Hi!

I am so happy to share my podcast interview with the esteemed Southern writer George Singleton. We delved into some serious subjects: the legacy of racism in the South, gun control, and substance abuse, but despite all of that we managed to laugh every now and then because he is hilarious!

(And I said the word “interesting” about a gazillion times–Why? Why did I keep saying the same word over and over again as if I was malfunctioning?)

Anyway, George taught me a lot about persevering despite the fact that he (like many of us) gets sick of his own voice. He shared an anecdote about working with C. Michael Curtis of “The Atlantic Monthly” that shocked and delighted me.

We laughed about that too.

Please read his story, “I’m Down Here on the Floor,” before you listen to the podcast on Apple, Spotify, Audible, or wherever you get your podcasts.

My apologies to StorySouth. I forgot to mention where the story was published during the podcast, but this is actually the second story in a row from StorySouth. Check out Jason Ockert’s story “The Peoplemachines” from the September 1st episode as well. Thanks to Dan Wickett of Dzanc for these suggestions!

Also, here’s a link to The Atlantic Monthly story George mentioned called “Show and Tell.” I think the paywall might be down now (?) but I subscribe to that magazine so someone needs to let me know.

*Warning: There is some profanity on this episode, folks.

See you next month when I’ll be talking to Bonnie Jo Campbell about her story, “Boar Taint,” from The Kenyon Review.

Cheers,

Kelly

Bio: George Singleton has published eight collections of stories, two novels, and a book of writing advice. Over 200 of his stories have appeared in magazines such as the Atlantic Monthly, Harper’s, Playboy, the Georgia Review, the Southern Review, the Cincinnati Review, and elsewhere. He is the recipient of a Pushcart Prize, a Guggenheim fellowship, the Hillsdale Award from the Fellowship of Southern Writers, and the Corrington Award for Literary Excellence. He lives in Spartanburg, SC, where he holds the John C. Cobb Chair in Humanities at Wofford College. Please find his books on Bookshop or Amazon.

We are so grateful to sound engineer Elliot Bancel for his work on this episode. If you need help with your podcast, please find his contact information here.