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Patrick Ryan joins the podcast to discuss his mesmerizing and captivating new novel, Buckeye. He explores the emotional undercurrents of the story, the characters that linger long after the final page, and the ideas that inspired the novel’s atmosphere. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, writer, editor, and Southern foodways champion John T. Edge has a thoughtful conversation about his memoir, House of Smoke. This episode digs into how food becomes narrative, how place leaves its mark, and why telling Southern stories still matters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, author Addie E. Citchens joins the podcast to talk about her debut novel, Dominion. Exploring the ideas, inspirations, and personal experiences that shaped the work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Dr. Darden North as he sits down with Royal Allis, Executive Director of Mississippi Public Broadcasting, to talk about his career as a medical doctor and author. Darden's latest book Party Favors follows a young orthopedic surgeon on the Mississippi Gulf Coast who, desperate to save his failing practice, turns to selling leftover narcotics and even hooking new patients on opioids. As local police investigate his ties to a drug ring, the novel explores the moral and ethical dilemmas behind the opioid crisis. Dr. Darden North: Darden North, a board-certified OB-GYN and daVinci Robotic Surgeon in Flowood, Mississippi, has presented at literary events like the Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration and Killer Nashville. He has also served as Chairman of the Mississippi Public Broadcasting Foundation and Mississippi Health Partners. Royal Allis: Royal Aills, executive director of Mississippi Public Broadcasting, is an Arkansas native who has led teams at both commercial and public television stations. Prior to joining MPB, Aills was general manager at RSU Public TV at Rogers State University in Oklahoma. During his tenure at RSU TV, Aills’ team won numerous awards, including four Emmys.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listen to Joesph Earl Thomas talk with host Matt Sawyer about his award-winning book, God Bless You, Otis Spunkmeyer. Joseph Earl Thomas - Joseph Earl Thomas is an American writer and educator known for his memoir "Sink", which was longlisted for the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award and shortlisted for the William Saroyan International Prize for Writing. His work has appeared in publications such as The Kenyon Review, Virginia Quarterly Review, Dilettante Army, and The New York Times Book Review. Matt Sawyer: Matt is an educator, podcaster, writer, and hip-hop artist based in Macon County, North Carolina. He is the creator of the Story Made Project, an exploration for and of stories that make a difference in our world.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listen as author Julia Philips becomes fast friends with host Matt Sawyer as they talk about her latest best-selling book, Bear. Julia Philips: Julia Philips is the author of the bestselling novel Bear and Disappearing Earth, a finalist for the National Book Award, and one of The New York Times Book Review’s 10 Best Books of the Year. A 2024 Guggenheim fellow, she lives with her family in Brooklyn. Host Matt Sawyer: Matt is an educator, podcaster, writer, and hip-hop artist based in Macon County, North Carolina. He is the creator of the Story Made Project, an exploration for and of stories that make a difference in our world.    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Crystal Wilkinson as she sits with Ebony Lumumba to discuss her national best-selling book, Praise Song for the Kitchen Ghosts: Stories and Recipes from Five Generations of Black Country Cooks. Crystal Wilkinson: Crystal Wilkinson is an acclaimed American author, poet, and educator known for her poignant and lyrical explorations of identity, family, and rural Black life in Appalachia. Host Ebony Lumumba: Ebony Lumumba is an English professor specializing in African American and Diasporic literature. Her work intersects education, activism, and literature, making her a vital voice in discussions on contemporary race, culture, and social progress. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Richard Grant as he talks with Matt Sawyer about his book, A Race to the Bottom of Crazy. In A Race to the Bottom of Crazy, Grant blends memoir, research, and reporting to explore what makes Arizona both perplexing and undeniably captivating. Richard Grant: Richard Grant is an author, journalist, and television host. He currently writes for the Smithsonian magazine, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Telegraph UK, Aeon, and several other publications. He grew up in London, England, and now lives in Tucson, Arizona. Host Matt Sawyer: Matt is an educator, podcaster, writer, and hip-hop artist based in Macon County, North Carolina. He is the creator of the Story Made Project, an exploration for and of stories that make a difference in our world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Kate Medley as she talks with Matt Sawyer about her coffee-table book of photographs, Thank You Please Come Again. The book has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and CNN, among others. It was named a Best Book of 2024 by NPR and won the 2024 Mississippi Institute of Arts & Letters prize. Kate Medley: Kate Medley is a North Carolina-based visual journalist documenting the American South. Born and raised in Mississippi Kate has investigated Civil Rights-era cold cases, covered the devastating impacts of Hurricane Katrina, and chased down hot tamales and Koolicles in the Mississippi Delta. Host Matt Sawyer: Matt is an educator, podcaster, writer, and hip-hop artist based in Macon County, North Carolina. He is the creator of the Story Made Project, an exploration for and of stories that make a difference in our world.    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join New York Times bestselling author Patrick deWitt as he talks to Matt Sawyer about his newest novel, The Librarianist. The story follows retired librarian Bob Comet. The book is billed as a wide-ranging and ambitious document of the introvert's condition.  