Write On, Mississippi!

Listen as author Julia Philips becomes fast friends with host Matt Sawyer as they talk about her latest best-selling book, Bear.Julia Philips: Julia Philips is the author of the bestselling novel Bear and Disappearing Earth, a finalist for the National Book Award, and one of The New York Times Book Review’s 10 Best Books of the Year. A 2024 Guggenheim fellow, she lives with her family in Brooklyn.HostMatt Sawyer: Matt is an educator, podcaster, writer, and hip-hop artist based in Macon County, North Carolina. He is the creator of the Story Made Project, an exploration for and of stories that make a difference in our world.   

Join Crystal Wilkinson as she sits with Ebony Lumumba to discuss her national best-selling book, Praise Song for the Kitchen Ghosts: Stories and Recipes from Five Generations of Black Country Cooks. Crystal Wilkinson: Crystal Wilkinson is an acclaimed American author, poet, and educator known for her poignant and lyrical explorations of identity, family, and rural Black life in Appalachia.Host Ebony Lumumba: Ebony Lumumba is an English professor specializing in African American and Diasporic literature. Her work intersects education, activism, and literature, making her a vital voice in discussions on contemporary race, culture, and social progress.

Join Richard Grant as he talks with Matt Sawyer about his book, A Race to the Bottom of Crazy. In A Race to the Bottom of Crazy, Grant blends memoir, research, and reporting to explore what makes Arizona both perplexing and undeniably captivating.Richard Grant: Richard Grant is an author, journalist, and television host. He currently writes for the Smithsonian magazine, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Telegraph UK, Aeon, and several other publications. He grew up in London, England, and now lives in Tucson, Arizona.HostMatt Sawyer: Matt is an educator, podcaster, writer, and hip-hop artist based in Macon County, North Carolina. He is the creator of the Story Made Project, an exploration for and of stories that make a difference in our world.

Join Kate Medley as she talks with Matt Sawyer about her coffee-table book of photographs, Thank You Please Come Again. The book has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and CNN, among others. It was named a Best Book of 2024 by NPR and won the 2024 Mississippi Institute of Arts & Letters prize.Kate Medley: Kate Medley is a North Carolina-based visual journalist documenting the American South. Born and raised in Mississippi Kate has investigated Civil Rights-era cold cases, covered the devastating impacts of Hurricane Katrina, and chased down hot tamales and Koolicles in the Mississippi Delta.HostMatt Sawyer: Matt is an educator, podcaster, writer, and hip-hop artist based in Macon County, North Carolina. He is the creator of the Story Made Project, an exploration for and of stories that make a difference in our world.   

Join New York Times bestselling author Patrick deWitt as he talks to Matt Sawyer about his newest novel, The Librarianist. The story follows retired librarian Bob Comet. The book is billed as a wide-ranging and ambitious document of the introvert's condition. Patrick deWitt: Patrick deWitt is the author of the novels French Exit (a national bestseller), The Sisters Brothers (a New York Times bestseller short-listed for the Booker Prize), and the critically acclaimed Undermajordomo Minor and Ablutions. Born in British Columbia, he has also lived in California and Washington, and now resides in Portland, Oregon.HostMatt Sawyer: Matt is an educator, podcaster, writer, and hip-hop artist based in Macon County, North Carolina. He is the creator of the Story Made Project, an exploration for and of stories that make a difference in our world.

Writer, educator, musician, and University of Mississippi MFA graduate from Brooklyn, NY, delves into his debut novel We Are a Haunting.Tyriek White: Tyriek Rashawn White is a writer, musician, and educator from Brooklyn, NY. He is currently the media director of Lampblack Literary Foundation, which seeks to provide mutual aid and various resources to Black writers across the diaspora. He has received fellowships from Callaloo Writing Workshop, New York State Writers Institute, and Key West Writers' Workshop, among other honors. He holds an MFA in fiction from the University of Mississippi.HostMatt Sawyer: Matt is an educator, podcaster, writer, and hip-hop artist based in Macon County, North Carolina. He is the creator of the Story Made Project, an exploration for and of stories that make a difference in our world.