Southern Storytellers

Arts and Music Series / 1 Season

Celebrate Southern identity through the eyes of contemporary creators of literature, music, film and TV, among them authors Angie Thomas, Jesmyn Ward and David Joy; poet Jericho Brown; songwriters Lyle Lovett, Tarriona “Tank” Ball, Jason Isbell and Justin Moore; songwriter/actor Mary Steenburgen; songwriter/screenwriter/actor Billy Bob Thornton; and screenwriters Qui Nguyen and Michael Waldron.

11m

Natasha Trethewey Returns to New Orleans

2m 31s

Pulitzer Prize winner Natasha Trethewey's book of poetry "Monument" is creative defiance against cultural erasure in the face of white supremacy. Trethewey returns to New Orleans where the removal of Confederate monuments begs the question, "What was there?"

Jesmyn Ward Reads From Her Memoir 'Men We Reaped'

2m 13s

Two-time National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward is from DeLisle, Mississippi, also known as "Wolftown." Ward wrote her memoir "Men We Reaped," in memory of her late brother and four of her friends. She laments the erasure of her ancestors and culture.

Justin Moore Discusses the Inspiration for His Songwriting

1m 13s

Country music star Justin Moore still lives in his hometown of Poyen, Arkansas; population 300. Moore shows us the land he grew up on and remembers his grandfather who inspired his songwriting.

Episode 3 Preview

30s

In episode three, some of the South’s most compelling and influential contemporary creators take us to the places that feed their imaginations: Mississippi author Jesmyn Ward, Georgia screenwriter and series creator Michael Waldron, Arkansas songwriter Justin Moore, Mississippi poet Natasha Trethewey, New Orleans songwriter Tarriona “Tank” Ball and Virginia songwriter Thao Nguyen.

Episode 2 Preview

30s

Six of the South’s most influential creators take us home to the places that define them: author Angie Thomas to Mississippi; singer/songwriter Jason Isbell to his musical Alabama roots while Amanda Shires takes us to the farm the couple shares; Michael Twitty revisits rural Alabama; Lyle Lovett remembers the Texas of his childhood; and Qui Nguyen returns to his Arkansas small town.

Screenwriter Qui Nguyen on Storytelling

1m 14s

Screenwriter Qui Nguyen ("Raya and the Last Dragon") was given the gift of storytelling by his grandmother who fled Vietnam with nothing. He remembers her saying, "The only thing I have of value, are my stories. Because when I left Vietnam I was escaping... Story is the only thing that any of us have of value."

Author Angie Thomas Talks About Being Bullied

1m 35s

New York Times Bestselling Author Angie Thomas ("The Hate U Give") loves writing for young people, because she believes it's "the most meaningful time in their lives, when you can save their lives." She speaks from experience; she was bullied in middle school to the point she considered taking her own life.

Author David Joy with Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle

4m 38s

Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle is the author of "Even As We Breathe" and a citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Annette takes author David Joy ("Those We Thought We Knew") to Kituwah Mound, the "most sacred place for the Cherokee."

Episode 1 Preview

30s

Southern creators of literature, music and film explore deep ties with the South: Billy Bob Thornton reflects on a life of writing songs and screenplays; Adia Victoria celebrates music and marriage near Nashville; David Joy laments the loss of the Appalachian culture he loves; Jericho Brown reveals the South to be essential to his creativity; and Mary Steenburgen remembers her Arkansas childhood.

Southern Book Prize Winner David Joy

4m 35s

Novelist David Joy ("Where All Light Tends to Go") lives deep in the Blue Ridge mountains of Jackson County, N.C. But the landscape and culture is changing fast as land development continues at a record pace. Joy laments this change, and writes about a people and place often "misunderstood."

Pulitzer Prize Winning Poet Jericho Brown

2m 15s

Pulitzer Prize winning poet Jericho Brown delivers a powerful spoken word reading of his poem, "Foreday in the Morning." For Jericho, the South is the foundation and inspiration for his writing. "The South is my air, it's what I breathe. It's who I am."

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