Writer of Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Poetry and Master Photographer
THE classic show of my childhood was “The Dukes of Hazzard.” Parked in front of the TV at 8 p.m. on Friday night was the only place to be for boys my age. All my friends and I watched the Duke boys spin and jump the General Lee all over Georgia back roads. I talk…
The North Carolina Writers Network refers to North Carolina as “the writingest state.” That is such a cool tagline. The state has a long history of great writers, from Thomas Wolfe to Ron Rash, O. Henry to Joseph Mitchell, James Boyd to Lee Smith … and on and on. I taught a class at N.C….
By Michael K. Brantley A version of this post first appeared as a column in The Nashville Graphic Like most of America these days, I continually stay vigilant for things that might offend me. There are a growing number of stores these days that insult me when I attempt to pay cash (which is still…
I’m glad to have fresh work and have it in a very nice journal, The Magnolia Review. “Number One Pork Chop Man” is an essay I started when I was working on my MFA at Queens University of Charlotte. It is about a great Chinese restaurant that used to be in Rocky Mount (NC) for…
Most Southerners have had the classic pairing of an RC Cola and a Moon Pie. This combo goes back many years, and when each item used to cost 5 cents each, it got the name “Working Man’s Lunch.” Moon Pies are from Chattanooga, TN, and RC Cola — comparable to Pepsi — comes from Georgia….
By Michael K. Brantley It’s easy for me to say reading is good for you. I’ve loved reading since before I could read — back when my mama would never let me go to bed without a story. I learned a lot from books, and since we lived on a farm, we didn’t “go to…
I remember when my mama used to read to me every night. I looked forward to sitting back on my bed, her in a chair by my side, reading me whatever I wanted, every night. I learned a lot of words that way and could read before I went to kindergarten. That’s not a brag…
We read lots of stories about the Civil Rights Movement, but I always enjoy those lesser known stories that emerge. I usually teach the nonfiction piece “Tell Them About the Dream, Martin!” in my English 111 classes. It is one of the backstories from the day of the famous “I Have a Dream Speech.” That…
I always enjoyed reading my brother’s Mad Magazine issues, but without a doubt my favorite feature was Spy v. Spy. When my school had bookfairs, or if on a grocery trip I could convince my mom to lay about the $1.25, I’d use it to buy the little paperbacks filled with the “silent” scripts. I…
Several famous works will come into the public domain in 2019 — maybe the most famous among them is Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.” I’m not sure why anyone thinks it is a good idea to open someone’s work and allow a free-for-all, but I guess I’ve always been a stickler…