Southern Storytellers

In episode three, some of the South’s most compelling and influential contemporary creators take us to the places that feed their imaginations: Mississippi author Jesmyn Ward, Georgia screenwriter and series creator Michael Waldron, Arkansas songwriter Justin Moore, Mississippi poet Natasha Trethewey, New Orleans songwriter Tarriona “Tank” Ball and Virginia songwriter Thao Nguyen.

Pulitzer Prize winner Natasha Trethewey's book of poetry "Monument" is creative defiance against cultural erasure in the face of white supremacy. Trethewey returns to New Orleans where the removal of Confederate monuments begs the question, "What was there?"

Two-time National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward is from DeLisle, Mississippi, also known as "Wolftown." Ward wrote her memoir "Men We Reaped," in memory of her late brother and four of her friends. She laments the erasure of her ancestors and culture.

Country music star Justin Moore still lives in his hometown of Poyen, Arkansas; population 300. Moore shows us the land he grew up on and remembers his grandfather who inspired his songwriting.

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."

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.

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.

Pulitzer Prize winning poet Jericho Brown delivers a powerful spoken word reading of his poem, "Foreday in the Morning." For Jericho, the South is the foundation and inspiration for his writing. "The South is my air, it's what I breathe. It's who I am."

Southern creators of literature, music and film explore deep ties with the South: Billy Bob Thornton reflects on a life of writing songs and screenplays; Adia Victoria celebrates music and marriage near Nashville; David Joy laments the loss of the Appalachian culture he loves; Jericho Brown reveals the South to be essential to his creativity; and Mary Steenburgen remembers her Arkansas childhood.

Novelist David Joy ("Where All Light Tends to Go") lives deep in the Blue Ridge mountains of Jackson County, N.C. But the landscape and culture is changing fast as land development continues at a record pace. Joy laments this change, and writes about a people and place often "misunderstood."

Director Craig Renaud and the creators explore Southern culture and how storytelling remains vital in the South.