in music, his experiences in on the road and at home as well as current projects.
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Melody Moody Thortis talks with Carol Roark, a landscape painter and director of the Charleston Arts and Revitalization Effort(C.A.R.E.) in Charleston, Mississippi.
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Malcolm White talks to photographer Ashleigh Coleman, who was recently named the 2020 State Fellow for Mississippi by South Arts. As a mother living in rural Mississippi, Ashleigh’s work often focuses on a sense of place and the requirements, complexities and messiness of motherhood. The two discuss the award, Ashleigh’s inherited Hasselblad camera and more.
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Melody Moody Thortis speaks with River Prince, owner of the Prince Sign Company in Ellisville. Prince works to merge the functions of traditional sign painting with branding, metal fabrication, design and craftsmanship. They talk about his work, his technique and some of his favorite community projects.
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Larry Morrisey visits with acoustic blues musician Libby Rae Watson from Pascagoula. Watson is a native of the Gulf Coast and got to know several legendary Mississippi bluesmen when she was first starting out. She is a member of the Arts Commission’s Artist Roster.
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Malcolm White speaks with Kim Caron, owner of the The Caron Gallery in Tupelo. Located on the city’s Main Street, the gallery represents approximately 40 artists, from various cities, towns and communities across Mississippi. Since 2018, the gallery has been worked with the production team of HGTV’s Home Town show in Laurel.
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Larry Morrisey talks with Tom Booth, Executive Director at Tupelo Community Theatre. They discuss the group’s long history in Tupelo, their work restoring the historic Lyric Theater and how TCT has become a gathering point for the theater community in Northeast Mississippi.
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Malcolm White talks with Ke Francis, a Tupelo-based visual artist known for his prints and paintings. Francis, along with his wife Mary, owns Hoopsnake Press, a fine art press that publishes artist books and prints. Malcolm and Ke talk about the artistic process, teaching and what it was like growing up in Tupelo.
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Larry Morrisey talks with Oxford-based writer Lee Durkee. They discuss The Last Taxi Driver, his new novel that follows the adventures of a small town Mississippi taxi driver who transports a wide range of locals, including elderly residents, hospital patient escapees and a wanted man.
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Malcolm White speaks with Oxford-based author Michael Farris Smith about his newly released book, Blackwood. Known for his Southern fiction, Smith is an award-winning writer whose latest book centers on themes of justice and grace in a rural Mississippi town.
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Melody Moody Thortis speaks to Salam Rida and Travis Crabtree, urban designers and long-term planners for the City of Jackson and co-owners of Jackson’s The Ecoshed, about “The Fertile Ground Project,” a winner of 2018’s national “Public Art Challenge.” They discuss their efforts to use the Fertile Ground project to bring together both local and nationally recognized artists, designers and architects to work alongside farmers, chefs, nutritionists, policymakers and community members.
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Larry Morrisey speaks with arts educator Amanda Koonlaba, a former art teacher in the Tupelo public schools and a member of MAC’s Teaching Artist Roster. Koonlaba runs Party in the Art Room, a space within the Link Centre where she offers visual arts classes to children in the community.
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In honor of Jim Dollarhide, near the anniversary of his tragic death, this is a rebroadcast of Malcolm White’s 2012 interview with the legendary Mississippi filmmaker. Best known for his work in documentaries, Dollarhide also produced commercials for national brands and local organizations, owned and operated a successful production company based in Mississippi, earned many awards and accolades, and influenced a generation of the state’s artists.
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Larry Morrisey travels to Tupelo and visits with painter Charlie Buckley. They talk about Charlie’s early beginnings, starting painting when he was in elementary school and his studies in high school and at the University of Mississippi. They also discuss his current work, including his “Stacked Houses” series, which considers how changes in the climate may effect homes in the future.
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Malcolm White talks with Randy Bell, a veteran journalist about his longtime career in radio. The two talk about Randy’s 40+ year career, which spanned nine governors, four major hurricanes, three floods, many tornadoes, and an array of state and national elections.
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Melody Moody Thortis speaks with the Director of the Chickasaw Development Foundation, Sean Johnson. Sean has worked throughout his career to use the arts as a catalyst for revitalizing small towns and mid-sized cities including New Albany and Houston, Mississippi. Sean shares his passion for community development, his love for the arts, and his advice for others looking for ways to transform their local communities.
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Highlights of the Governor's Arts Awards ceremony for 2020.
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This Sunday, Larry Morrisey visits with singer/songwriter Spencer Thomas from Jackson. Thomas was the drummer and co-founder of the roots band Young Valley. He’s recently released his first solo album, “Hangin’ Tough.” They talk about his process recording the record and his recent touring with a number of veteran musicians, including Jimbo Mathus and Justin Kinkel Schuster.
