Mississippi Arts Hour

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.  

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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”).

Highlights of the 2024 Governor's Arts Awards ceremony held at the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson on February 8, 2024.