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Now You're Talking with Marshall Ramsey
Michael Farris Smith | Southern Noir Author
Joining us today is Michael Farris Smith. He is an award-winning writer whose novels have appeared on Best of the Year lists with Esquire, NPR, Southern Living, Garden & Gun, Oprah Magazine, Book Riot, and numerous other outlets. He lives in Oxford, Mississippi, with his wife and daughters, and the state he knows so well serves as a backdrop for his recently critically acclaimed novel, “Salvage This World.” A prolific master of the Southern noir, Rough South, and Grit Lit traditions who has published seven novels in the past decade, Michael has two of his novels coming to the screen this fall from Lionsgate.
Marshall Ramsey, a nationally recognized, Emmy award winning editorial cartoonist, shares his cartoons and travels the state as Mississippi Today's Editor-At-Large. He's also host of a "Now You're Talking" on MPB Think Radio and "Conversations" on MPB TV, and is the author of several books. Marshall is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and a 2019 recipient of the University of Tennessee Alumni Professional Achievement Award.
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Joe Lee | Publisher Extraordinaire
48:30|Joe Lee has a background in radio, television, and journalism and was a radio disc jockey and a television weatherman before becoming a full-time writer and publisher. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Dogwood Press, a small but traditional publishing house headquartered in Brandon, Mississippi, and he is the author of nine suspense novels set in northeast Mississippi and a pair of non-fiction books released earlier this year. He has over 1,000 non-fiction news and feature stories to his credit and has written for several Mississippi newspapers and magazines over the years. He lives in Brandon with his family.Marshall Ramsey, a nationally recognized, Emmy award winning editorial cartoonist, shares his cartoons and travels the state as Mississippi Today's Editor-At-Large. He's also host of a "Now You're Talking" on MPB Think Radio and "Conversations" on MPB TV, and is the author of several books. Marshall is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and a 2019 recipient of the University of Tennessee Alumni Professional Achievement Award.Lisa Cookston | Museum of the Mississippi Delta
48:54|If you’re looking to see some cool stuff and learn about our state’s history, consider the Museum of the Mississippi Delta. Director Lisa Cookston joins us via Zoom today to talk about the museum, which at the crossroads of regional history and art. Located in Greenwood, the building houses visual reminders of the Delta’s military and agricultural history. Lisa is New Orleans-born but Greenwood-raised, and in addition to talking about the museum will fill us in on her story and why she’s so proud to call Mississippi home.Marshall Ramsey, a nationally recognized, Emmy award winning editorial cartoonist, shares his cartoons and travels the state as Mississippi Today's Editor-At-Large. He's also host of a "Now You're Talking" on MPB Think Radio and "Conversations" on MPB TV, and is the author of several books. Marshall is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and a 2019 recipient of the University of Tennessee Alumni Professional Achievement Award.William "Peppy" Biddy | A Mississippian Thespian
48:25|What do you say we kick off the month of December chatting about Christmas play? Arts educator and friend to many William “Peppy” Biddy is back in town to direct “Million Dollar Quartet Christmas” at New Stage theatre in Jackson. Peppy is a professor emeritus of Mississippi University for Women where he served 31 years and directed over 40 productions. During his tenure at “The W”, he received a plethora of honors including the Lowndes County Educator of the Year Award. His current project is Million Dollar Quartet Christmas, a festive and electrifying musical by Colin Escott, that will take the stage December 4 – 22.Marshall Ramsey, a nationally recognized, Emmy award winning editorial cartoonist, shares his cartoons and travels the state as Mississippi Today's Editor-At-Large. He's also host of a "Now You're Talking" on MPB Think Radio and "Conversations" on MPB TV, and is the author of several books. Marshall is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and a 2019 recipient of the University of Tennessee Alumni Professional Achievement Award.Blaine Waide & Dr. Ebony Lumumba | The National Folk Festival
47:59|This episode is produced in loving memory of Maggie Hurley, Marshall's mother-in-law and dear friend, who passed the day before this show was recorded.If you haven’t heard by now, a massive music festival has decided to make our capitol city its host for the next few years. The 82nd National Folk Festival will take place in downtown Jackson, Mississippi November 7-9, 2025 but with a kickoff event having gone by and plenty of media coverage the hype is starting early. First presented in St. Louis in 1934, the National Folk Festival is the flagship event of the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) and celebrates the roots, richness, and variety of American culture. Here to tell us more is NCTA executive director Blaine Waide and Department Chair of English at Jackson State University, Dr. Ebony Lumumba.Marshall Ramsey, a nationally recognized, Emmy award winning editorial cartoonist, shares his cartoons and travels the state as Mississippi Today's Editor-At-Large. He's also host of a "Now You're Talking" on MPB Think Radio and "Conversations" on MPB TV, and is the author of several books. Marshall is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and a 2019 recipient of the University of Tennessee Alumni Professional Achievement Award.Anthony Thaxton | Eudora