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Malcolm White talks with Meridian native Patrick Sansone, a talented multi-instrumentalist who has toured, written, and produced for well-known rock band Wilco since joining the band in 2004. In 1999, prior to Wilco, Sansone formed The Autumn Defense with Wilco’s bassist. The group went on to release three full-length albums. In 2010, he published 100 Polaroids, a book of photography.
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Longtime Mississippi Arts Hour host Turry Flucker guest hosts this episode to interview the president of Tougaloo College, Dr. Carmen J. Walters. Tougaloo College will receive a 2020 Governor’s Arts Award for Preservation of the Arts. The Tougaloo College Art Collection was started during the Civil Rights Movement and has grown to include more than 1,500 pieces of fine art. It represents the first collection of modern art in the state. In July 2019, Walters became president of Tougaloo College with a commitment to advance the College’s mission—to provide students with an affordable and high-quality transformative education—and its ongoing commitment to social justice.
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Melody Moody Thortis talks to musician Steve Forbert about his 40 year career as a singer and songwriter. Forbert will be awarded a Governor's Arts Award this year for "Excellence in Music." Photo credit: Jay Blakesberg
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Larry Morrisey visits with Maurice Surrell of the Jackson Southernaires. The group is celebrating their 80th anniversary this year and they continue to be a popular group on the gospel touring circuit. The group is a recipient of one of this year’s Governor’s Arts Awards.
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Larry Morrisey talks with ballet master and 2020 Governor's Arts Award recipient Henry Danton. Danton is a native of England and began dancing in London during World War II. Now 100 years-old, he has traveled throughout the world performing and teaching. He has lived and taught in the Hattiesburg area for the past 23 years.
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Malcolm White talks with Richard Kelso, a 2020 Governor’s Arts Award recipient. Kelso is a Cleveland, Miss., native and well-known Mississippi painter whose work focuses on capturing the beauty, time and place of Mississippi’s land.
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Malcolm White talks with author and publisher Neil White. Best known for his book "In the Sanctuary of Outcasts," Neil White lives in Oxford where he operates a small publishing company, writes plays and essays, and teaches memoir writing. His newly released book is titled, "Stories from 125 Years of Ole Miss Football.”
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Larry Morrisey travels to Greenwood to visit with visual artist Yolande Van Heerden. A native of South Africa, Van Heerden has been working and teaching in the mid-Delta for several years. Most recently, her sewing classes for middle and high school students have been very popular in Greenwood.
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Malcolm White talks with Krista Pieper Bower, chair of the Dance Department at Belhaven University. Krista is also the director of Yazoo City School of Dance. The two talk about the art of dance, building a community of artist-scholars at Belhaven, and the role of the role of the college in the USA International Ballet Competition.
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Melody Moody Thortis speaks with author, Jimmy Cajoleas about growing up in Jackson, his writing process and his upcoming book, “Minor Prophets.”
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Larry Morrisey visits with Amy Allison, a New York-based singer and songwriter and the daughter of the late Mississippi musical legend Mose Allison. She has helped produce "If You’re Going to the City," a new tribute album to her father, featuring a wide range of musicians covering Allison’s songs. Larry talks with Amy about how the album came together as well as discussing Mose Allison’s unique approach to music.
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Melody Moody Thortis speaks with Thabi Moyo; Thabi is a jewelry maker and works at the Mississippi Film Office. Melody and Thabi got a chance to sit down and talk about growing up in Mississippi, making art and what it’s like to work in the film industry
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Larry Morrisey travels to Greenwood and talks with rockabilly and country music pioneer Mack Allen Smith. Smith got started singing for bands in the Delta as a teenager during the 1950s. He recorded in many legendary studios in the region, including Sun Studios in Memphis and Fame Studio in Muscle Shoals. He also performed throughout the region from the late 50s into the 1980s.
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Malcolm White talks with author and broadcaster Bob May. A Newton, Miss. native, May worked in radio broadcasting around the country for many years before returning home several years ago to care for his 90+ year-old father. He has recently published a book titled, "Have Fun Dammit!," a humorous collection of the true stories of his life in a small southern town with his 90-year-old father, an adult son with Down syndrome, and a bossy Yorkshire terrier.
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Larry Morrisey visits with photographer Will Jacks from Cleveland, Mississippi. His book “Po Monkey’s Portrait of a Juke Joint” has just been published by University Press of Mississippi. The book documents the late Willie Seaberry, the proprietor of Po Monkey’s, a rural juke joint that was located outside of Merigold, Miss.
