I wanted to be where the action was

I wanted to be where the action was

“I’m a child of the beat generation. I was influenced by beats, jazz, and improvisation. Jack Kerouac was a beat-generation novelist and wrote the book, On the Road. That was my  inspiration, and I quit school at Ole Miss the semester before I was going to...
Why Be Sad When You Can Be Happy?

Why Be Sad When You Can Be Happy?

“I like to dress up and do this all of the time. I’m a member of the Prissy Peacocks. We are part of the Sweet Potato Queens. I give out stuff to strangers every year for Christmas. I gave out 30-something loaves of Amish bread already. I give out pencils, pens, and...
Music Became What I Give My Attention To

Music Became What I Give My Attention To

“I played music as a kid, but spent more time in the woods. We’d run off in the creeks, disappearing into the trees from sunup to sundown. Squirrel hunting. Fishing. Trapping. Country-boy-out-in-the-woods stuff. And music was always there, running alongside it. ...
The Tenth Anniversary of Our Southern Souls

The Tenth Anniversary of Our Southern Souls

Today is the 10th anniversary of Our Southern Souls. I can’t begin to say what all of the 2,222 people and their stories mean to me, but part of my devotion readings this morning came close. “When was the last time you listened to the stories of others?…Listening to...