Shenandoah Valley, VA Shape Note Singers

01/22/20 • 10 min

Contributor Kelley Libby visits a shape note singing event in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Sometimes this style of singing is referred to as Sacred Harp. That’s because there’s an old tune book called The Sacred Harp, and most shape note singers use it, especially in the deep South. Originally aired January 2, 2014.

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Bestselling Novelist Cassandra King

Bestselling novelist Cassandra King talks about her book Moonrise as well as her writing relationship with her husband, famous author Pat Conroy. "Being married to another writer was just like dropping a little fat kid into a candy store." Originally aired December 13, 2013.

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Remembering Eudora Welty with Bill Ferris

Eudora Welty was one of the South’s most beloved writers, and her fiction is still a study in detail and dialogue and wit. Her settings were often Southern, but her themes were universal. Eudora won multiple awards in her lifetime, including a Pulitzer in 1973 for her novel The Optimist’s Daughter. She passed away in 2001.

The audio you hear of Eudora in this episode is part of folklorist Bill Ferris' book The Storied South, which is a collection of interviews with iconic writers, musicians, historians, photographers and artists.

I first featured Bill in Episode 10, and we talked extensively about his 40-year career and how the South has perfected the art of storytelling.

In this episode, Bill returns to tell us about his close friendship with the famous Southern writer. Originally aired January 16, 2014.