Authentic South

Bestselling novelist Cassandra King talks about her book Moonrise as well as her writing relationship with her husband, famous author Pat Conroy. "Being married to another writer was just like dropping a little fat kid into a candy store." Originally aired December 13, 2013.

Preeminent Southern folklorist Bill Ferris has spent the last 40 years documenting the South in print, photography and film. His book, The Storied South, is a collection of interviews with some of the South's (and country's) most iconic writers and artists, including Alice Walker, Alex Haley, Robert Penn Warren and Eudora Welty. We discuss the book, the importance of story and how Bill defines the South. Featuring the song "Remember You Used to Love Me" by War Jacket. Originally aired September 10, 2013.

One of the highlights of Knoxville’s International Biscuit Festival is the Mr. & Miss Biscuit Pageant. This episode profiles Liz Barr, the reigning Miss Biscuit 2013. Her win was surely secured after she performed an interpretive dance to an original love song...about a biscuit.

The pageant's talent competition was serious. One guy ate a spoonful of flour. There was a woman who carved a butter sculpture to resemble the Sunsphere, one of the city’s iconic landmarks.

And then there was a woman who sang an a cappella piece she wrote to the tune of the Little Mermaid song, “Part of Your World.” Originally aired August 8, 2013.

Birmingham, Alabama, singer-songwriter Josh Vasa of the band Sanyasi talks about his Indian heritage, writing, and the value of cheesy lyrics. Originally aired June 14, 2013.

The Indian Pass Raw Bar is the anchor of the community in the Florida panhandle. It sits on County Road 30A, just southeast of Port St. Joe and west of Apalachicola. It’s an institution in this part of the world and has been here since owner Jimmy McNeill's grandparents opened it in 1929. People come for the oysters and the unusual 'honor system' code, but they also come for Jimmy, the unofficial mayor of Indian Pass. This episode features the song "372" by Pressed And. Originally aired May 31, 2013.

Les Thomas wrote his way across the South. His travel writing, for Texas newspapers, Southern Living magazine and beyond, has spanned over 45 years. He's a giant of a man with an innate curiosity.

"I've always liked to ask questions," he says. "That's been part of my life, I guess. I've probably asked way too many beyond patience, but I don't know how you find out things unless you ask." Originally aired May 10, 2013.

In our food-obsessed culture, we likely never think about what's on the menu at an eating disorder clinic. A couple of chefs bring their inventive cuisine and gregarious personalities to Magnolia Creek, a treatment center in rural Alabama. The episode features the song "Pour Traverser" by the Birmingham-based band War Jacket. Originally aired May 2, 2013.

Barbara Nottingham has been running the Happy Hollow Gift Shop in Medicine Park, Oklahoma, for almost 40 years. Its live rattlesnakes and an abundance of tchotchkes draw most of the visitors who have come to the area to tour the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. Barbara believes her divine purpose is to be a people person.

This episode features "Dancing Song," a track off Duquette Johnston's album Rabbit Runs a Destiny.

Originally aired April 25, 2013.

This episode features James “Ooker” Eskridge, a waterman who has lived on Tangier Island, Virginia, his whole life. Ooker talks about being the Chesapeake Bay island’s mayor (population 450), the dwindling interest in working in the seafood industry, and the island’s distinct Cornwall, England-tinged accent. Originally Aired April 19, 2013.

Little G Weevil is a Hungarian-born Blues musician living in Kennesaw, Georgia. When he talks, you know he had to come from Budapest. But when he sings, it’s like he’s stepping right off of Beale Street in Memphis. This is his story. Originally aired April 11, 2013.