#Taking Kermit uptown

[giraffeonstrike]

Today was a really rough day. A very emotionally taxing day and I had to retreat to my office a couple times to get myself together but...I think that's a good thing, maybe.

For so many years I was just on autopilot. Didn't give a shit one way or another about how things went...not even actively, I just didn't have the capacity to care. I still did my job, I still showed up. But in the last few years of my first marriage, and after losing my father, I was really just putting a cardigan over my husk and zombie-ing through day to day life. I didn't feel anything, I didn't want anything. Everything was just...flat.

I don't feel that way anymore. My favorite people came to spend my whole last day in the old building with me. Every time I looked around and saw my kids...I realized I was excited that they exist. I looked at my wife and realized holyyy shit, yes my capacity to feel desire is intact again. My partner kept finding me and saying off the wall things to me and I laughed because I felt it, not just to be polite. Not just because I know that's what I'm supposed to do.

It shouldn't have been a rough day. The books are going and I'm going with them. Nothing changes but the building. Locking the doors (with Kermit in tow, of course) for the last time was hard, doing it in front of a crowd even harder. After years and years of being so small, struggling to make it, now there's room to grow...for the branch, and for me too.

[numberonenat]

i asked chat gpt to make a playlist based on each one of the obey me characters…

>> PART 2!!! <<

here's part 1 and 3: the brothers / the side characters

diavolo:

"kings and queens" by 30 seconds to mars

"hail to the king" by avenged sevenfold

"demons" by imagine dragons

"hall of fame" by the script ft. will.i.am

"power" by kanye west

"emperor's new clothes" by panic! at the disco

"my songs know what you did in the dark (light em up)" by fall out boy

"radioactive" by imagine dragons

"glory and gore" by lorde

"god's gonna cut you down" by johnny cash

"believer" by imagine dragons

"throne" by bring me the horizon

"can't hold us" by macklemore & ryan lewis ft. ray dalton

"sail" by AWOLNATION

"the man" by taylor swift

barbatos:

"smooth operator" by sade

"uptown funk" by mark ronson ft. bruno mars

"one more time" by daft punk

"careless whisper" by george michael

"every breath you take" by the police

"superstition" by stevie wonder

"fly me to the moon" by frank sinatra

"feeling good" by michael bublé

"just the two of us" by bill withers ft. grover washington jr.

"easy" by lionel richie

"can't stop the feeling!" by justin timberlake

"i want to hold your hand" by the beatles

"smooth" by santana ft. rob thomas

"i will always love you" by whitney houston

"at last" by etta james

solomon:

"imagine" by john lennon

"bohemian rhapsody" by queen

"wish you were here" by pink floyd

"stairway to heaven" by led zeppelin

"magic" by coldplay

"karma police" by radiohead

"black magic woman" by santana

"time" by pink floyd

"riders on the storm" by the doors

"lucy in the sky with diamonds" by the beatles

"i put a spell on you" by nina simone

"paint it black" by the rolling stones

"losing my religion" by R.E.M.

"sultans of swing" by dire straits

"sympathy for the devil" by the rolling stones

simeon:

"angels" by robbie williams

"halo" by beyoncé

"you raise me up" by josh groban

"i will always love you" by whitney houston

"lean on me" by bill Withers

"un-break my heart" by toni braxton

"wind beneath my wings" by bette midler

"in the arms of an angel" by sarah mclachlan

"true colors" by cyndi lauper

"hero" by mariah carey

"i believe i can fly" by r. kelly

"heaven" by bryan adams

"a thousand years" by christina perri

"you're beautiful" by james blunt

"i can see clearly now" by johnny nash

luke:

"pocketful of sunshine" by natasha bedingfield

"here comes the sun" by the beatles

"walking on sunshine" by katrina and the waves

"happy" by pharrell williams

"rainbow connection" by kermit the frog

"ain't no mountain high enough" by marvin gaye & tammi terrell

"all star" by smash mouth

"don't worry, be happy" by bobby mcferrin

"three little birds" by bob marley & the wailers

"i just can't wait to be king" from the lion king

"best day of my life" by american authors

"count on me" by bruno mars

"i'm yours" by jason mraz

"walking on air" by katy perry

"sing" by pentatonix

barbatos with michael bublé, frank sinatra and george michael is a vibe honestly lol BUT THEN THERES THE JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE TROLLS SONG WTF LMAO

i love doing this is so funny

i'm probably doing a part 3 !!!

[marci11e]

i was tagged by my fav bes fic writer/mutual @kaladinkholins thank you <3

the rules of the game are to write one song for every letter in your url, and then tag as many people as there are letters in your url.

