Reckon Interview

Most people probably wouldn't think to set a sitcom in Montgomery in Alabama in 1968, but when he was tasked with rebooting the "Wonder Years," Saladin K. Patterson drew on what he knew. He grew up in Alabama's capital city in the 1970s and 80s and knows how to find the comedy and drama in the lives of the people who lived outside of the spotlight during the years after integration. On the Reckon Interview, he discusses the new show and what it took to get the details right.

The Wonder Years airs on ABC on Wednesday nights at 8:30/7:30 CT.

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"Reparations Now!" the latest collection of poetry from Ashley M. Jones is a stirring message from the heart of the Deep South. Jones was just named poet laureate of Alabama, the youngest person and first Black Alabamian to hold the title. On the Reckon Interview, she discusses hearing everyday poetry in Alabama, her works that confront that the South's past and present, the legacy of Black womanhood and more. She also reads three selections from her new collection.

"Reparations Now! is available from Hub City Press at hubcity.org. Learn more about Ashley M. Jones at https://ashleymjonespoetry.com/.

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In his new book, “Where the Devil Don’t Stay: Traveling the South with the Drive-By Truckers,” Stephen Deusner tells the story of the acclaimed band from either Muscle Shoals or Athens, depending on who you ask. The Truckers have, at various points, included some of the greatest songwriters in American music: Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley, Jason Isbell and Shonna Tucker. But he also tells a story about the making of Southern culture, exploring the history and mythology of places like Birmingham, Richmond and McNairy County, Tennessee. This is an episode for anyone who loves great music – or even anyone who just loves great Southern stories.

You can find Deusner’s book through the University of Texas Press.

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Cedric Burnside started touring when he was just 13 years old. His grandfather, R.L. Burnside, helped create the unique sound of Mississippi Hill Country Blues and Cedric has embraced that legacy. He's been recognized as one of the best Blues musicians in America several times over. Mississippi is where American music was born, but many of its creators never reaped the financial rewards that others would find using their sound. On this episode of the Reckon Interview, Cedric discusses his latest album "I Be Trying," as well as what keeps him rooted in Mississippi and why he's so committed to carrying on the family tradition.

All the music included in the episode is from "I Be Trying," produced by Single Lock Records. You can purchase the album and find Cedric Burnside's upcoming tour dates at www.cedricburnside.net.

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Joshua Burford and Maigen Sullivan, co-founders of the Invisible Histories Project, saw a gap in Southern history and the history of queer culture in America. There have always been Queer people in the South, and so many of them have been collecting and keeping their own stories in private for decades. In the Season 4 finale of the Reckon Interview, Josh and Maigen join the show to discuss their work and their favorite stories.

Learn more about the Invisible Histories Project at: https://invisiblehistory.org/

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Flipping through the pages of the new Dictionary of Southern Appalachian English, you’ll find the stories of thousands of words and phrases unique to the American South. This week, the dictionary's co-author, Jennifer K. N. Heinmiller joins the Reckon Interview to discuss the early 20th century origin of this project, the process of gathering and investigating words to include in a collection such as this, the way Southern Appalachian English has changed with new technologies, and some of her favorite terms and phrases that are included in this edition.

Jennifer is also the host of the Appalachian Words podcast which can be found here: https://apple.co/2UDfos1

Purchase the Dictionary of Southern Appalachian English here: https://bit.ly/3qvd9D3

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Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Lawrence Wright was in a unique position to chronicle the Covid-19 pandemic. As the coronavirus was beginning to spread through the United States, Wright had just published his prescient novel, "The End of October," a story of a pandemic that upends the world. Wright joins the Reckon Interview to discuss what we know about the origins of Covid-19, what we got right and where we went wrong, as well as the differences between a pandemic novel and pandemic reporting.

Find Lawrence Wright's work at: http://www.lawrencewright.com/

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Are Americans having the wrong debate about guns? Professor Carol Anderson's new book "The Second: Race and Guns in a Fatally Unequal America" presents the case that the common story we all know about the Second Amendment preserving our rights to fight back against a tyrannical government is wrong. The debate about the Second Amendment at the time it was ratified was rooted in anti-Blackness. And its application has always been anti-Black. And she’s got the documentation to back it up.

Learn more about Carol Anderson and purchase her books at https://www.professorcarolanderson.org/

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Right now, Kiese Laymon is revising and reclaiming his early work. After buying back the right to "How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America" and "Long Division," Laymon has updated those books to reflect the stories he originally wanted to tell and to better suit modern audiences. But how do you revise and update beloved works without isolating your longtime readers? How does Laymon's "religion" of revision apply to current conversations about history and society? And will Laymon be in Mississippi in 2022? All these questions, and more, are answered on this week's episode of the Reckon Interview.

New York Magazine: Kiese Laymon on Black revision, repayment, and renewal

Learn more or purchase Kiese Laymon's work: www.kieselaymon.com

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