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Melody Moody Thortis talks with artist, Amie Oliver, a Delta native currently living and working in Richmond, Virginia. The two spoke about her work in ink and water based paintings and her show called: “Delta Time: Maps, Planes and Watermarks” now open for viewing at the Delta Arts Alliance in Cleveland, Mississippi until November 1, 2019.
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Malcolm White talks to watercolor artist and keynote speaker for the State Arts Conference Wyatt Waters. Best known for his paintings of Southern culture, Waters is a recipient of a 2010 Governor’s Arts Award. He is also well-known for his collaborations with Chef Robert St. John, which have included several books, international travel, and roles as co-hosts on MPB TV’s Palate to Palette series, which chronicles their travels and culinary and artistic experiences across Mississippi and Italy.
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Melody Moody Thortis talks to Dr. Redell Hearn, Curator of Art and Civil Rights for the Mississippi Museum of Art and Tougaloo College, about Dr. Hearn’s work in the field of Museum studies and her experience incorporating the arts into telling the story of Civil Rights. Dr. Hearn is the Curator for “The Prize: Seven Decades of Lyrical Response to the Call for Civil Rights,” an immersive exhibition that highlights the use of lyrics and poetry and response to the call for Civil Rights. The Prize looks at the “call” represented in sketches of Tracy Sugarman during the summer of 1964 and the “response” represented in song lyrics ranging from “Eyes on the Prize” by Alice Wine to 2018’s “This is America” by Childish Gambino.
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Larry Morrisey visits with Roger Stolle, the owner of Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Arts in Clarksdale. He talks about his latest book, "Mississippi Juke Joint Confidential," which recounts his experiences working with some of the legendary juke joint owners, musicians, and characters, including Red Paden of Red’s Place in Clarksdale and Willie “Po Monkey” Seaberry of Po Monkey’s Lounge near Merigold.
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Malcolm White talks to Tricia Walker, singer/songwriter and former director of the Delta Music Institute at Delta State University. The two talk about Tricia’s storied career, which includes writing songs for Faith Hill, Patty Loveless, Kathy Troccoli and Allison Krauss, who won a GRAMMY® for “Looking In The Eyes Of Love,” co-written by Tricia. As part of the show, Tricia also talks about and plays a few songs from her latest album "Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter Eye."
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Melody Moody Thortis talks with cellist and executive director of the Hattiesburg Arts Council, Rebekah Stark Johnson. Melody and Rebekah speak about learning and performing cello, engaging communities through the arts and some of the newest projects sponsored by the Hattiesburg Arts Council.
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Malcolm White talks to Raphael Semmes, a musician, producer, bandleader, and event organizer. The two friends talk about Raphael’s musical journey and the events he organizes such as Township Jazz Fest', Jazz Brunch at Table 100, and the upcoming family favorite, WellsFest.
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Melody Moody Thortis speaks with artist and activist Talamieka Brice. Talamieka and her husband Charles are co-owners of Brice Media and consider themselves visual storytellers with their work in photography, web and graphic design. Brice's most recent passion project is Mississippi2, a magazine highlighting the achievements of Mississippians along with her work in arts, activism and as an entrepreneur
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Malcolm White talks to Bill Ellison. Bill is a longtime Jackson area musician and since 1992, he has hosted the popular MPB radio program “Grassroots,” which received a Governor’s Arts Award in 2010. He also works with the MPB Foundation.
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Larry Morrisey visits with musician and songwriter Jerry Brooks. Brooks is a MAC Roster Artist and was awarded an Artist Fellowship Award last month. A native of Jackson, he got his start playing bluegrass and country music while still in junior high, later played in rock and soul bands during high school and his twenties, and then returned to acoustic music with the arrival of disco. He’s played with many legendary Mississippi bands, including the Vernon Brothers, Delta Breeze, and The Dog Band.
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Malcolm White talks with blues legend Bobby Rush about his newly released album Sitting on Top of the Blues. Now in his eighties, the 2013 Governor’s Arts Award recipient and 2017 GRAMMY winner still headlines shows and tours internationally, showing no signs of slowing down.
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Melody Moody Thortis talks to MAC’s new Director of Arts-based Community Development, Leslie Ann Barker. Originally from Clinton, MS, Leslie recently moved back home to Mississippi after spending the past 13 years working with communities in Memphis, TN. They talk about Leslie’s background in and passion for theater and community engagement.
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Remembering the late artist and sculptor Floyd Shaman of Cleveland this week. The Lauren Rogers Museum of Art in Laurel recently sponsored a show of Shaman’s work. Larry Morrisey attended the exhibit opening and recorded memories of the artist from his family, friends and former students.