(doing this i realize now the songs i like sorted by letter in spotify are not all equal in number lol) (i tried to do all different artists, except for maggie she gets two songs because i love her) these are all songs i adore btw + carry with me

b - be cool by maggie rogers (like. be cool.)

l - let’s get married by bleachers (mr. antonoff. this is a masterpiece)

u - uptown girl by billy joel (such a fun time)

e - epic iii (“they danced”) - instrumental by hadestown original broadway cast (uhhhhh this is literally the most beautiful thing that makes me want to cry every time i listen to it :) )

t - take me home, country roads by john denver (a classic)

h - hypotheticals by lake street dive (this song singlehandedly made me make a pt. 2 to one of my fav playlists) (so groovy)

i - iris by the goo goo dolls (everyone give it up for the song that makes me sing at the top of my lungs in the car every time i hear it)

s - south london forever by florence + the machine (the green is so green. if you even care)

i - i’m yours by jason mraz (s/o to my fic writing roots)

s - so sick of dreaming by maggie rogers (this is a recent release but it’s sooooo fleetwood mac coded and sounds like summer)

f - femininomenon by chappell roan (chappell roan writes songs i want to hear more of. aka songs that are fun and i love her)

o - orange by clay (one of my college roommates showed this to me several years ago and i still love hearing it)

r - rainbow connection by kermit the frog (i mean. come on)

y - you might think by the cars (this one is just a movie coded song and that’s why it’s good)

o - one summer’s day - instrumental by vitamin string quartet (as beautiful as the original piano track is. this rendition is genuinely phenomenal. i love love love this version. it’s like you’re being bathed in summer.)

u - upside down by jack johnson (mr. johnson you are a legend to me . soundtrack of my childhood)

16 letters urls are no joke omg. thankfully i love songs so here we are <3

tagging: @pikasso @wenightmareyou @darkacademily @vampirehowl @hale-of-stiles-heart @wikare @dolittlephd @elbombo @teabookgremlin @shoobiie @my-destiny-awaits @perrieedwards @nymphofnovels @bisexualmonsters @erikaii @fairlystitious

[jujutsukaisen0]

hey i'm going on a 3 hour car trip. song suggestions for my car playlist?

oh sick this is an awesome ask. im sorry my music taste is all over the fucking place But i hope you enjoy this disaster of a playlist

• rocket man by elton john

• tiny dancer by elton john

• basically any of the mainstream elton songs

• bohemian rhapsody by queen

• killer queen by queen

• also basically any of the mainstream queen songs

• everybody wants to rule the world by tears for fears

• africa by toto

• down under by men at work

• club tropicana by wham!

• me and julio down by the schoolyard by paul simon

• mrs robinson by simon and garfunkel

• take me home country roads by john denver

• karma chameleon by culture club

• dancing queen by abba

• waterloo by abba

• daydream believer by the monkees

• mr blue sky by elo

• september by earth wind and fire

• breaking down the walls of heartache by dexy's midnight runners

• tainted love by soft cell

• west end girls by pet shop boys

• the final countdown by europe

• wouldn't it be nice by the beach boys

• piano man by billy joel

• uptown girl by billy joel

• closing time by semisonic

• rainbow connection by... kermit

[welllpthisishappening]

A Request for Help, Version 2.0

Hello, hey, hi there. So, yesterday, I wrote, posted and then very quickly got rid of a thing about a story I am writing because it is my greatest fear that I will annoy the internet.

Like imagine me writing and somehow being both Ms. Piggy and Kermit: 

The problem here is that I still kind of need some help if said internet is inclined to do it. Basically I have been writing this time travel story for over a year. I have aesthetic boards, Spotify playlists, character breakdowns and color coded timelines. But! When I decided I wanted to go back and edit my first draft, I was like...this is a lot. There are a lot of moving parts and visions of the future and the color coding is really necessary. 

The edit has more or less become a full-scale rewrite. There are still a lot of moving parts, but the chapters aren’t 8K anymore, some things have been changed or taken out or plot points have been moved up. I think it’s going ok, and yet. My concern is that this story only makes sense in my head. 

The gist of it is our heroine, Scarlett, just turned twenty-five and discovered that the job she’s going to interview at isn’t so much a job offer as it is the bad guy (Carter Campbell) trying to use her to take over the world. Obviously. Because Scarlett Nolan isn’t just a normal twenty-five year old, she can control all five of the ancient elements and, by extension, time itself. Our love interest, Alex, tells her that after he shows up on the Subway. Alex has spent the last two years getting randomly tugged through Scarlett’s timeline, trying to find her at this one, perfect spot so she doesn’t go to the interview with Campbell. 

