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 Derrick Harriell joins host and Mississippi Poet Laureate Catherine Pierce to talk about paying attention to our senses, writing about what we might not discuss, and why an overcast day is perfect.  A resource for teachers and community groups can be found here: https://arts.ms.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Podcast-Supplement_Harriell.pdf Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Larry Morrisey visits with violinist Marta Szlubowska. They talk about her early musical training while growing up in Poland, her tenure as the concertmaster for the Mississippi Symphony, and her current work as a group leader and featured soloist.If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcastPhoto by Roy Adkins, Light & Glass Studio, courtesy of MAC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mississippi Arts Commission Executive Director Sarah Story speaks with award-winning writer and director Patrick O’Connor. His most recent film about the battle over the Mississippi state flag, Look Away, Look Away, won the 2022 Erik Barnouw Award for outstanding documentary dealing with American History from the Organization of American Historians. It was also the Audience Choice Awards for Best Film and Best Documentary at the 2021 Oxford Film Festival. This past June, he received a Special Achievement Award from the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters for his work on Look Away, Look Away. He lives in Pass Christian, Mississippi, with his wife, the writer Margaret McMullan.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 (@laurenrhoades) talks with Jackson-based visual artist and pastry chef Guillermo "Billy" Salinas (@guillermosalinasart) about his experience on a Food Network baking competition, his plein air drawing practice, and his newest culinary venture, Just Vanilla Bakes (@just.vanilla.bakes). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leslie Barker talks with music creator and curator, Stephen Brown (also known as 5th Child), about how growing up in Jackson inspired him as a hip-hop artist. He also discusses his work as a mentor to students and young artists, his brand-new music, and exciting upcoming projects.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 Sunday, Larry visits with Oxford-based author Chris Offutt about his new book, “Shifty’s Boys.” It’s the second in a series of books that follows Mick Hardin, a veteran of the war in Iraq and an expert woodsman, as he solves a murder in rural eastern Kentucky. They also talk about Offutt’s longtime love of photography. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah Story talks with Charles Williams, a contemporary visual artist from Georgetown, South Carolina and Calvin Phelps, the founder and director of the Pike School of Art in McComb, Miss. Charles worked with Calvin and the community of McComb to create a new album with sounds and interviews from the town.If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcastIn the photo, Charles Williams is on the left and Calvin Phelps is on the right. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mississippi Arts Commission emeritus director Malcolm White visits with photographer and filmmaker David Rae Morris. They discuss his new book, “Love, Daddy: Letters from My Father,” a collection of letters from his father, the late Mississippi writer Willie Morris. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leslie Barker talks with MAC’s Folk and Traditional Arts Director, Maria Zeringue and two folk artists - quilter Janice Mitchell and tatter and jewelry maker, Alan Kolodny. Janice and Alan are both part of the current exhibit, Mississippi Traditions: An Exhibit Celebrating Featured Artists of the Mississippi Folklife Directory.In the photo, Janice Mitchell is on the left and Alan Kolodny is on the right. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Larry Morrisey visits with David Dennis, Senior and Junior on their new book collaboration, “The Movement Made Us.” The book documents David Sr’s work in the Civil Rights movement in Louisiana and Mississippi during the 1960s, including working closely with fellow activists Medgar Evers, Bob Moses and Fannie Lou Hamer. Also included are David Jr’s reflections on how his father’s work effected their family when he was growing up. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

MAC emeritus director Malcolm White guest hosts the show and talks with painter and designer Reshonda Perryman. Perryman serves as Creative Design Manager at Visit Jackson, but is best known for her colorful community murals, including the one featuring Jackson legends that is across the street from the Two Mississippi Museums and one in downtown Fayette, her hometown. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah Story talks with William Dunlap, a painter, author, advocate and commentator. With a career spanning over four decades, Dunlap has exhibited internationally and is included in numerous public and private collections. The 1991 Governor's Arts Award recipient will be awarded the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters 2022 Noel Polk Lifetime Achievement Award on June 11 in Jackson.If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Larry Morrisey talks with filmmaker John Rash. Rash creates films for the Southern Documentary Projects center at the University of Mississippi. He has also established the Southern Punk Archive at UM. He is collecting oral histories and materials on punk music in the American South for the collection.If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Malcolm White talks with Marcy Fischer Nessel, owner of Fischer Galleries in Jackson. They talk about her initial years in the gallery work, working for the late photographer and gallery owner James Patterson, the development of Fischer Galleries and the artists who she currently exhibits.If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah Story talks with Elizabeth Abston and Margaret Bucci about organizing the Andrew Bucci centennial series of exhibitions, programs, and events across the state. Abston is a curator and owner of fine arts appraisal and advisory business Elizabeth Abston LLC. Margaret Bucci, who is Andrew Bucci’s niece and executor of his estate, has been an integral part of organizing exhibitions honoring his legacy for many years. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB.https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leslie Barker talks with film and television actor, Allie Grant. You may know her as Isabelle Hodes on Weeds or Lisa Shay on Suburgatory. She also happens to be a Mississippi native. Allie talks about life as a working actor in Los Angeles and New York, but also about her upcoming Mississippi-based projectsIf you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Larry Morrisey talks with Grammy Award-winning music producer Scott Billington, who has a new book out on University of Mississippi Press on his career producing southern roots musicians. He details his work with many legends, including Irma Thomas, Charlie Rich, Solomon Burke, Ruth Brown, Bobby Rush and many more.Photo courtesy of University Press of Mississippi.If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah Story talks with Jenny Mann, the new executive director of the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra. She began her tenure with MSO in January and was previously the executive director of the Tuscaloosa Symphony and its principal bassoonist. Jenny’s passion and career focus in music management, fundraising, performance and education led her to Mississippi Symphony Orchestra. Sarah and Jenny discuss leadership in the arts and the exciting events on the horizon for MSO. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Malcolm White guest hosts the show and visits with painters Paul Fayard and Ron Lindsey. Both live in Clinton, Mississippi and often paint together on location. They discuss their individual styles and life of a painter. Listen at 5 p.m. on MPB Think Radio. The show is also available on major podcasting platforms.If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, we speak with musicians Queen Iretta and Johnnie B. Queen Iretta was born in Tunica and moved to Chicago where she met Johnnie B, whose family was also from Mississippi. In today’s conversation, these musicians share how Mississippi hospitality brought them back to our special state. To celebrate our exhibition "A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration," this podcast explores conversations with Mississippians on both sides of the Great Migration: those that left and those that stayed. This weekly limited series dives deep into how the U.S. has evolved due to this historical phenomenon that saw more than six million African Americans leave the South. Food, music, and literature are just a few of the topics to be highlighted. Brought to you by the Mississippi Museum of Art, in partnership with the Mississippi Arts Commission and Mississippi Public Broadcasting.Committed to honesty, equity, and inclusion, the Mississippi Museum of Art is a leader in engaging art, artists, and participants in the critical work of reckoning with the past, connecting with each other in the present, and envisioning a future without division. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leslie Barker talks with Alehandro Wooten (Alē), visual artist and Executive Director of the Hattiesburg Arts Council. Alehandro discusses the power of the arts in communities, what it means to be accessible for everyone, and upcoming Hattiesburg Arts Council events. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcastPortrait by Traci Stover Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Larry Morrisey talks with Nicholas Ciraldo, a classical guitarist from Hattiesburg and director of the University of Southern Mississippi’s Guitar Studio. Ciraldo talks about how he first got interested in classical guitar, how the style of playing is different from folk and other guitar styles and how he used the funds from a recent Arts Commission fellowship to help him work on digital and remote partnerships during the pandemic.If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah Story speaks with Jessica Bell Brown and Ryan N. Dennis, co-curators of the exhibition A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration, opening at the Mississippi Museum of Art on April 9. Co-organized by the Mississippi Museum of Art and the Baltimore Museum of Art, this major exhibition will unveil newly commissioned works by 12 of the most acclaimed African American artists working today, examining the profound impact of the Great Migration on the social and cultural life of the United States. Ryan N. Dennis is MMA’s Chief Curator and Artistic Director of the Museum’s Center for Art and Public Exchange and Jessica Bell Brown is BMA’s Associate Curator of Contemporary Art. The MMA and BMA will also create a range of digital assets, including an upcoming podcast series, tied to the exhibition.If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB.  https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leslie Barker talks with Professor and Chair of the Department of Music at the Mississippi