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Malcolm White talks to MAC Roster Artist Antoinette Badenhorst. Known for her work in porcelain, Badenhorst has developed her ceramic mastery over the past 20 years in various countries. She has dedicated most of her career to promoting arts education after developing a passion for teaching.
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Larry Morrisey catches up with musician Jimbo Mathus. He is currently touring to promote Incinerator, his latest album. The record pulls together songs that Mathus has written throughout his career and features a number of guest musicians, including Andrew Bird and Lily Hiatt. Larry spoke to Mathus on location at Duling Hall in Jackson, prior to the concert that evening.
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Melody Moody Thortis talks about the Mississippi Invitational with Dr. Kimberli Gant, guest curator and Betsy Bradley, Director of the Mississippi Museum of Art. The Invitational is a bi-annual exhibit that features works from visual artists from across the state. Melody also talked to this year’s featured artists and recent winners of the fellowship award associated with the Invitational.
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Malcolm White talks to Claire Holley, a folk musician from Jackson, Mississippi. Holley has recorded several solo albums and currently lives in Los Angeles, California. They discuss her music and her Southern roots.
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Malcolm White talks with William Goodman, a mixed media visual artist and muralist based in Jackson’s Fondren neighborhood. Goodman’s aesthetic is known for its blend of graffiti, collage, and culture references.
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Larry Morrisey talks with filmmaker and photographer Michael Ford about his new book "North Mississippi Homeplace." While living in Oxford during the early 1970s, Ford documented rural life in North Mississippi through a documentary film and photography. This book compiles his photographs from that period, including photos of an Oxford blacksmith, a molasses maker and other rural folkways.
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Melody Moody Thortis speak to Hal Jeanes. Hal is a well-known Mississippi based musician, playing in bands such as the Vernon Brothers and the D’Lo Trio for more than twenty years. Melody and Hal spoke about Hal’s musical influences, his love of bluegrass as “fusion” music, and you’ll hear him playing live in the studio.
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Malcolm White talks with Forrest Galey, Eudora Welty curator for the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, about the reissue of the book "Eudora Welty Photographs," published by the University Press of Mississippi. The book, originally published in 1989, features digitally restored photographs taken by Welty in the 1930s-1950s. Famous for her work as a novelist and short story writer, Welty was also an accomplished photographer. The newly released book includes her Depression Era photos of Mississippi as well as pictures from her travels to New York, New Orleans, South Carolina, Mexico, and Europe.
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Larry Morrisey talks with Oxford-based writer Mary Miller about her latest novel "Biloxi." A native of Jackson, Miller has received high praise for her previous novel and story collections. Her latest book follows the adventures of a gruff Gulf Coast retiree and his dog.
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Malcolm White talks to Ward Emling, an actor, activist, and longtime director of the Mississippi Film Office. The two discuss film incentives, Emling's return to the stage as an actor, and the recent film festivals in which Emling has played a key role.
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Larry Morrisey visits with Iretta and Johnie B. Sanders, a husband and wife blues duo who have recently settled in Mississippi. Johnie a native of Chicago, and Iretta, originally from Tunica, met in Chicago. They started performing together and later spent several years in St. Paul, Minnesota. They moved to Mississippi in 2016 and are becoming regular performers at clubs and festivals around the state.
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Melody Moody Thortis talks to Calvin Phelps, the founder and director of Pike School of Art in McComb. They talk about the mission of the School and some of it's recent community outreach programs. They also talk about Phelps' role as President of the McComb Creative Economy Partnership.
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Malcolm White talks to Cole Furlow, a singer/songwriter, producer, composer and photographer based in Jackson.
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Larry Morrisey travels to Oxford to talk with singer songwriter Andrew Bryant. A native of Calhoun County, Bryant has been recording and touring for nearly 15 years. His latest record, 2018’s “Ain’t It Like the Cosmos,” received strong reviews in the music press.
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Diane Williams talk with Jackson-area hip hop artist Michael Norris, a.k.a. Mr. Fluid, on this week’s Mississippi Arts Hour. Mr. Fluid is an emcee, poet, and producer. He has released three albums produced entirely by himself, the latest of which is titled, "When Conformity Is Not Comfortable."
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Malcolm White talks with Dr. Edgar E. Smith, chairman of the Mississippi Blues Commission’s Blues Musicians Benevolent Fund. Dr. Smith is a retired biochemist and educator who grew up in the Mississippi Delta and was exposed to the blues at an early age. Although Dr. Smith’s professional background involves science, education, university administration, and philanthropy, he has retained his longstanding interest in and passion for the blues.