There’s lots more, but that’s the general idea, plus kissing because of who I am as a person. Now, what am I asking? You don’t have to read all 15 chapters I’ve written, but if you’re interested and want to read some early ones and let me know what confuses you or doesn’t or you think should be explained more, that’d really set my mind at ease. Like I said, I’ve been working on this story for ages, so it means a lot and I’m really trying to make it the best it can be. 

Words under the cut so, if you do want to read, you can see some more about Scarlett and Alex. Feel free to message me if you want to read or tell me to shut up about my own writing or want to know what songs I think go with what characters. 

“Uh, excuse me?”

Scarlett jumped, slamming her head into the door and no one else looked. “Ah, shit,” she hissed.”God damn, that hurt. I think I’m concussed.” The guy paled at the tone of her voice, crouching in front of her and Scarlett got the distinct impression he was trying not to reach out towards her. A curl fell far too close to his right eyebrow to be fair. “Fuck,” he breathed. “I--uh, oh fuck.” “Articulate, aren’t you?” “Sometimes. Not now, obviously, but I really don’t think you're concussed.” Scarlett’s jaw dropped, reaching up to press the heel of her hand into the back of her head and she was surprised to find that there wasn’t a baseball-sized lump there. “If that was your attempt at apologizing for scaring the shit out of me, it fell pretty flat.” He smiled. It was kind of like staring at—something big and important and absolutely life-changing. “I wasn’t trying to scare you,” he said, any sense of that previous tension evolving into what might have actually been misplaced flirting. “I...well, I had a question.” Scarlett made a face, she knew she did. She had a habit. A bad one. Owen teased her about it mercilessly and Ella told her she’d make a horrible informant because every thought that flitted through her mind, somehow, ended up on her face. 

“That’s what you’re going with?” she asked, doing her best to infuse as much venom into the question as possible. His smile wavered. “I don’t understand.” “Are you fucking with me? I mean, I’ll give you points for not giving a damn. But that’s what you're opening with? After the elbow thing—” “—That wasn’t intentional.” “And the staring thing,” Scarlett continued, barely breaking conversational stride, “Were you going to ask for directions and then casually drop in that you’re new in town and looking for some company later?” He blinked. The smile was gone. “I’m not new in town.” Scarlett couldn’t imagine a situation where she’d ever though the word husky, but it seemed strangely appropriate in the moment, his voice dropping low with an obvious sense of determination and—

Frustration. 

He was frustrated. And tired and overwhelmed and actually a little concerned about her head. Scarlett could feel it, the maelstrom of absolutely everything twisting around her joints and timing up with her pulse. “That isn’t what’s happening right now. It’s bigger than that.” “Excuse me?” “You were right about the directions, as, like, a starter, but I didn’t want this to be weird—” “—Oh, you didn’t want it to be weird?” He huffed, eyes widening and it was more familiarity that didn’t make any sense at all. He looked like he hadn’t shaved in days. “So you’re just a completely presumptuous asshole, then?” Scarlett fumed. “Sometimes. Not now. This is—it’s important, I promise. I’ve been trying to…” “To what?” His exhale was barely that, a burst of air through clenched teeth and that one piece of hair hadn’t moved. It was like it was taunting Scarlett with vaguely attractive and a bit of memory and she could feel his nerves. No, that wasn’t right. She couldn’t feel people’s emotions. Least of all some creep on the uptown-6. “Ok,” he said, pressing his tongue into the side of his mouth. “I’m going to tell you something and I need you not to punch me in the face or kick me in a variety of places.” “No.” “What?” “No, stranger on the train who spent an entire commute elbowing me in the kidney, I will not promise you that.” “Your kidneys are in your back.” “Get to your point, strange train person. Is this a kidnapping attempt? Because it sucks. And I don’t want to buy your candy or support your music career.” He laughed, the sound barely making it to Scarlett’s ears before he ran a hand through his hair. “It’s not any of those things. And it’s Alex, by the way. Strange train person seems excessively wordy.” “I do not care. And I’m not telling you my name either. Was there a point to this conversation and anatomy lesson?” She was absolutely, one-hundred percent, no doubt about it, going crazy. His eyes were blue again. And Alex felt like a memory Scarlett couldn’t quite place. 

