Mississippi Arts Hour MPB Think Radio

Sarah Story interviews Ralph Eubanks about his new book, "A Place like Mississippi: A Journey Through a Real and Imagined Literary Landscape." They talk about Ralph’s experiences of growing up on a farm in Mississippi during the Civil Rights Movement, returning to the state after a long absence, and how he was inspired to write a book about the literary landscape of the state.
The two also discuss the upcoming Mississippi Book Festival, which will take place Aug. 21 in downtown Jackson.

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Larry Morrisey talks with musician and composer Igor Iwanek. Iwanek combines academic training in western classical music with longtime independent study of Indian classical music to create music that fuses the multiple traditions.
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Sarah Story speaks with Catherine Pierce, Mississippi’s new Poet Laureate. Pierce has been a professor of creative writing at Mississippi State University since moving to the state in 2007. She received the 2021 Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters’ Poetry Award for her book Danger Days. Sarah and Catherine discuss the role of the state’s environment on her work, why poetry is for everyone, and Catherine’s plans to promote poetry throughout the state in her role as poet laureate.
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Melody Moody Thortis speaks with H.C. Porter, a visual artist whose work is often recognized due to its unique style and high contrast colors. As a photographer, printmaker and painter, Porter’s work as an artist and cultural ambassador is rooted in an effort to use the visual arts to tell the stories of Mississippians. They talk about her journey to document the people of Mississippi after Katrina and her work with blues legends across the state – this work is chronicled through her books, Backyards and Beyond and Blues at Home. 
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Leslie Barker talks with Heather Barnes and Heather Bailey about Uproar Theatre Company, Inc.; a new company in Jackson, created by and led by women. Uproar works to create theatre that will inspire audiences and spark important community conversations. 
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Larry Morrisey travels to Malaco Records in Jackson to talk with label president Tommy Couch, Jr. Malaco has just published a large-format book that documents the history of the music label, from its beginnings as a small music booking operation and growing into a highly regarded independent record label focused on blues, R&B and gospel music. 
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