Join us for a live performance and recording of the Thacker Mountain Radio Hour featuring a reading by Joy Williams; special guest Bruce Levingston and music by Andres Diaz and Young Buffalo. Hear it live on 92.1 or www.myrebelradio.com. The show is hosted by Jim Dees and our house band, The Yalobushwhackers fronted by the amazing John Paul Keith.
Joy Williams has been celebrated as a master of the short story for four decades. Her latest book, The Visiting Privilege (Knopf) brings together thirty-three stories drawn from three earlier, much lauded collections, and another thirteen appearing for the first time in book form. The collection showcases her crisp, elegant prose and fierce dark wit which has won her comparisons to Flannery O’Connor. Kirkus Reviews said, “If you want to read the best stories being written today, look no further.”
Bruce Levingston, from Oxford, Mississippi, and New York, New York, is an acclaimed concert pianist who has given numerous world premieres at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and other international venues. He is the author of Bright Fields: The Mastery of Marie Hull (Univ. Press of Miss.) a comprehensive and deeply intimate exploration of the life and work of Mississippi-born artist Marie Hull (1890-1980). Hull grew up near Jackson at a time when women were not allowed to vote and were denied many career opportunities. Her paintings have been exhibited in some of the world’s most prestigious art exhibitions and shows in the United States, Europe, and East Asia.
Levingston is the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College Artist-in-Residence at the University of Mississippi.
Singer-songwriter Andrés Díaz is a native of Colombia where he has written and performed for years. His most recent release is Piloto de Nubes (Pilot of the Clouds) co-produced with Barcelona-based pianist-composer Jorge Sabogal. The album is aimed at children and presents a message of tolerance and co-existence. Diaz is currently working on his Ph.D in Management Information Systems at the University of Mississippi.
Jim Barrett and Ben Yarbrough started indie band Young Buffalo in 2010 and soon added Andrew Guinn, Will Eubanks and Tim Burkhead. Based out of Oxford, they have amassed a passionate following in this country and in Europe. This year saw the release of their debut album, House (Votiv). Spin magazine said: “They’ve got an effervescent brand of pop/rock to lift spirits after a long day.”