“There is, that’s what I’m getting at. I just—ok, please don’t punch and just...stop feeling things.” Scarlett breath hitched. “You need to talk. Now. Because I am getting off at the next stop.” “I know.” “Talk, strange train person!” “Alex,” he groaned. “We just did this. Alex Byrne.” “Words. Say them.” His laugh was shaky at best and terrifying at worst, hand finding the back of his hair again when he looked at her. Or, possibly through her. Like he knew her. Well. 

The train stopped, a station Scarlett needed to get out at in order to ensure some kind of future that also ensured she stayed in an apartment she was maybe only vaguely welcome in. Alex’s eyes bugged. 

Scarlett nodded once, popping her lips in annoyance and what may have been have actually been disappointment. She took a step to her left, fingers moving with practiced ease and he didn’t glance down when she pocketed his phone. “Alright,” she said. “Well, this has been as weird as my entire day so far, so, uh, it was not nice to meet you Alex Byrne, strange person on the train. Don’t be an asshole to other people.”

She didn’t wait for a response, the weight of his phone impossible to ignore in her pocket, and she almost felt guilty when she took a step onto the platform. 

Until she heard him shouting at her. He was shouting her name. 

He knew her name. Scarlett sprinted up the stairs, the cold air stinging her lungs when she tried to gulp it down as soon as she reached the sidewalk. And for as many emotions as she’d felt in the last twenty minutes, the one coursing through her was brand-new — a mix of fear and excitement and complete power. 

She tugged the phone out of her pocket, no passcode and only a few apps on the home screen. “Idiot,” Scarlett mumbled, slamming her thumb onto a social media app with three notifications. 

He hadn’t been lying about the name. It was right there, in black and white and photo evidence — a picture that didn’t look too old staring up at Scarlett and that one piece of hair falling across his forehead was apparently a trend. 

Alexander Byrne. Twenty-seven. Rhode Island native. No job listed. Less than one hundred friends. One sister. And a chat bubble in the corner of the screen. 

Scarlett clicked. 

She knew it was wrong, could hear the warning signs like that also didn’t prove how insane she was quickly becoming, but she was curious and something was wrong. About the whole day. And possibly her. 

She nearly dropped the phone. 

The messages were from a woman with thick-rimmed glasses and brown hair and they should not have existed. 

They were timestamped April...next year. 

“What the fuck,” Scarlett muttered, staring at the screen and waiting for it to change. It didn’t. Instead, she might have, the undeniable smell of smoke wafting up towards her and the phone screen shattered as soon as it fell out of her fingers. 

The same ones that had, quite suddenly, burst into flames. Scarlett couldn’t catch her breath again, dangerously close to hyperventilating on Madison Avenue when she heard footsteps and a quiet voice coming towards her. She screwed her eyes closed. He didn’t stop walking. 

It was raining. “I know it doesn’t make any sense,” Alex whispered. “But you’re ok. I just—I can explain all of that. Please.” Scarlett shook her head slowly, not sure what she was objecting to, but her hand didn’t feel like it was burning and this had to be a dream. It wasn’t real. It hadn’t been before. 

“I’m sorry,” Alex said, “this isn’t going the way I thought it would at all.” Scarlett’s eyes snapped open to find him staring at her cautiously, flames flickering in between her fingers and he kept rocking into her space. Still not on purpose. “What?” “It’s not a trick, Scarlett. It’s—it’s the fate of the entire world.” She blinked once, trying to find the lie and coming up decidedly short. “Talk,” Scarlett said, and his fingers were warm when they wrapped around hers. The flames disappeared.

[pankhearst]

10 Songs You’re Obsessed With + 10 Blogs

tagged by: @isayni

1. “The Rainbow Connection” by Kermit the Frog

Hopeful? Yes. Gay? Without a doubt.

2. “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen

I’m having a good time, having a ball.

3. “Take on Me” by a-ha

This, but unironically.

4. “Africa” by Toto

I swear, if/when I ever make an Indiana Jones-type adventure movie, this is going in the opening credits.

5. “From Now On” by Hugh Jackman and the cast of The Greatest Showman

I find “A Million Dreams” more relatable, and “The Greatest Show” cooler, but this moment in the movie brought me to tears. Also, Hugh Jackman’s singing voice...it does things to me. There’s a lot of joy in this scene.

6. “Summer of ‘69″ by Bryan Adams

I know this is really lame, but that “Standin’ on your mama’s porch/You told me that you’d wait forever” line just paints a really vivid, sweet picture. The whole song also sounds like a montage from an 80s teen movie.

7. “Starman” by David Bowie

Alternatively, “Lazarus” by David Bowie.

8. “Up is Down” by Hans Zimmer

Do film scores count? At World’s End isn’t my favorite of the PotC series, but damn, that Up is Down scene is delightful. Plus, pretty rad bassoon solo.

