CONTACT:
Shanderia.Minor@mpbonline.org
601-432-6567
JACKSON, Miss. – Speaking with Storytellers is the title of the MPB Classics series for August 2021. This collection highlights Mississippi’s contribution to storytelling in five talk shows from five of it’s most celebrated storytellers: Willie Morris (My Dog Skip), Shelby Foote (The Civil War: A Narrative), Margaret Walker Alexander (Jubilee), Ellen Douglas (Apostles of Light) and Jerry Clower (From Yazoo City - Mississippi Talkin’).
MPB Classics is a collection of original television programs by Mississippi Public Broadcasting. The programs document the local culture and history of Mississippi through literature, visual arts, folklore, music, storytellers and more.
Every month for the next three years, a new set of MPB Classics programs will be available for free on-demand viewing at video.mpbonline.org for two months. Afterward, they will be accessible through MPB Passport for paid subscribers.
The August 2021 MPB Classics series Speaking with Storytellers will be available for free on-demand viewing until September 30. The series includes the following:
Acclaimed writer and editor Willie Morris is interviewed in front of a live studio audience about his long and storied career, providing many humorous anecdotes along the way. He speaks on his humble beginnings writing about sports in Yazoo City, his tenure as the editor for Harper’s Weekly, and returning home to his native Mississippi.
Author and historian Shelby Foote, best known for his multivolume history of the Civil War, speaks on how his methods of writing change when writing fiction versus nonfiction as well as how he believes all writers should approach the world around them.
Iconic poet and novelist Margaret Walker Alexander reveals how the social and physical landscapes of the South are ingrained in her work. She also gives insight into the 30-year writing process of her acclaimed novel Jubilee.
Acclaimed novelist Ellen Douglas is interviewed shortly after the publication of her book Truth: Four Stories I Am Finally Old Enough to Tell. She speaks on her creative process, how her first novel became published, and her lifelong relationship to literature.
Nationally celebrated humorist Jerry Clower tells the story of how a fertilizer salesman from Yazoo City, Mississippi became an icon in the world of comedy. He gives insight into where his comedic tales come from but… just how many of these stories are true?
MPB is a state agency that also operates as a PBS and NPR affiliate broadcasting station. For more information visit www.mpbonline.org. Find all MPB press releases here.
###
Mississippi Public Broadcasting provides relevant instructional and public affairs programming to Mississippians through its statewide television and radio network. MPB enhances the work of educators, students, parents and learners of all ages by providing informative programming and educational resources. MPB’s locally produced programming focuses on the people, resources and attractions that reflect Mississippi’s unique culture and diverse heritage. Children’s television programs constitute a major portion of the daytime and weekend morning schedules. MPB provides a valuable resource to Mississippians in disseminating information as part of the state’s emergency preparedness and response system. Since 1970, MPB has won over 350 national, regional and statewide awards, including Emmy®, Edward R. Murrow and Parents’ Choice® Awards.
