Mississippi Arts Hour

Maria Zeringue talks with photographer Adam Shemper. Shemper is a native of Hattiesburg, where his most recent exhibition “Light in These Hills: Oxford Mississippi” was on display at Prospect Gallery. He is also this year’s recipient of the Photography Award from the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB.  https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast

Larry Morrisey visits with veteran southern soul performer and Delta native Nathaniel Kimble. They talk about Kimble's musical roots in the northern Delta, his start with a radio hit, and life on the road in the southern soul circuit. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB.  https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast.  

Kristen Brandt talks with Benjamin Morris, poet and author of a newly released poetry collection, The Singing River. Benjamin holds a degree in Creative Writing from the University of Edinburgh and is a two-time recipient of the Literary Artist Fellowship for poetry. He has also been honored by the Academy of American Poets and the Chancellor's Medal for Poetry from the University of Cambridge.

Lauren Rhoades talks with poet and fiction writer Olivia Clare Friedman whose most recent collection of poetry, AN ARM FIXED TO A WING, was published by LSU Press. The poems in this book seek out the spiritual elements that haunt the everyday, the divine wing fastened to an earthly arm. Elegies and poems of nostalgia appear alongside pieces celebrating the speaker’s present moment, with the underlying knowledge that such moments slip past too easily. Friedman is director of the Center for Writers at the University of Southern Mississippi. Listen as they discuss Olivia Clare Friedman's journey as an artist, the creation of her collection of poems, and her decision to return to her Southern roots.

Kristen Brandt talks with Chad Edwards. Chad is a photographer and wax-rubbing artist based in Laurel, MS. He is a tour manager and social media promoter for Cary Hudson of the southern rock band Blue Mountain. Chad has also been a featured artist, has done photography for HGTV’s Home Town, shared his skills through workshops at the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, and has published photographs in Legends Magazine. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB.  https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast.  

 Larry Morrisey visits with quilter Stephany Brown from Jackson. Brown was taught traditional hand quilting by her grandmother. She has been actively quilting for twenty years and has recently started teaching workshops. She has also been a demonstrating quilter for the current “Of Salt and Spirit” quilt exhibit at the Mississippi Museum of Art.

Lauren Rhoades talks with writer, photographer, and teacher Nadia Alexis, whose debut collection of poetry, BEYOND THE WATERSHED, was just released by Cavan Kerry Press. The book is a moving portrayal of generational trauma, domestic violence, survival, and reclamation. Nadia was born and raised in Harlem, New York City, to Haitian immigrants, and she currently resides in Mississippi. Listen as they discuss Nadia Alexis's journey as an artist, the creation of her debut collection, and her experience as a Mississippi transplant.

Highlights of the 2025 Governor's Arts Awards ceremony.

Kristen Brandt speaks with Mary Anderson Pickard, writer, painter, and eldest daughter of Walter Anderson. Mary has contributed to many publications that explore different parts of Walter Anderson’s artistic practice including A Symphony of Animals, Form and Fantasy: The Block Prints of Walter Anderson, and the recently reprinted Anderson’s Alice which pairs Lewis Carroll’s classic story Alice in Wonderland with Walter Anderson's visualizations inspired by the text. Mary is herself a painter and has been dedicated to the preservation of Oldfields, the historic home built by Alfred Lewis which became the residence of the Anderson family. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB.  https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast.