Mississippi Arts Hour

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.  

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.  

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.

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.