Writer of Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Poetry and Master Photographer
I had my best meal of oysters ever just a few weeks ago, at a place I plan on writing about here soon. But I came across a piece to share that couldn’t wait. David Cecelski is one of my favorite North Carolina writers. I found him while working on a graduate degree at East…
By Michael K. Brantley On February 18, 1911, Nash County Representative J.L. Cornwell introduced a bill in the North Carolina General Assembly as “An Act to establish and provide for the organization of the County of Jarvis from the territory of Nash, Wilson, Johnston, Wake and Franklin Counties.” The bill was labeled H.B. 1229 and…
By Michael K. Brantley Both of my paternal grandparents passed away before I made it to my teens. I was not close to them. My grandmother was born in 1891, and I was most fascinated by all of the history she experienced in her lifetime. After all, she predated flight by more than a decade…
By Michael K. Brantley I went to the Pitt County library sale last weekend. It’s a big event featuring cheap books — most are $1-$3 each — held in the Convention Center. It is very encouraging for me as both a writer and a reader to see so many folks going in and out, almost…
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…