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Larry Morrisey talks with bluesman Robert Kimbrough, Sr. Kimbrough is the son of the late legendary bluesman Junior Kimbrough. He grew up playing the blues with his father and brothers and is now active as a touring and recording musician. He also presents the Kimbrough Cotton-Patch Blues Festival, an annual festival in Holly Springs.
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Melody Moody Thortis talks to Oxford based painter, Glennray Tutor. They spoke about the inspiration and meaning behind his hyper-realism paintings. A true master, Glennray shares some of his unique methods, techniques and approach to creating his works of art.
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Malcolm White talks to Oxford-based artist Carlyle Wolfe. Carlyle creates works of art inspired by the nature around her. The silhouetted shapes of leaves and other flora are often the subjects of her paintings and sculptures, evoking themes of the passage of time and notions of beauty. She has a BFA in painting from the University of Mississippi and an MFA in painting and drawing from Louisiana State University and is a past MAC Fellowship recipient.
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Larry Morrisey visits with Adam Estes, a professor of music at the University of Mississippi. They talk about his work with his group, The Assembly Quartet (current MAC Roster Artists) and the upcoming saxophone conference at the university.
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Melody Moody Thortis talks to Oxford based fiber artist, Andi Bedsworth. Andi is also the director of the Oxford Fiber Arts Festival. Melody spoke with Andi about her background in art, theatre, teaching, and her work in the community. This week’s episode was recorded at the Southern Documentary Project offices, part of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture on the campus of Ole Miss.
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Malcolm White travels to Oxford to talk with area sculptor and MAC Visual Arts Fellowship recipient Earl Dismuke.
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Larry Morrisey visits with Stacy Howell, the executive director of the Mary C O’Keefe Cultural Center in Ocean Springs. Howell tells about the history of the building and gives details on the wide range of arts and cultural programming that the Center provides for residents on the Coast.
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An episode remembering the 2019 Governor’s Arts Award recipient for Excellence in Photography and Community Support, James Patterson. Melody Moody Thortis talks to friends and colleagues of the late photographer including guests Ron Blaylock and Laurin Stennis about their memories about his life, his art and his legacy.
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Larry Morrisey talks with folklorist and 2017 Governor’s Arts Award recipient William Ferris about the Grammy nomination for his latest project, a box set of his recordings and films. They also talk about how he got started documenting local folk culture while growing up on a farm in Warren County.
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Malcolm White interviews Ruth Miller, textile artist and 2019 Governor’s Arts Award recipient for Excellence in Visual Arts, on Mississippi Arts Hour. Miller is known for her intricate portraits, landscapes and abstract works of art made entirely of yarn. She is a past recipient of Mississippi Arts Commission’s visual art fellowship, a 2014 Mississippi Invitational Artist at the Mississippi Museum of Art, and she has been included in numerous group and solo exhibitions throughout the state and country.
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Melody Moody Thortis interviews Francine Thomas Reynolds and Dawn Buck of New Stage Theatre. This February, New Stage Theatre will receive a Governor’s Arts Award for Excellence in Theatre. The trio discusses the history of the Theatre, the role the venue has played in enhancing theatrical productions in the Jackson area and state, as well as New Stage’s upcoming show, Hell in High Water, which is set in Greenville, Miss., during the Flood of 1927 and features the music of 2017 Governor’s Arts Award recipient Vasti Jackson.
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Larry Morrisey interviews Harvey Lee Watkins Jr., leader of the Canton Spirituals, a well known gospel group that will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2019 Governor’s Arts Awards. For more than four decades, the Canton Spirituals have mixed blues and R&B with traditional gospel, creating a sound that’s all their own. Demand for their live performances has taken them to venues across the United States and abroad.
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Melody Moody Thortis talks to Gulf Coast artist Carmen Lugo. They discuss what it’s like being a full-time artist working in mixed media, acrylic and encaustic. Carmen describe her efforts to use visual art as imagery to explore human emotion as well as her love of nature and her experiences teaching art classes at The Mary C. O'Keefe Cultural Center of Arts and Education.
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Larry Morrisey talks with dancer and choreographer Summer Baldwin. A native of northern Florida, Baldwin has been living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast for several years. She is active as a dancer, teacher, choreographer, and actor and is currently planning a contemporary dance festival for this coming March in Ocean Springs. She is also a member of MAC’s Artist Roster
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Malcolm White interviews John Anderson, a Bay St. Louis-area architect and musician. Along with his wife Allison, he helped revitalize Bay St. Louis in the years following Hurricane Katrina with artful vision and environmentally friendly design.
