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The 83rd National Folk Festival returns to Downtown Jackson November 13–15 for year two of its three-year residency, with more than 300 artists across six stages, and it’s all free. In this Soul Sessions Extra, Paul Wolf walks you through everything you need to know before you go. That includes what you’ll see and hear, from Mavis Staples and Jerry Douglas to the Mississippi Folklife Area’s “Mississippi Flavor” theme, plus Thursday’s Thacker Mountain Radio Hour kickoff at Hal & Mal’s. Paul also covers free parking at the Mississippi State Fairgrounds, JTRAN shuttle hours, street closures, and what to leave at home. It’s the festival guide, made for listening instead of reading. TRANSCRIPT: https://www.visitjackson.com/blog/soul-sessions-national-folk-festival-extra

On today’s show, we’re talking with David Lewis, Executive Director of the Mississippi Arts Commission, about the festival’s return to Downtown Jackson November 13 through 15. TRANSCRIPT: https://www.visitjackson.com/blog/soul-sessions-david-lewis-nff

Dr. Mark Henderson came to Jackson State University to teach for one year and stayed for thirty-one. He now leads JSU’s Department of Speech Communication and Theater and founded the touring troupe MADDRAMA. In this episode of Soul Sessions, he talks about playing “old Bobby Rush” in the world premiere of Slippin’ Through the Cracks at New Stage Theatre, a musical he has helped develop since its earliest stage readings. He also shares why Mississippi’s stories need to be told, why theater should be a bridge and not a wall, and why he believes all of Jackson will claim this show as its own. TRANSCRIPT: https://www.visitjackson.com/blog/soul-sessions-mark-henderson

On today's show, we're talking with Mary Rooks, the woman behind JXN Yee Haw, a line dance party where 90s country, two-stepping, and a few songs you'd never expect to hear in cowboy boots all share the same floor. Mary Rooks of JXN Yeehaw talks Jackson, MS's line dancing craze, where to dance weekly, JXN Motherhood, and her favorite family-friendly spots in the city. TRANSCRIPT: https://www.visitjackson.com/blog/soul-sessions-mary-rooks-jxn-yee-haw

In celebration of National Coffee Day (Sep 26), host Paul Wolf steps away from the usual interview format to talk about what specialty coffee means to him personally, from his first cup at Sneaky Beans in 2010 to his current hobby-level obsession with process and ratios. Woven through his reflection are two voices from Jackson's coffee scene: Trey Malone of Northshore Specialty Roasters, recorded on the podcast JXN’s Table, and Matt Flinn of Native Coffee Company. TRANSCRIPT: https://www.visitjackson.com/blog/soul-sessions-coffee-day

On today's show, Ellen Daniels is the executive director of the Mississippi Book Festival and the host of MPB Think Radio's It's Lit, Y'all. Ellen joins us ahead of the Book Festival's twelfth year on the State Capitol grounds, where authors like George Saunders, Deesha Philyaw, and Rick Ross will pack Jackson's biggest literary weekend. TRANSCRIPT: https://www.visitjackson.com/blog/soul-sessions-ellen-daniels

Turner Martin has spent four years managing the Arts Center of Mississippi, the City of Jackson-owned building in downtown Jackson that houses multiple cultural tenants and hosts art exhibitions. He walks through the Spotlight Series, a monthly exhibition program he built from scratch in 2023 that's added dozens of new works to the City of Jackson's century-old permanent art collection. TRANSCRIPT: https://www.visitjackson.com/blog/soul-sessions-turner-martin

In this Soul Sessions Extra, guest host Yolanda Clay-Moore reconnects with Alex Davis, founder of the HBCU Labor Day Classic Battle of the Bands, ahead of the event's second year in Jackson, Mississippi. Davis reflects on what drew him back to Jackson after last year's historic gathering of ten HBCU marching bands, and previews Bethune-Cookman's first-ever appearance in the city. He also walks through what's changing this year — more open gates, reserved seating, and dedicated parking — after lessons learned from year one. The conversation closes with Davis sharing the full 2026 lineup and details on how to grab tickets before the Classic returns to Veterans Memorial Stadium on Sunday, September 6. TRANSCRIPT: https://www.visitjackson.com/blog/soul-sessions-hbcu-labor-day-classic

On today's show, we're talking with Timothy Orey about how JXN Run Club grew from four friends at the Mississippi Museum of Art into the engine behind the 601 Day race — a race that sold out twice and pulled runners in from six states. It's a conversation built around the phrase he coined years ago and still lives by: that every pace is legal. TRANSCRIPT: https://www.visitjackson.com/blog/soul-sessions-timothy-orey

Mary Sanders Ferriss Cavicchi, founder of Ferriss and Company, returns to Soul Sessions to talk about stewarding Jackson landmarks like Campbell's Bakery and Hal & Mal's, restoring the Kennington Mansion in Belhaven, and mentoring the next generation of designers through Downtown Jackson Partners' Urban Design Studio. She traces her love of historic preservation back to Babalu at Duling School and a mentorship with the late Bill Latham. The conversation covers what makes a small space feel intentional rather than just big, why Hal & Mal's still unifies Jackson across generations, and what's next for her firm — including work for the restaurant Josette, opening in Fondren this fall. TRANSCRIPT: https://www.visitjackson.com/blog/soul-sessions-mary-sanders-ferriss-cavicchi

On today's Soul Sessions EXTRA, we're handing things over to the Big Apple Inn's Geno Lee for the first episode of JXN's Table, a limited series podcast he's hosting for us. His first guest is Guillermo Salinas — pastry chef, chocolatier, and the force behind Just Vanilla at Duling Hall in Fondren. TRANSCRIPT: https://www.visitjackson.com/blog/soul-sessions-jxns-table

On today's show, we're talking with Joe Kosin, VP and Head of Programming at Innovation Arts & Entertainment, the company behind Broadway in Jackson, about the five productions coming to Thalia Mara Hall this season, what the hall's reopening means for touring Broadway, and why getting Jackson back to a week-long run of a blockbuster show is the goal — and why he thinks that's actually within reach. TRANSCRIPT: https://www.visitjackson.com/blog/soul-sessions-joe-kosin

On today's show, we're sitting down with Jerry Douglas — Alison Krauss and Union Station anchor and board member of the National Council for the Traditional Arts — ahead of his performance at the National Folk Festival, November 13th through 15th in Jackson. His latest album, The Set, his first solo release in seven years, captures exactly what makes him irreplaceable: a player who's always adapting, and always home. TRANSCRIPT: https://www.visitjackson.com/blog/soul-sessions-jerry-douglas

Jackson, Mississippi marks Juneteenth with seven free events across eight days — from a folk opera premiere at Jackson State University to a Ranger Talk at the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument to an inaugural gospel celebration at LeFleur's Bluff State Park. We've got the full guide, plus a conversation with Brad Franklin, the organizer behind the 10th Annual Juneteenth on Farish, on what it means to plant a decade-long tradition on one of the most historically significant streets in the South. TRANSCRIPT: https://www.visitjackson.com/blog/soul-sessions-juneteenth

On today's show, David and Jason talk about what it actually takes to bet on a neighborhood like Fondren — and why, for two people who aren't planning to go anywhere, that bet only keeps getting bigger. TRANSCRIPT: https://www.visitjackson.com/blog/soul-sessions-david-pharr-jason-watkins