Rooted

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit rooted.substack.com Today I’m sharing the full interview with Curtis Wilkie, which we recorded back in October. We rarely put anything behind a paywall, but this uncut version of our conversation is just for paid subscribers. You can also listen to the episode via the Rooted podcast on Spotify (other podcasting platforms will only have...

Last month, best-selling author Meryl Wilsner joined our book club to talk about their sapphic soccer romance Cleat Cute . We had a buzzy chat about writing a character with ADHD, miscommunication as narrative device, and imagining a professional women’s soccer team based in New Orleans. Meryl even gave us some insight into what it was like to have their book optioned for TV by soccer superstars M...

This is the seventh installment in the Chronicles from Parchman series, a monthly column by the talented and prolific writer, L. Patri, who has been incarcerated on Parchman’s death row for over thirty years. This week, Mr. Patri and I were able to record him reading his essay. Click “Listen to Post” if you want the audio experience. For twenty-two years, all of my lawyers were white people. I alw...

In the fall of 2023, interdisciplinary artist Kristen Tordella-Williams and writer Liz Egan—both former Pink House defenders—invited reflections on the closing of the Jackson Women’s Health Organization. That project became Void , two 24” x 48” artist books with pages made of mended bed sheets and text written in iron dust. The project “ commemorates those who preserved access to healthcare that o...

In August, best-selling author Aimee Nezhukumatathil joined our book club to talk about her delectable and life-giving collection of food essays, Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees . The chat was hopping with questions and comments from listeners, and Aimee graciously responded to them all. (Most memorably, Eric shared that he tried the rice cooking hack that Aimee writes about in her essay...

Last month, author Boyce Upholt joined our book club to talk about his ambitious and riveting history, The Great River: The Making and Unmaking of the Mississippi . There was a vibrant discussion in the book club chat! Folks asked great questions and Boyce captivated us with his knowledge and stories about Earthworks, the Army Corps of Engineers (yes, he makes engineering history interesting!), an...

Last month, author Gerry Wilson joined our book club to talk about her richly imagined Southern Gothic novel, That Pinson Girl . She talked to us about writing about the influenza epidemic of 1918 while in the early days of the COVID pandemic, the family stories that served as inspiration for her characters, and the difficulty—and fun—of writing from a villain’s POV. Our book club members (me incl...

In May, Dionne Ford joined our book club to talk about her luminous and forthright memoir Go Back and Get It: A Memoir of Race, Inheritance, and Intergenerational Healing . We talked about her writing process, finding the photo that started her quest through the annals of historical archives and genealogical records to find her ancestors, and the many research detours she took along the way. I esp...

In April, Harrison Scott Key joined our book club to talk about his heartbreaking and hilarious memoir How to Stay Married . I think we were all struck by how open and honest Harrison was about his life and writing. He talked to us about his writing process, why religion and spirituality is such an important piece of the book, and what it’s been like to have a deeply personal and vulnerable memoir...

In March, I talked with Katy Simpson Smith and Rooted book club members about Katy’s layered and immersive novel, The Weeds . Katy spoke about her research process, how her experience in academia shaped the narrative arc of one of the protagonists, and the surprising ways in which her home state creeped into the novel. This was a fun discussion. Even if you haven’t read the book, I think you will...

In February, I talked with Tyriek White and Rooted book club members about Tyriek’s lyrical and award-winning novel We Are a Haunting (Astra House, 2023). Tyriek spoke about the meaning behind his beautiful book cover, his unique approach to crafting setting and character, and the ways in which living in Mississippi influenced the writing of this book. This was a deep and valuable discussion. Even...

In January, I talked with Ellen Ann Fentress and the book club squad about her brilliant memoir The Steps We Take: A Memoir of Southern Reckoning (University Press of Mississippi, 2023). Ellen Ann always speaks with candor and clarity about even the most complex and uncomfortable of topics . I enjoyed diving into this rich discussion with her and the rest of our fabulously insightful participants....