Stories from Cold Springs

Roots & Roads | Cary Hudson, Part One

A town can look quiet until you learn what happened behind the storefronts and down the back roads.

In Part One of our conversation with Mississippi musician and songwriter Cary Hudson, we travel from his childhood in Sumrall through the people, places, and stories that helped shape a creative life. Cary remembers growing up around family businesses, church, the school band room, and a small town with a colorful history of its own—experiences that would eventually find their way into his songwriting.

But music wasn't immediately the plan. Cary earned a degree in psychology and went to work in Mississippi's mental health system before a solo backpacking trip through Western Europe gave him enough distance from home to recognize what he really wanted: a life built around the guitar.

That decision eventually led him to Oxford, Mississippi, and one of the most remarkable creative communities in the South. Cary takes us inside the late-'80s and early-'90s Oxford scene, where bands rehearsed in living rooms, visiting musicians crashed on couches, writers lived next door, and one introduction could lead somewhere no one expected. From The Hilltops and the beginnings of Blue Mountain with Laurie Stirratt to a record deal and relentless touring, Cary remembers a time when music, literature, and friendship seemed to share the same few streets.

The Hilltop house is still there. John Stirratt recently shared a photo of the house—and some remarkable memories of the musicians, writers, and characters who passed through its orbit. Read the Instagram post and see the place where so much of that musical camaraderie unfolded, with writer Barry Hannah living right next door.

And the writers were every bit as important as the musicians. Cary remembers Barry Hannah, Square Books, and his friendship with writer Larry Brown—including afternoons spent riding the back roads of Lafayette County in Brown's old pickup, experiences that sometimes felt less like real life than stepping inside one of Brown's stories.

Through it all runs a theme Cary returns to again and again: place matters. The towns we come from, the roads we travel, and the people we meet along the way have a way of becoming part of the stories we eventually tell.

Join us for Roots & Roads, Part One of our conversation with Cary Hudson—and come back for Part Two as the story continues.

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Links to Stephen's incredible novels:

The Death Letter
The Bondage of Innocents

What do you do when the dream you've chased for years isn't unfolding the way you imagined? For Lana Larson, the answer wasn't giving up—it was giving herself permission to reinvent the dream.

In this episode of Stories from Cold Springs, Lana traces an extraordinary journey from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to the stages of the University of Southern Mississippi, summer stock musicals, and the audition rooms of Los Angeles, where every actor carried a headshot, a résumé, and hope. She reflects on the exhilaration of pursuing a career in film and television, the uncertainty of waiting for a break, and the quiet realization that dreams sometimes need a new direction rather than a final goodbye.

That realization led Lana to law school, where she balanced the demands of earning her degree while raising three young children. Her second act became a distinguished legal career that includes federal court service and complex construction litigation. Along the way, she discovered that the skills she honed as a performer—listening closely, understanding people, and telling compelling stories—proved just as valuable in the courtroom as they ever had on stage.

But some dreams never disappear. More than three decades after stepping away from performing, Lana found herself back under the lights, rediscovering the joy that first captured her heart as a young actress. Her story is a reminder that reinvention doesn't erase the past—it builds upon it.

Whether you're standing at a crossroads, considering a career change, or wondering if it's too late to return to something you once loved, Lana's journey offers wisdom, encouragement, and the quiet confidence to believe that life's second act can be every bit as meaningful as the first.

If this conversation resonates with you, subscribe to Stories from Cold Springs, share the episode with someone navigating their own turning point, and leave a review to help others discover these remarkable stories.

Subscribe, share with a friend who loves radio, and leave a review to help more listeners find these stories. Your voice keeps this community strong.

Links to Stephen's incredible novels:

The Death Letter
The Bondage of Innocents

A writing life rarely follows the outline we imagine. Degrees don't guarantee careers, dream jobs arrive by unexpected roads, and sometimes the best stories begin with a change of plans.

In this episode of Stories from Cold Springs, Stephen Beam sits down with writer and producer Scott Ray to explore a career built on reinvention. Growing up outside Memphis, Scott was captivated by magazines, television, and storytelling, but began college studying chemical engineering before realizing he missed stories more than equations. That decision led him to devoted mentors, a fully funded MFA, and eventually a Ph.D. in Creative Writing, where scholarship and fiction came together in a creative dissertation.

Then life interrupted the plan. As the pandemic reshaped higher education and academic jobs grew increasingly scarce, Scott pivoted once again, this time to Austin, where he found himself on the business side of the Texas Monthly. He offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at magazine publishing, native advertising, content strategy, and the challenge of writing in multiple voices while balancing creative work with business realities.

The conversation eventually arrives at one of Texas's most beloved television institutions: Texas Country Reporter. Scott shares how the iconic series continues its tradition of celebrating ordinary Texans doing extraordinary things, transforming hours of raw field footage into stories that capture the character, resilience, and humor of the Lone Star State.

Along the way, we visit an Austin sandlot baseball league where competition takes a back seat to community, and meet a Beaumont pitmaster whose life is transformed through education, perseverance, and barbecue. Together, these stories remind us that meaningful work, and meaningful lives, are rarely linear. They're built one unexpected turn at a time.
This Vintage Texan Baseball League is Changing the Game 

If you enjoyed this conversation, subscribe to Stories from Cold Springs, share it with someone navigating a new chapter, and leave a review to help others discover these stories of creativity, resilience, and the remarkable people who shape the places we call home.

Subscribe, share with a friend who loves radio, and leave a review to help more listeners find these stories. Your voice keeps this community strong.

Links to Stephen's incredible novels:

The Death Letter
The Bondage of Innocents

A jar of Korean chili paste doesn’t sound like a turning point—until you’re nine years old, moving through airports and customs, unable to speak English, and realizing your whole world is about to change.

In Part Two of our conversation with Sam Lee, we follow the winding road from an immigrant kid in Mississippi to a marching band regular, a rock n' roll garage band member, an electrical engineer, a Silicon Valley chip designer, and a venture capitalist. Along the way, Sam wrestles with a question familiar to many immigrants and third-culture kids: Where do you belong when your language, identity, and sense of home keep shifting?

Sam speaks candidly about what it meant to slowly lose fluency in Korean as English took over, and how an unusual tenth-grade school structure opened the door to new friendships, reinvention, and a sense of belonging. Then comes a moment that still carries emotional weight decades later: becoming a U.S. citizen at sixteen. Sam reflects on standing before an immigration judge, taking the oath, and facing the painful reality of renouncing Korean citizenship, a deeply personal story that resonates in today’s conversations about immigration, identity, and cultural division.

We also trace the work journey: paper routes, McDonald’s shifts, engineering school, internships at HP and IBM, and eventually the world of venture capital, where Sam helped fund innovation and emerging technologies.

Near the end, the conversation takes an unexpected and deeply personal turn. Sam shares the medical crisis that nearly changed everything, the FDA-approved treatment that helped save his life, and the long road back to clarity. That recovery eventually led to journaling, and then to a manuscript he’s now writing, with a title that brings the story full circle:

The Chili Paste Incident.

If this episode moved you, subscribe to Stories from Cold Springs, share it with someone navigating identity or change, and leave a review to help more listeners discover these deeply human, place-based stories.

Subscribe, share with a friend who loves radio, and leave a review to help more listeners find these stories. Your voice keeps this community strong.

Links to Stephen's incredible novels:

The Death Letter
The Bondage of Innocents

He’s ten years old, fresh from postwar Korea, and suddenly sitting in a Mississippi classroom with no English. That’s where Sam Lee’s American story begins and it’s nothing like the polished version we usually hear. We talk with Sam as he maps the world he came from: growing up in Mokpo, living with nightly curfews, shopping at traditional markets daily, and moving through a Korean education system built on exams, public rankings, and fierce competition. 

Then the real jolt hits. Sam shares what it’s like to immigrate to the United States in 1970, get placed into fifth grade without the language, and navigate an all-Black elementary school during the era of integration. We dig into the loneliness of sounding different, the pressure to adapt fast, and the quiet grit it takes to keep showing up when you want to quit. If you care about immigrant experience, Korean American identity, language learning, or the realities of growing up between cultures, this conversation stays with you. 

We also make room for the parts that don’t fit into a hardship narrative: the way books can reopen a dream, how music can hand you a friend group, and how a trumpet in school band can become a lifeline. Sam reflects on family expectations, on what his mother gives up when she loses language and mobility, and on the simple rituals like weekend fishing trips that help a family stay connected through big change. 

If this story resonates, subscribe for more conversations about creativity, curiosity, and the real people behind the stories, then share the episode and leave a review so more listeners can find it.

Subscribe, share with a friend who loves radio, and leave a review to help more listeners find these stories. Your voice keeps this community strong.

Links to Stephen's incredible novels:

The Death Letter
The Bondage of Innocents

A second-grade blessing. A kitchen table crowded with paint. A 21-foot Jesus mural

Kym Garraway-Braley joins us to share how a childhood shaped by artists, a brave grandmother, and a winding Mississippi creek became a life of color, calling, and community.

We trace Kym’s early start, brush in hand before age two, and the generations of creatives who came before her. She opens up about crooked teeth, tin-foil braces, and how art became a refuge when school felt hard. In college, a professor warned that faith wouldn’t fit inside the art department. Kym stayed, prayed, and proved that excellence can quiet the loudest doubts. Surprising wins, from hand-painted concert portraits to campus recognition, built the confidence that would shape her career.

After a season of teaching, Kym reimagined work to fit the family she wanted to raise. One magnolia print sold out, then another, and soon she was leading a thriving independent studio - without missing ball games or field trips. We explore the ripple effect of her murals in pediatric clinics, where nature scenes and playful worlds help children overcome fear and bring comfort to parents. Then we climb to St. Fabian, where Kym painted a 21-foot Jesus whose open arms welcome a congregation week after week.

Warm, funny, and grounded in faith, Kym reminds us that setbacks can become stories ... and work can become worship.

If you’re a creator, teacher, parent, or anyone chasing a calling, this conversation is a field guide: match your schedule to your values, treat small wins like fuel, and let service guide your next wall.

Press play to hear how a life in art can lift a town, a family, and a weary heart. If this episode encouraged you, subscribe, share it with someone who needs courage, and leave a review to help others find the show.

Subscribe, share with a friend who loves radio, and leave a review to help more listeners find these stories. Your voice keeps this community strong.

Links to Stephen's incredible novels:

The Death Letter
The Bondage of Innocents

A torn labrum closed one door for Todd McCall — and opened another that would shape the lives of thousands of athletes.

In this episode, we sit down with Todd, now Head Athletic Trainer at Southern Miss, to trace his journey from small-town Alabama catcher to Division I leader. Along the way: powerhouse programs in Alabama, Marshall’s resilient football culture, the altitude extremes of Wyoming, and the quiet, relentless work that keeps college sports alive long after the stadium lights dim.

You’ll hear sideline stories from the Gene Stallings era,  including a legendary exchange with a referee, but the moments that linger aren’t about scoreboards. They’re about Friday night hospital visits with John Mark Stallings. The birth of RISE schools for children with disabilities. The way teams learn to carry more than a playbook.

We unpack how sports medicine has evolved, from modern labral repairs to the normalization of Tommy John elbow surgery, and why prevention starts long before a scholarship offer. Youth pitch counts. Movement quality. Recovery discipline. Ownership.

Todd also pulls back the curtain on what a head athletic trainer really does: coordinating care with more than forty physicians, overseeing pre-participation screenings, building rehab plans athletes actually believe in, and navigating the constant tide of internet diagnoses with patience and clarity.

His philosophy is simple — and demanding:
 Athletes own the work.
 Trainers build the path.
 Trust makes the difference.

If you’ve ever wondered what truly happens between injury and return to play, this conversation takes you inside the room where doubt becomes discipline and small wins stack into comeback seasons.

Subscribe, share with a friend who loves radio, and leave a review to help more listeners find these stories. Your voice keeps this community strong.

Links to Stephen's incredible novels:

The Death Letter
The Bondage of Innocents

The Scene That Stopped Her Cold: How Kristen Illarmo Writes Duologies That Burn Bright and Fast

What happens when a character takes the reins, and you’re brave enough to follow? In this episode, YA sci-fi and fantasy author Kristen Illarmo reveals how a poetry-loving kid from South Carolina became a New Orleans novelist crafting propulsive two-book series with heart, heat, and high stakes.

Kristen opens up about the scene that stalled her for years, and how she finally broke through. We talk about:

 Writing Process & Story Craft

• Why outlines fail her (but ruthless synopses don’t)
• How she sniffs out plot holes at the exact midpoint
• The moment she stopped writing for an “imaginary reader” and found her voice

 Building Worlds & Characters

• How travel shaped Enzo Cruz and the eco-drama at the story’s core
• Why pairing him with Maddie sparked the story’s tension and soul
• Astral projection, solar flares, and genre-bending sci-fi/fantasy blends

Creative Confidence & Craft Fears

• What to do when a scary scene blocks you for years
• How motherhood cracked open her imagination
• Her refreshingly honest take on revision, character agency, and trusting your gut

 Indie Author Life

• Meeting readers IRL at book fests and art markets
• Tools she swears by: StoryOrigin, BookFunnel, Voracious Readers, and more
• Her marketing mix: TikTok, Facebook ads, newsletters, and knowing when to call in an editor

Plus: What she’s reading now (hi, Marie Lu!), why she chooses duologies over trilogies, and how a sky-high TBR pile can feel like a promise instead of pressure.

