Mississippi Arts Hour

Larry Morrisey talks with writer Snowden Wright from Yazoo City. Wright is a native of Meridian and his new book, “The Queen City Detective Agency,” is set there during the 1980s. Wright tells us about his pathway to becoming a writer and his interest in setting a book in his hometown. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB.  https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast.  

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.  

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.  

Revisiting a 2023 conversation between Mississippi Arts Commission Director David Lewis and Meridian Symphony Orchestra Education Director Kayla Fuentes.

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.  

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.  

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.  

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.