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Melody Moody Thortis talks to Ann Madden, photographer, graphic designer, mixed media artist, and co-owner of Smith & Lens gallery in Bay St. Louis. Ann and Melody discuss Ann’s early life growing up in New Orleans and studying in France as well as inspiration for her art and her work to plan popular Bay St. Louis events such as “Frida Fest” and “Dolly Should” as part of her work with Smith and Lens.
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Malcolm White interviews Pascagoula restaurateur Richard Chenoweth, owner of Scranton's Restaurant and Catering.
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Larry Morrisey visits with writer and humorist Harrison Scott Key. A native of Rankin County, Key currently teaches at the Savannah School for Art and Design. His latest book, “Congratulations – Who Are You Again?” is a memoir of his time learning to be a writer, from his earliest attempts at trying to write through to the endless book tour he took on to promote his first book.
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Larry Morrisey talks with musician, producer and MAC Roster Artist Christopher “Big Yayo” Mabry. Mabry is best known for his hit southern soul songs “Cowgirl” and “Boots On.” They talk about his family’s musical history, his early work as a musician while growing up in Holmes County and his development as a producer as well as his recent success as a performer.
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Malcolm White interviews Hank Burdine, Mississippi Delta writer and bon vivant. He is the author the new book Dust in the Road: Recollections of a Delta Boy, a collection of his stories from Delta Magazine. The book features a forward by 2019 Governor’s Arts Award recipient Julia Reed and an epilogue by Richard Grant.
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Melody Moody Thortis talks to Monique Davis, the new director of the Center for Art and Public Exchange at the Mississippi Museum of Art. The Center’s mission is to use original artworks, exhibitions, programs, and engagements with artists to increase understanding and inspire new narratives in contemporary Mississippi.
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A re-broadcast of a 2011 interview with Jackson photographer James Patterson, who passed away on October 21st. In the show, Larry Morrisey talked with James about the origins of his interest in photography as a child, working as the printer of Eudora Welty’s Depression era photos, and his series of portraits of Mississippi artists, for which he received an Artist Fellowship grant from MAC.
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Malcolm White talks to author and political consultant Jere Nash. They talk about Nash growing up in Greenville, his work as a political consultant and creating the Mississippi Book Festival.
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Larry Morrisey visits with Jim O’Neal, co-founder of Living Blues magazine and one of the primary researchers for the Mississippi Blues Trail. They talk about his long career in documenting the blues, focusing on his work on the Mississippi Blues Trail over the past decade.
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Malcolm talks to Arden Barnett, owner of Ardenland, a Jackson-based entertainment company. Arden got his start in the music business at Hal & Mals in the 1980s. The two longtime friends discuss live music and Arden’s work as a promoter, producer and music presenter.
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Melody Moody Thortis talks with Sean Starwars and Anne Campbell, MAC Visual Art Fellowship recipients who are featured in Creatures Among Us, an exhibit now on display at the Mississippi Library Commission. The show features Halloween-esque works of art, perfect for the season
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Larry Morrisey visits with bluegrass musician and bandleader Alan Sibley from Ackerman. Sibley has been playing music professionally since he was a teenager. He and his band are the hosts of “The Bluegrass Trail,” a new show on the RFD-TV cable network. In addition to performances by Sibley and the group, they have a guest band spot, where they showcase up and coming bluegrass groups from the Southeast.
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Malcolm White talks to longtime Jackson-area musician Barry Leach. They discuss how he learned to play guitar, his musical influences and being a guitar teacher.
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Malcolm White talks with Holly Lange, executive director of the Mississippi Book Festival. The two talk about the recent festival, how it has grown and changed in its four years of being and about the Mississippi Writers Trail.
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Larry Morrisey speaks to Jane Hearn, the editor of “A Past That Won’t Rest,” a new book of Civil Rights-era photography. The photographs were taken by her late husband Jim Lucas, who worked as a freelance photojournalist while attending Millsaps College. They are compelling photos that mostly have never been published.
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Malcolm White talks to Delta-based musician John Mohead. After years of touring, during which he played with or opened for the likes of Bob Dylan, Robert Randolph, Little Feat and many others, he returned to Mississippi to focus on his family and open a restaurant on Moon Lake. He recently released a new album, Son of the South.
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Larry Morrisey talks with MAC’s new Arts Industry Director Sondra Lee-Bell. She is best known in central Mississippi for her work as a musician and music minister. They talk about her roots in Yazoo City as well as her work as the Minister of Music at Anderson United Methodist Church in Jackson.