The best way to reach Kristen is via her website.

If you're a writer, reader, or process nerd, this one’s packed with insight and inspiration. Hit play, then tell us: what’s the hardest scene you ever had to write?

👉 Subscribe, share with your writing crew, and leave a review to help more storytellers find the show!

Subscribe, share with a friend who loves radio, and leave a review to help more listeners find these stories. Your voice keeps this community strong.

Links to Stephen's incredible novels:

The Death Letter
The Bondage of Innocents

A life can be measured in songs cued, flags saluted, and nights under stadium lights. We sit down with radio mainstay Ted Tibbett to trace the winding road from a childhood spent in studios and parades to a draft notice in 1968, a detour to South Korea, and a homecoming that turned into four decades behind a high school press box mic. Ted’s stories are vivid and generous: a father who sang and read poetry on the air before World War II, a small-town talent show where Elvis Presley placed third, and the early shifts where cab fare cost more than the paycheck but the dream was worth it.

The conversation delves into what local radio brings to a town: companionship, context, and a familiar voice when the weather turns or the Tigers take the field. Ted shares lessons learned during a rookie hurricane broadcast about who calls the shots, the delicate boundary between personality and professionalism, and the grit it takes to keep a station alive. 

You’ll hear outrageous, laugh-out-loud moments with a mercurial owner who once boomed “TIbbett! They’re naked!” at a Broadway show, along with tender reflections on veterans’ service, civic leadership, and why the national anthem still brings a tear.

We also pull back the curtain on today’s talk radio, including conservative news talk, the economics of satellite programming, and how to maintain a local heartbeat when syndication pays the bills. 

Ted guests range from members of Congress to SEC legends. He also reveals why time, temperature, and the Powerball update still matter more than algorithms. If you care about media that sounds like where you live—Hattiesburg, the Pine Belt, or any town with a signal—you’ll find wisdom and warmth here.

Subscribe, share with a friend who loves radio, and leave a review to help more listeners find these stories. Your voice keeps this community strong.

Links to Stephen's incredible novels:

The Death Letter
The Bondage of Innocents

Subscribe, share with a friend who loves radio, and leave a review to help more listeners find these stories. Your voice keeps this community strong.

Links to Stephen's incredible novels:

The Death Letter
The Bondage of Innocents

This is a special (bonus) episode of Stories From Cold Springs. We've been asking our guest to share their favorite Christmas memories. Here are some of our favorites.

A castoff tree becomes a masterpiece. A heaterless Ford carries a homesick soldier down a freezing highway. A prank chair turns a nervous daughter-in-law into family. These are the moments that define Christmas in our world: kindness at midnight, laughter that sticks, and simple gifts that outlast their batteries.

We gather voices from across our first season (and upcoming second season) for a special holiday tapestry.

Dawn Beam remembers a year so lean that her family prayed for a tree that miraculously appeared, and made beautiful with cookies, popcorn, and borrowed lights.

Ted Tibbett relives 1965—stuck with a late radio shift, a chance meeting at a truck stop, and a dirt road rescue capped by two mules and a sunrise reunion.

Kym Garraway-Braley shares the infamous camo seat with the hidden remote, proof that humor can knit a family faster than any perfect present.

Father Tommy brings Irish cadence—Santa on Christmas Eve, church on morning, cards by the fire, and St. Stephen’s Day songs at neighbors’ doors—celebrations built on ritual, service, and shared delight.

Kristen Illarmo talks about finding her way back to wonder through her kids and the sanity-saving tradition of giving books.

Todd McCall maps the logistics of love across grandparents’ tables and a rotating family Christmas that waits for him to get home from college athletics.

Stubbs Lucus honors a father who couldn’t wait to give, handing out presents early so the kids had more time to play.

Host J. Stephen Beam closes with twin battery bulldozers, a crack in the hood, and a lasting lesson: joy doesn’t require perfect things, only present people.

If you crave stories that feel like a warm room on a cold night, this collection is for you. Press play, remember your own best Christmas, and share it with us. Subscribe, leave a review to help others find the show, and tell a friend who could use a little light today.

This episode was sponsored by MCS Homecenter, Bellevue.

Subscribe, share with a friend who loves radio, and leave a review to help more listeners find these stories. Your voice keeps this community strong.

Links to Stephen's incredible novels:

The Death Letter
The Bondage of Innocents