Between the Pages of WELL READ Magazine

INSIDE VOICES - Robert Interviews Jeffrey Dale Lofton

Join Robert Gwaltney and Jeffrey Dale Lofton as they talk about Jeffrey's debut novel, growing up in Georgia, finding your voice, mixing truth and fiction, and realizing the power of words on the page. 
 
RED CLAY SUZIE - A novel inspired by true eventsThe coming-of-age story of Philbet, a gay, physically-misshapen boy in rural Georgia, who battles bullying, ignorance, and disdain as he makes his way in life as an outsider—before finding acceptance in unlikely places.Fueled by tomato sandwiches and green milkshakes, and obsessed with cars, Philbet struggles with life and love as a gay boy in rural Georgia. He’s happiest when helping Grandaddy dig potatoes from the vegetable garden that connects their houses. But Philbet’s world is shattered and his resilience shaken by events that crush his innocence and sense of security; expose his misshapen chest skillfully hidden behind shirts Mama makes at home; and convince him that he’s not fit to be loved by Knox, the older boy he idolizes to distraction. Over time, Philbet finds refuge in unexpected places and inner strength in unexpected ways, leading to a resolution in the form of a letter from beyond the grave.

Mandy Haynes talks with Mary Gauthier

Mary Gauthier is a decorated musical artist, with numerous awards and recognition for her songwriting, including a Grammy nomination.
She's also the author of, Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting. Part memoir, part philosophy of art, part nuts and bolts of songwriting, her book celebrates the redemptive power of song to inspire and bring seemingly different kinds of people together.

Mary Gauthier reads ”Sing it True”

Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting
"Gauthier has an uncanny ability to combine songwriting craft with a seeker's vulnerability and a sage's wisdom."--Amy Ray, Indigo Girls

Mary Gauthier reads ”We Are Not Alone”

From the Grammy nominated folk singer and songwriter, an inspiring exploration of creativity and the redemptive power of song - Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting
"Think Anne Lamott meets Julia Cameron meets Patti Smith... Anyone who can still write from the heart about writing from the heart after being in the music business as long as Gauthier has is the real deal. Her book invites seasoned artists to deeper authenticity, new artists to deeper craft and all readers to deeper self-reflection. --BookPage
 
 

Mary Gauthier reads ”Change the World”

Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting
The Associated Press named Mary Gauthier one of the best songwriters of her generation. Her album Rifles & Rosary Beads was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Folk Album and Record of the Year by the Americana Music Association. Her songs have been recorded by dozens of artists, including Boy George, Blake Shelton, Tim McGraw, Bettye Lavette, Kathy Mattea, Amy Helm and Candi Staton. Saved by a Song is her first book. She lives in Nashville.

Mary Gauthier reads ”Break the Rules”

Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting
Unveils how a master managed many of her most memorable pieces, like a magician revealing all of her tricks....A powerful memoir that says as much about Gauthier and her eventful, trailblazing life as it does about her music. --Kirkus (Starred)
 

Mandy Haynes reads an excerpt from her story, Eva

Sharp as a Serpent's Tooth - Eva and Other Stories will have you cheering for snakes and cussin' in church. 
Eva, the young daughter of traveling Pentecostal preachers, catches snakes while her parents hide behind the bible and a large wooden crate. Eva's life changes when she makes her first friend and realizes there is more to life than fear.
"Mandy Haynes' writing voice is as smooth as fabled Tennessee whiskey. And she's a Southern front porch storyteller. Mandy knows good stories and this collection, SHARP AS A SERPENT'S TOOTH, like her first, WALKING THE WRONG WAY HOME, proves her top shelf skill as a writer and gives readers more than they came for."  -Sonny Brewer, author of The Poet of Tolstoy Park, and other novels.

Mandy Haynes talks with George Singleton

“Interviewing” George is anything but difficult. You don’t interview George, you listen. He is a master story-teller who has the ability to turn day-to-day events into a story, and if you pay attention you’ll get the answers you wanted without asking the questions.
But before we get to the interview, let me introduce him.George Singleton is the author of nine short story collections, These People Are Us: Stories, The Half-Mammals of Dixie, Why Dogs Chase Cars: Tales of a Beleaguered Boyhood, Drowning in Gruel, Stray Decorum, Between Wrecks, Calloustown, Staff Picks, and You Want More. Two novels, Novel and Work Shirts For Madmen. And one non-fiction that, per George, is a weird book on writing advice he wrote on a dare titled Pep Talks, Warnings, And Screeds: Indispensable Wisdom And Cautionary Advice For Writers.  
Over two hundred of his stories have appeared in journals such as the Atlantic Monthly, Harper’s, Playboy,  Georgia Review, The Southern Review, Cincinnati Review, Tin House, Garden & Gun, and elsewhere. He is the recipient of a Pushcart Prize and a Guggenheim fellowship. In 2013, Singleton accepted the John C. Cobb Endowed Chair in the Humanities at Wofford College where he taught fiction writing and editing. Singleton was inducted into the Fellowship of Southern Writers in April 2015 and awarded the John William Corrington Award for Literary Excellence in 2016.

George Singleton reads ”Daily Grind”

Daily Grind is an essay from George's upcoming collection, Asides, coming out later this year. He starts this reading off with, "It's kinda mean spirited, but I don't care - I'm mean."  ENJOY!
"Singleton’s fellow writers regard his work with an affection bordering on awe, but both comic writing and short fiction are underrated forms, which is how Singleton has become something like the John Prine or Tom Waits of Southern scribes: revered, honored, and esteemed but almost criminally underappreciated. Indeed, Singleton’s work is too original, too wildly hilarious and inventive to be imitated." ―Chapter16

George reads ”What Could’ve Been”

George talks a little bit about this piece before his reading. What Could've Been - coming out in a collection of essays this fall.
"In his brilliant mix of comedy and tragedy and deep tenderness for the most “minor” characters among us, George Singleton is nothing less than the Shakespeare of South Carolina." ―Margaret Renkl, author of Late Migrations