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Malcom White talks to Julian Rankin about his book Catfish Dreams. The book tells the story of African-American catfish farmer and Mississippi Native Ed Scott.
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Malcom White talks to artists Anne O’Hara of Jackson and Barbara-Ann Carver-Hunt of Sumrall. The artists are featured in a partnership between the Mississippi Library Commission and the Mississippi Arts Commission to showcase artists adjudicated through MAC’s annual Visual Artist Fellowship Grant program. They talk about their artistic influences and their style of art.
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Larry Morrisey travels to Meridian to talk with Storyteller and MAC Roster Artist Terrence Roberts. Roberts got started telling stories to his children and then got introduced to the world of professional storytelling. He currently travels throughout the state telling African folktales and other stories to school groups and at festivals.
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Malcolm White interviews John Howell, actor, founder of Fondren Theatre Workshop, and teacher at Whole Schools Initiative-affiliated Casey Elementary.
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Melody Moody Thortis, Arts-Based Community Development at MAC, talks with Chris Myers, principal and architect at Cooke, Douglass, Farr, Lemons and Rachel Myers, Director of the Museum of Mississippi History. Melody spoke with Chris and Rachel about their deep passion for the state of Mississippi and the beauty of of community, creativity and the arts.
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Larry Morrisey travels to Meridian and visits with Mark Tullos, director of the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience, or The MAX for short. The new facility tells the story of creativity in Mississippi. Tullos gives an overview to the exhibits and describes the cutting edge technology that they utilize
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Malcolm White talks with Sherry Lucas, a longtime features writer and editor. The two discuss culture, food, arts and entertainment in Jackson. Lucas also talks about the opportunities and challenges of being a free-lance writer.
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Melody Moody Thortis talks to David Lewis, project specialist for the Greater Jackson Arts Council. The two speak about public art, creative placemaking and using the arts as a tool to empower communities
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Malcolm White talks with Alexander Bostic and Dominic Lippillo, MAC visual art fellowship recipients featured in the exhibit "A Perspective of People" now on display at the Mississippi Library Commission. Bostic and Lippillo are both art professors at Mississippi State University.
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Larry Morrisey talks with Oxford-based writer Chris Offutt about his new novel, Country Dark. The book is set in Eastern Kentucky in the early 1960s and follows the story of a young moonshine runner and his family. Offutt grew up in the region and the novel was a way for him to delve into the huge changes that took place in Appalachia during the 1960s and 70s.
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Melody Moody Thortis talks to Mona Nicholas, Executive Director of the USA International Ballet Competition. The IBC, started in 1979 is held every four years in Jackson, MS and regularly welcomes over 40,000 attendees from 25 nations and 30 states. Melody and Mona speak about the history of the competition and its founder, Thalia Mara and the distinct caliber of this event. You can find more information online at www.usaibc.com
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Larry Morrisey talks with author Michael Kardos. His latest novel is “Bluff,” which follows the story of a young washed-up magician who steps into the world of card cheats and gets more than she bargains for. In addition to the details of the book, Kardos also talks about his time working as a magician on the boardwalk at the New Jersey shore.
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Diane Williams talks with Dr. London Branch, accomplished musician, writer, educator, conductor and retired Jackson State University professor. He was instrumental in building the JSU symphony and still teaches students privately and performs locally. He is joined by one of his former students, Daniel Parker, who currently lives in Memphis
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Larry Morrisey travels to Starkville to talk with photographer and Mississippi State professor Marita Gootee. Her photography focuses on examining the concept of memory, which she has pursued through different processes and techniques, creating a varied and distinctive body of work. Gootee has received two artist fellowships from the Arts Commission and has been featured in the Mississippi Museum of Art’s biennial shows five times.
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Malcolm White talks to journalist and author Jonathan Miles. They talk about Miles time in Oxford, his career as a journalist and free-lance writer and his latest novel
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Larry Morrisey talks with Oxford-based writer Michael Farris Smith about his latest novel, The Fighter. The book follows the story of an aging cage match fighter from the Mississippi Delta who is dealing with the effects of his years in the ring.
