Episode 2

Six of the South’s most influential creators take us home to the places that define them: author Angie Thomas to Mississippi; singer/songwriter Jason Isbell to his musical Alabama roots while Amanda Shires takes us to the farm the couple shares; Michael Twitty revisits rural Alabama; Lyle Lovett remembers the Texas of his childhood; and Qui Nguyen returns to his Arkansas small town.

Screenwriter Qui Nguyen ("Raya and the Last Dragon") was given the gift of storytelling by his grandmother who fled Vietnam with nothing. He remembers her saying, "The only thing I have of value, are my stories. Because when I left Vietnam I was escaping... Story is the only thing that any of us have of value."

Grammy Award winning songwriter Lyle Lovett grew up in Texas around horses. Those experiences have shaped his country music songwriting process.

New York Times Bestselling Author Angie Thomas ("The Hate U Give") loves writing for young people, because she believes it's "the most meaningful time in their lives, when you can save their lives." She speaks from experience; she was bullied in middle school to the point she considered taking her own life.