Mississippi Arts Hour

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Highlights of the 2025 Governor's Arts Awards ceremony. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of the Mississippi Arts Hour, Larry Morrisey speaks with writer David Johnson about his new biography of legendary Mississippi bluesman Booker “Bukka” White. Johnson tells us about his rural upbringing, the records he made in the 1930s and 40s and the revival of his career during the blues revival of the 1960sIf you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Mississippi Arts Hour, Leslie talks with Governor’s Arts Award recipient for Excellence in Motion Picture, Tate Taylor. His incredible work includes The Help, Get On Up, Ma, and Palm Royale. In our conversation, he takes a deep dive into his past work, filming in Mississippi, and gives us a glimpse of what’s coming next. He even tells us about his favorite spots to visit in Mississippi. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Maria Zeringue speaks with 2025 Governor's Arts Awards Excellence in Traditional Arts recipients, The Rising Stars Fife and Drum Band. Sharde Thomas Mallory and Chris Mallory are the dynamic duo behind the Rising Stars Fife and Drum Band. Sharde's grandfather, Otha Turner, known as the father of Fife and Drum music, continues his legacy today. In recent years, the band has grown into a worldwide brand and monumental blues history sensation, playing at some of the best venues in the country, including the Lincoln Center and the Ryman Auditorium, as well as countless festivals around the globe. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lauren Rhoades sits down with 2025 Governor's Arts Awards Excellence in Visual Arts and Landscape Architecture recipient Robert Poore. With a 36-year career rooted in artistry and design, Robert has dedicated himself to landscape architecture and creative collaborations with artists and cultural institutions. Robert's visionary work is showcased in some of the state's most beloved landscapes, including the Mississippi Art Garden, the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, the Mississippi Children's Museum Literacy Garden, and the Crosby Arboretum. His legacy enhances the beauty of the South while protecting its rich heritage for generations to come. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kristen Brandt visits with 2025 Governor's Arts Awards Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Walt Grayson. Grayson is known for his career as a storyteller in broadcasting. He is a revered figure in Mississippi and has spent over five decades narrating the stories of his beloved state. He currently works as a news anchor and lifestyle/feature reporter for WJTV-12, but his career spans radio and television on multiple Mississippi networks. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Larry Morrisey talks with blues musician and 2025 Governor’s Arts Award recipient Eddie Cotton. Cotton is a nationally touring musician who has recorded a number of well-received albums. His latest, “The Mirror,” was released in 2024 on Malaco Records, the legendary Mississippi record label. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Lewis visits with 2025 Governor's Arts Award recipient Jane Crater Hiatt. Hiatt will receive the Stephen C. Edds Patron of the Arts Award at the 2025 Governor's Arts Awards ceremony on Thursday, February 6, at 6 p.m. at the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson. Hiatt is a Jackson native who has served as a leader in the Mississippi arts community for decades, including at MAC. Her deep generosity and keen and strategic philanthropy continue to impact the Mississippi arts community.. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Arts Hour, Lauren Rhoades talks with Louis Bourgeois, founder of the Mississippi Prison Writes Initiative, whose goal is to teach and encourage creative writing and the arts in prisons across Mississippi. They’re also joined by Corey Carroll, a formerly incarcerated writer and visual artist whose writing and drawings are included in the recently released anthology, edited by Louis, titled Unit 29: Writing from Parchman Prison. Listen as they discuss the creation of the anthology, which includes the work of dozens of incarcerated writers, as well as the role of the creative arts in prisons Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Maria Zeringue talks with writer Minrose Gwin. Gwin is a native of Mississippi who was born in Tupelo. She has devoted much of her writing career to exploring Mississippi's landscapes, food, characters, and history. Her most recent novel, "Beautiful Dreamers," takes place on the MS Gulf Coast and follows a recently divorced single mother, Virginia Feather, her daughter Memory, and Virginia's best friend, Mac McFadden, as she starts her life over and navigates the complexities of her chosen family in the fictional town of Bell Cote. Gwin is the author of 4 novels, a memoir, and four books of literary and cultural criticism, including "Remembering Medgar Evers: Writing the Long Civil Rights Movement." If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kristen Brandt talks to Eliot Parker. Eliot is an author based out of Oxford with a new book titled Double-Crossed. This thriller follows the continued stories of investigator Ronan McCullogh whose past adventures are chronicled in Parker’s earlier works A Knife’s Edge, an Amazon bestseller, and Fragile Brilliance which received the Literary Merit Award from the West Virginia Library Association. He is also the host of his own podcast program, Now Appalachia. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Larry Morrisey visits with jazz drummer (and Jackson native) Darrian Douglas. Douglas has been based in New York City for the past several years, but he spent the formative years of his professional career in New Orleans, where he played in Ellis Marsalis’ band, among others. Douglas is also the director of the Second Line Arts Collective, a New Orleans-based nonprofit that provides jazz education for grade school students and professional development workshops for young music professionals... If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Lewis speaks with author and historian Jasmine Holmes. Jasmine is a Jackson native and has written seven books. David and Jasmine talk about her inspirations, her work at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, and her latest book, Yonder Come Day. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more 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 Melissa Ginsburg joins host and Mississippi Poet Laureate Catherine Pierce to talk about paper dolls, poetry as a lens, and the magic of focusing on process instead of product. A resource for teachers and community leaders can be found here: https://arts.ms.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Podcast-Supplement_Ginsburg-2.pdf Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Maria Zeringue talks with artists Robin Whitfield and Shirley Hamilton. Robin is the founder of the non-profit, Friends of Chakchiuma Swamp, which was developed to manage and interpret the Lee Tartt Nature Preserve in Grenada, MS. Shirley is an art teacher, based in Winona, who also serves on the board of Friends of the Chkchiuma Swamp. In this episode, Robin and Shirley discuss their “Enchanted Forest” event at the Lee Tartt Nature Preserve. This community event invites people to engage with nature through a creative and playful lens. They also talk about their own work as artists, which celebrates the connections between nature, art, and community. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.