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Malcolm White talks to visual artists Teresay Haygood and Roger Cleaves. Haygood is the currator for a series of exhibitions co-sponsored by the Mississippi Arts Commission and the Mississippi Library Commission. Cleaves is one of the featured artists. He talks about his carrer, style of work and artistic influences
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Turry Flucker speaks with Dominic Lippillo. Dominic is among nine visual artists from around the region receiving a State Fellowship from Atlanta, Georgia-based and MAC‘s regional partner South Arts. In addition to Mississippi, this year’s recipients represent Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Dominic Lippillo's work questions the role of photography by making digitally constructed images that address notions of space versus place, memory, and experience. Selections of his collaborative work are included in the permanent collections of The Museum of Photographic Art; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa; and the University of North Dakota. His work has been published in Don't Take Pictures, Exposure, Daily Serving, and The Eye of Photography
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Larry Morrisey travels to Starkville to talk with percussionist Robert Damm. Damm is the director of Music Education Partnerships at MSU and is specialist in African percussion. He performs throughout the region with his group and leads drumming classes at MSU
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Malcolm White talks to Jackson based artist Amelia Key. They discuss her artistic influences, her artwork and her job working with stained glass at Pearl River Glass Studio in Jackson.
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Larry Morrisey traveled to Starkville to learn about the arts and cultural programs at the Mississippi State University Library. Library staffer Sarah McCullough gives details on these programs, including the upcoming Ragtime Festival, the new Ulysses S. Grant Museum and programming at the Historic Cotesworth home in Carroll County.
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Malcolm White talks to Mississippi Arts Commission Grants Director Diane Williams about the grant programs offered through the MAC. They also talk about her work as an artist.
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Turry Flucker talks to La Tanya Autry. She currently serves as Art and Civil Rights Curator at the Mississippi Museum of Art. Her role is in partnership with the Tougaloo College, where she will organize exhibitions lecture about works of art related to the African American liberation struggle from the early 20th century to today.
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Turry Flucker talks to Executive Director Stuart Rockoff about the work of the Mississippi Humanities Council. The Mississippi Humanities Council was founded in 1972, and during that time the Mississippi Humanities Council played an important role in helping to bring about social change in Mississippi, organizing and supporting interracial meetings and funding grants to communities to discuss desegregation and other important issues. Today, MHC continues to create opportunities for Mississippians to learn about themselves and the larger world and enrich communities through civil conversations about our history and culture.
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Larry Morrisey hosts a tribute to the late bluesman and MAC Roster Artist Leo “Bud Welch. Welch passed away in December 2017 at the age of eighty-five and a busy but brief career as a touring musician. Larry talks with “Highway 61” show host Scott Barretta about Welch’s career and his impact on the Mississippi blues scene. He also will speak with Vencie Varnado, Welch’s manager who helped him land a recording contract and accompanied the musician on tours around the world.
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Malcolm White talks to Jackson based singer/songwriter Chris Gill. They talk about his career, his musical style and influences and his guitars. Chris plays some tunes live in studio as well
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Turry Flucker talks with 2018 Governor’s Arts Awards recipient and Artistic Director of Ballet Mississippi, David Keary from Jackson. David Keary began his ballet training with the Jackson Ballet under the direction of Albia Kavan Cooper, and later became the first professional dancer under the direction of Thalia Mara. He completed his training at the School of American Ballet, the official school of the New York City Ballet. Keary was invited by George Balanchine to join the New York City Ballet. David Keary currently serves as artistic director of Ballet Mississippi.
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Larry Morrisey talks with Governor’s Arts Award recipient Steve Azar of Greenville. Starting in music as a teenager, Azar had major hits on country radio in the early 2000s. He continues to perform, but also is the co-founder of the Mighty Mississippi Music Festival and helps to support Delta-based non-profits through his charitable foundation.
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Turry Flucker talks with Betsy Bradley, director of the Mississippi Museum of Art and former executive director of the Mississippi Arts Commission. A Greenville native, Betsy received her B.A. in English from Millsaps and M.A. in literature from Vanderbilt University. A longtime arts leader, her role as director of the Mississippi Museum of Art has allowed her to expand the Museum's mission, especially in the realm of education and public participation. Her love of the arts comes from espousing a basic belief that art speaks for us all. Betsy outlines the current programs and exhibitions which includes, Picturing Mississippi, 1817-2017: Land of Plenty, Pain, and Promise, the landmark exhibition exploring Mississippi identity, and commemorates the 200th anniversary of Mississippi's statehood and White Gold: Thomas Sayre is an immersive site-specific installation, by artist Thomas Sayre, which depicts a cotton-filled Southern landscape.
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Larry Morrisey talks with 2018 Governor’s Arts Awards recipient V.A. Patterson from Jackson. Patterson got her start in the arts at an early age, attending performances with her mother a columnist for the Clarion-Ledger newspaper. She spent her career in the arts and culture, working in historic preservation, museum work and heading up the Craftsmen’s Guild and Very Special Arts of Mississippi.
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Malcolm White talks to the Executive Director of the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council, Wayne Andrews. The Council is a recepient of one of the Governor's Arts Awards for 2018. They talk about the goals of the organization and some of their programming.
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