Patrick deWitt: Patrick deWitt is the author of the novels French Exit (a national bestseller), The Sisters Brothers (a New York Times bestseller short-listed for the Booker Prize), and the critically acclaimed Undermajordomo Minor and Ablutions. Born in British Columbia, he has also lived in California and Washington, and now resides in Portland, Oregon. Host Matt Sawyer: Matt is an educator, podcaster, writer, and hip-hop artist based in Macon County, North Carolina. He is the creator of the Story Made Project, an exploration for and of stories that make a difference in our world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer, educator, musician, and University of Mississippi MFA graduate from Brooklyn, NY, delves into his debut novel We Are a Haunting. Tyriek White: Tyriek Rashawn White is a writer, musician, and educator from Brooklyn, NY. He is currently the media director of Lampblack Literary Foundation, which seeks to provide mutual aid and various resources to Black writers across the diaspora. He has received fellowships from Callaloo Writing Workshop, New York State Writers Institute, and Key West Writers' Workshop, among other honors. He holds an MFA in fiction from the University of Mississippi. Host Matt Sawyer: Matt is an educator, podcaster, writer, and hip-hop artist based in Macon County, North Carolina. He is the creator of the Story Made Project, an exploration for and of stories that make a difference in our world.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Winner of the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction delves into her debut novel, Moonrise Over New Jessup, with Story Made Project podcast host Matt Sawyer. Jamila Minnicks: Jamila Minnicks’ novel Moonrise Over New Jessup (Algonquin Books, 2023) won the 2021 PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction. In 2022, she was awarded a Tennessee Williams scholarship for the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, and she also earned a residency at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Her short fiction and essays have been published in CRAFT, Catapult, Blackbird, The Write Launch, and elsewhere. Her piece, Politics of Distraction, was nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Minnicks is a graduate of the University of Michigan, the Howard University School of Law, and the Georgetown University Law Center. She lives in Washington, DC. Host Matt Sawyer: Matt is an educator, podcaster, writer, and hip-hop artist based in Macon County, North Carolina. He is the creator of the Story Made Project, an exploration for and of stories that make a difference in our world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle discusses her debut novel, Even As We Breath, with her friend and fellow North Carolinian, Matt Sawyer. The book made Clapsaddle the first member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians the first member to publish a novel. Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle: Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, an enrolled citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and resides in Qualla, NC with her husband, Evan and sons Ross and Charlie. She holds degrees from Yale University and the College of William and Mary. Her debut novel, Even As We Breathe, was released by the University Press of Kentucky in 2020, a finalist for the Weatherford Award and named one of NPR's Best Books of 2020. In 2021, it received the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award. Her first novel manuscript, Going to Water is winner of the Morning Star Award for Creative Writing from the Native American Literature Symposium (2012) and a finalist for the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction (2014). Clapsaddle's work has appeared in Yes! Magazine, Lit Hub, Smoky Mountain Living Magazine, South Writ Large, Our State Magazine and The Atlantic. After serving as executive director of the Cherokee Preservation Foundation, Annette returned to teaching at Swain County High School for over a dozen years. She is the former co-editor of the Journal of Cherokee Studies and serves on the Board of Directors for the Museum of the Cherokee Indian and is the President of the Board of Trustees for the North Carolina Writers Network. Clapsaddle established Bird Words, LLC in 2022 and works as an independent contractor and consultant. Host Matt Sawyer: Matt is an educator, podcaster, writer, and hip-hop artist based in Macon County, North Carolina. He is the creator of the Story Made Project, an exploration for and of stories that make a difference in our world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listen in as America's storyteller, James McBride, discusses his latest masterpiece, The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, with guest host and one of McBride's biggest fans, Matt Sawyer.  James McBride: James McBride is the author of the New York Times-bestselling Oprah's Book Club selection Deacon King Kong, the National Book Award-winning The Good Lord Bird, the American classic The Color of Water, the novels Song Yet Sung and Miracle at St. Anna, the story collection Five-Carat Soul, and Kill 'Em and Leave, a biography of James Brown. The recipient of a National Humanities Medal and an accomplished musician, McBride is also a distinguished writer in residence at New York University. Host Matt Sawyer: Matt is an educator, podcaster, writer, and hip-hop artist based in Macon County, North Carolina. He is the creator of the Story Made Project, an exploration for and of stories that make a difference in our world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join our guest host, Matt Sawyer, creator of the Story Made Project podcast, as he chats with one of America's favorite humorists, Harrison Scott Key, about his newest memoir, How to Stay Married: The Craziest Love Story Ever Told. Hear how Harrison balances humor with gut-wrenching honesty and self-examination. Harrison Scott Key: Harrison Scott Key is the author of three books, including his newest book, How to Stay Married: The Most Insane Love Story Ever Told, as well as The World's Largest Man (winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor) and Congratulations, Who Are You Again?, the inspiration for his popular TEDx talk, "The Funny Thing About the American Dream," featured at TED.com. He is executive dean at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in Savannah, Georgia. Host Matt Sawyer: Matt is an educator, podcaster, writer, and hip-hop artist based in Macon County, North Carolina. He is the creator of the Story Made Project, an exploration for and of stories that make a difference in our world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.