47:46|There’s a new documentary soon to air on MPB Television and today’s guest wants to tell you about it. Renowned writer Eudora Welty is explored through intimate photographs and in charming interviews of family and friends set against the backdrop of Jackson, Mississippi. A film by Anthony Thaxton, Eudora is a revealing portrait of adventure, daring, humor, and love as we meet a writer we only thought we knew. Anthony is an accomplished artist in several mediums and has taken home a plethora of awards, including an Emmy that is no-doubt on display in his home in Raymond, Mississippi.Marshall Ramsey, a nationally recognized, Emmy award winning editorial cartoonist, shares his cartoons and travels the state as Mississippi Today's Editor-At-Large. He's also host of a "Now You're Talking" on MPB Think Radio and "Conversations" on MPB TV, and is the author of several books. Marshall is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and a 2019 recipient of the University of Tennessee Alumni Professional Achievement Award.Kenneth Williams | Marathon Man
49:00|Sometimes you just need a friend, and that’s what today’s guest is to me and so many others. Corinth native Kenneth Williams joins us by phone today to tell some stories about where his life has taken him. He decided in 1977 it would be fun to run a marathon, and that decision has led to the completion of 75 marathons over the ensuing 46 years, many around the world. This includes 23 Boston Marathons, 22 consecutively, and he briefly ranked 3rd in the World Marathon Majors rankings for 80+ year old males. Kenneth is also a poster child for maintaining a family business and civic engagement.Marshall Ramsey, a nationally recognized, Emmy award winning editorial cartoonist, shares his cartoons and travels the state as Mississippi Today's Editor-At-Large. He's also host of a "Now You're Talking" on MPB Think Radio and "Conversations" on MPB TV, and is the author of several books. Marshall is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and a 2019 recipient of the University of Tennessee Alumni Professional Achievement Award.Ross Walton | Preserving History Thru Podcast
47:16|A native Mississippian, Ross Walton became involved in digital humanities as a way of promoting the Hattiesburg music scene. He began publishing a monthly music podcast, The South Mississippi Music Sampler, in 2005. Wishing to learn more about the oral traditions of storytelling, he started as a volunteer with the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage that same year, taking over production of the Center’s award-winning weekly radio show, Mississippi Moments. He is now the editor and producer of a new World War 2 podcast that we’ll discuss today, Each episode in “Voices of Our People: WWII” features approximately an hour of in-depth analysis by top military historians combined with interviews in the the Center’s archives.Marshall Ramsey, a nationally recognized, Emmy award winning editorial cartoonist, shares his cartoons and travels the state as Mississippi Today's Editor-At-Large. He's also host of a "Now You're Talking" on MPB Think Radio and "Conversations" on MPB TV, and is the author of several books. Marshall is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and a 2019 recipient of the University of Tennessee Alumni Professional Achievement Award.Nash Nunnery | Keeping the Green
51:11|A proud native of the Mississippi Delta, author Nash Nunnery has peened newspaper and magazine articles for various publications over four decades, including the Clarion-Ledger, Jackson Daily News, Mississippi Business Journal, Clinton News, Mississippi Sports Magazine, Clinton Courier, Vicksburg Post and Rankin County News. He joined the Mississippi Development Authority as a project manager and after being laid off lived his childhood dream of being a groundskeeper for the Mississippi Braves in their final season.Marshall Ramsey, a nationally recognized, Emmy award winning editorial cartoonist, shares his cartoons and travels the state as Mississippi Today's Editor-At-Large. He's also host of a "Now You're Talking" on MPB Think Radio and "Conversations" on MPB TV, and is the author of several books. Marshall is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and a 2019 recipient of the University of Tennessee Alumni Professional Achievement Award.Patrick Carpenter | A Bard of the South
46:10|Patrick Carpenter is Singer/Songwriter from Jackson, Ms. He moved to Nashville full time after being a part of several acts in Mississippi and quickly joined other artists and bands on the Nashville circuit. His First studio album “Chasing Me” debuted at #1 on the iTunes singer/songwriter charts in 2021. Carpenter has amassed over 10 million streams and opened for acts such as Grammy Award Winner and Rock N’ Roll Hall Of Famer, Sheryl Crow. It’s also drive time here at MPB, and we’ll be telling you how you can make a difference during the show.Marshall Ramsey, a nationally recognized, Emmy award winning editorial cartoonist, shares his cartoons and travels the state as Mississippi Today's Editor-At-Large. He's also host of a "Now You're Talking" on MPB Think Radio and "Conversations" on MPB TV, and is the author of several books. Marshall is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and a 2019 recipient of the University of Tennessee Alumni Professional Achievement Award.