University for Women, Julia Mortyakova. Julia recently received a MAC Performing Arts Fellowship for Piano. She is particularly passionate about giving women composers a platform. She speaks about the Music by Women Festival of which she is the founder and director.If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB.  https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah Story speaks with Myrna Colley-Lee, a 2022 Governor’s Arts Awards recipient for Excellence in Costume Design and Arts Patron. Myrna Colley-Lee is an internationally known costume designer as well as a philanthropist, arts advocate and patron. Credited as one of the foremost costume designers in the Black Theatre Movement, she started her career in the late 1960s and is an active designer today.If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB.  https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leslie Barker talks with Governor’s Arts Awards Governor’s Choice Award recipient, Holly Lange. Holly’s commitment to the arts in Mississippi led her to coordinate events such as Jubilee!JAM and the Crossroads Film Festival. She also founded the Mississippi Book Festival. Holly shares stories about her incredible creative endeavorsIf you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution to MPB.  https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah Story talks to Thad Lee, an Oxford-based artist. Lee is an award-winning filmmaker, photographer, and writer, known for All That You Love Will Be Carried Away (2020) and October (2003). He and Sarah discuss a recent collaboration project Lee exhibited with his wife, artist Carlyle Wolfe Lee. The exhibition at Southside Gallery in Oxford featured a series photographs and paintings inspired from the couple’s travels and explorations of nature.If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider making a contribution 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 and essayist Aimee Nezhukumatathil joins host and Mississippi Poet Laureate Catherine Pierce for a lively conversation about where poems come from, being a “noticer,” and her favorite sea creature.A resource for teachers and community groups can be found here: Podcast Supplement_Nezhukumatathil (ms.gov) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah Story talks with photographer Ashleigh Coleman, a MAC fellowship recipient and 2020 South Arts State Fellow for Mississippi. They discuss Ashleigh’s experience living in rural Mississippi and documenting her children’s lives, finding joy and magical moments in their messes. Ashleigh’s work has been exhibited throughout the U.S and has been published in Oxford Magazine, Garden & Gun, and Southern Living.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leslie Barker talks to ASU Jazz Festival longtime organizer and ASU music professor, David Miller. This year, the ASU Jazz Festival is being honored with the Governor’s Arts Award for Arts in Community. For more than four decades, the festival has brought some of the most significant jazz performers in the history of the genre to the state, often representing the only occasion many of these musicians perform in the state. Under the direction of Dr. Miller for 35 years, the festival aims to educate students and others though workshops and discussions with artists.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah Story talks with Maurice Carlos Ruffin, an author and the 2020-2021 John and Renee Grisham Writer-in-Residence at The University of Mississippi. He is the author of "We Cast a Shadow," which was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award, the PEN/Open Book Award, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize and long-listed for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and International Dublin Literary Award. His latest book “The Ones Who Don’t Say They Love You” is a collection of stories set in New Orleans. He and Sarah talk about his residency, new book, and life as an attorney turned writer.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Malcolm White interviews filmmaker Anthony Thaxton and restauranteur Robert St. John about the newly released “Walter Anderson: The Extraordinary Life and Art of The Islander,” a documentary and accompanying book based on the fascinating life and work of Mississippi Gulf Coast watercolorist. The documentary premiered on MPB Television on Nov. 4 and features family interviews, never-before-seen artwork and breathtaking images from Anderson’s beloved Horn Island. The companion book was released in November and is available at independent bookstores and online.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leslie Barker interviews artist, illustrator, teaching artist and Greenwood, Mississippi native, Chuck Galey. Chuck will talk about Adventures in the Imagination, an exhibition featuring his original illustrations from published books. The exhibition will be at the MAX in Meridian through March 12. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah Story talks with Claire Whitehurst, an Oxford-based painter, printmaker and ceramicist. The two talk about Claire’s techniques and inspirations as well as the new book Mirror Drawings. Published by Drum Machine Editions, Claire created this bound suite of screen prints as a 2021 publishing resident at Drum Machine. They also discuss Claire’s online exhibition, Mississippi Shade with Steve Turner gallery in Los Angeles Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Larry Morrisey visits with Daniel De Vise, author of the new biography on BB King (“King of the Blues: The Rise and Reign of BB King”). De Vise talks about how King’s childhood shaped his drive to succeed, how he invented his own unique guitar style and the ups and downs of his 60+ year career. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Melody Moody Thortis talks with Harry Bolick and Tony Russell, authors of the new book "Fiddle Tunes from Mississippi: Commercial and Informal Recordings, 1920–2018, a new publication from the University Press of Mississippi. Harry and Tony share their work collecting the music of Mississippi fiddlers, including many previously unheard recordings from across the state.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leslie Barker talks with one of this year’s Performing Arts Fellowship recipients, Nancy Maria Balach. Nancy Maria discusses her life in music, the crucial role of arts in education, and the University of Mississippi’s upcoming production of THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Malcolm White welcomes guests Ellen Rodgers Daniels and Ralph Eubanks. Ellen Rodgers Daniels is the executive director of the Mississippi Book Festival and Ralph Eubanks is an author who presented at this year’s virtual festival. The group talks about the 2021 festival offerings, its pivot from in-person to virtual this past August as well as Ralph Eubanks’ new book “A Place Like Mississippi.” All presentations and panel discussions from the 2021 Book Festival are now available, free of charge, as videos or podcasts via bookfestival.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Larry Morrisey visits with Tom Kersen, a professor at Jackson State University about his new book “Where Misfits Fit: Counterculture and Influence in the Ozarks.” The book looks at the distinctive culture of the Ozarks region and how it has drawn a wide range of musicians, counter-culture types and back to the land enthusiasts since it was initially settled. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Melody Moody Thortis speaks with 2021 MAC Fellowship recipient, Sophie Glenn. Sophie is a furniture maker and steel fabricator who works to explore the relationship between the two. Sophie's work invites the viewer in to discover that things may not always been as they seem. They talk about the craft of metalworking, its connection to history and how it’s being transformed through Sophie's work to explore a contemporary version of this traditional work. Photo Credit: Megan Bean Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leslie Barker talks with The End of All Music record store owner, David Swider. David tells us about the origins of the original Oxford location and the new Jackson store that just opened up in Fondren. He also gives lots of great Mississippi music recommendations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah Story talks with Adrienne Brown David, a painter based in Oxford, Miss. In her work, Adrienne captures black childhood in a way that is pure and uninterrupted, drawing inspiration from her four daughters and the Southern landscape. She has exhibited in New York and Oxford alike, was named one of Buzzfeed’s “26 Black Artists That’ll Help You Start Your Own Art Collection,” and her artwork was recently selected as the poster artwork for the 2021 Mississippi Book Festival.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Larry Morrisey visits with ceramic artist and potter Stephen Phillips from Crawford, Miss. As a child, Phillips created animal figures out of mud and “fired” them in an improvised kiln. He got his official start working in clay as a student at East MS Community College and later earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts at MUW in Columbus. Phillips has a studio in Crawford but exhibits his work throughout the country. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Melody Moody Thortis speaks with Eric Stracener. Eric --twice named best singer-songwriter by the Jackson Free Press -- talks about his new album, Ocean Springs and his creative journey throughout his musical career. You'll hear about how his inspirations and how his music and subsequent albums have continued to evolve over the years.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leslie Barker talks with one of this year’s Performing Arts Fellowship recipients, Treya Dionne Brown. Treya is a writer and professionally trained film, stage, and voice over actor. Join us as she talks about how her Hattiesburg roots have grown into a life in the arts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah Story talks with Ming Ying Hong, an interdisciplinary artist based in Starkville. She has exhibited throughout the U.S. and was recently named the South Arts Mississippi State Fellow. A professor of drawing at Mississippi State University, her work explores bodies at the margins, questioning the way we define, categorize, and assign power to them.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Larry Morrisey talks with Bruce Watson from Oxford-based Fat Possum Records about “Memphis ’69,” their newly released documentary film. The film documents the final Memphis Country Blues Festival, held in the summer of 1969 that featured performances by several Mississippi blues greats, including Son Thomas, Bukka White and Mississippi Fred McDowell. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Melody Moody Thortis speaks with Danielle Burns Wilson, guest curator of the 2021 Mississippi Invitational, the Mississippi Museum of Art’s biennial showcase of 42 visual artists from across the state. She also talks to Coulter Fussell, a Water Valley-based quilter and textile artist who is this year’s winner of the Jane Crater Hiatt Artist Fellowship.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.