9. “We Built This City” by Starship

But only for “Marconi plays the mamba, listen to the radio.” This is another one of those songs that I only listen to for that one line. I don’t really know why.

10. “Uptown Girl” by Billy Joel.

Does this one really need an explanation?

I tag: @ptowzapotato, @sillyjunebug, @she-of-the-paleolithic, @beatrice-babe, @checkyalaterallygator, @forestcontented, @wenamedthedogkylo, @genevievefoster, @wakeupontheprongssideofthebed, @pcklesthings

[onthegoinmco]

David Roark, photographer

The Fourth of July is this week, and Walt Disney World Resort is gearing up to celebrate our nation’s birthday with entertainment, scrumptious treats, and patriotic pageantry! 

Here are some highlights and tips on how to make your Independence Day at Walt Disney World extra magical. 

Photo: Walt Disney World

Fourth of July @ Magic Kingdom Park

“Disney’s Celebrate America! A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky” will offer booming fireworks orchestrated to patriotic melodies at Magic Kingdom Park on both July 3 and July 4 at 9:15 p.m. Here’s more entertainment planned at Magic Kingdom Park: 

A fuzzy cast of Muppets – Miss Piggy, Kermit, Fozzie Bear and friends will reenact famous moments in American history in a whimsical way during “The Muppets Present … Great Moments in History.” The live show is performed several times daily near the Hall of Presidents in Liberty Square.

There is also a special PhotoPass offerings for the 4th of July you won’t want to miss including:

From 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. (weather permitting), look for a photographer in the East Plaza Garden who will assist you with capturing two photos and a one-of-a-kind super-zoom video from a unique angle above the theme park. This experience will be available for a limited time after the holiday, but beginning July 3, the photographer here will offer a patriotic prop you can include in your photos and video.

Add some stars and stripes to your photo near Partners Statue where the photographer willoffer this pawsitively fetching prop featuring Pluto.

During daylight hours be on the lookout for a photographer near the Liberty Bell who can capture Yankee Doodle-dandy photos of you enjoying the atmosphere, as well as a Muppets Magic Shot. 

Visit the Fantasyland castle wall near Prince Charming Regal Carrousel to take a photo in front of Cinderella’s Coach.

At the twilight’s last gleaming, salute the “American Original” Mickey Mouse with a bokeh opportunity available on Center Street (near Uptown Jewelers). 

Beginning at sunset, enjoy a dazzling display of red, white and blue with this light painting opportunity available behind Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe in Liberty Square.  

Guests can dance the night away with DJs spinning tunes at a Hoedown Throwdown in Frontierland and an out-of-this-world Galactic Gathering in Tomorrowland. 

Fans who are not able to join in the Independence Day celebration at the park can view a special July 4 live stream of the dazzling fireworks display on the Disney Parks Blog begin at 9:13 p.m. ET on the Fourth. 

Photo: Walt Disney World

Fourth of July @ Epcot  

“IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth” will end its nearly 20-year run on September 30, 2019. So this will be the last chance to experience the patriotic Fourth of July grand finale of this beloved nighttime spectacular. “The Heartbeat of Freedom” fireworks extravaganza will begin immediately following the 9 p.m. “IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth” display.  Here’s more entertainment planned at Epcot: 

The Voices of Liberty will perform great American tunes during a Fourth of July concert on the America Gardens Theatre stage at 5:30, 6:45 and 8 p.m. on July 4. The group also will perform in the rotunda inside The American Adventure pavilion at 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Guests can meet favorite Disney characters donning their “Spirit of 76” patriotic attire at The American Adventure throughout the day on July 4.

And guests can indulge in themed eats and sips honoring Independence Day throughout the park – everything from patriotic cupcakes and special dining packages to red, white, and blue sangria and a Boom Berry Lemonade.

Also, be on the lookout for special Fourth of July decor at Disney Springs, specialty Food and Beverage items at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and at select Walt Disney World Resorts.  

Follow us for more updates:

The post Fourth of July Highlights at Walt Disney World appeared first on On the Go in MCO.

[gawaingodwin]

I think you're wonderful and so does everyone else. Just as Jackie Kennedy has a baby boy, so will you - even bigger. You will meet a tall beautiful blonde stranger, and you will not say hello. You will take a long trip and you will be very happy, though alone. You will marry the first person who tells you your eyes are like scrambled eggs. In the beginning there was YOU - there will always be YOU, I guess. You will write a great play and it will run for three performances. Please phone The Village Voice immediately: they want to interview you. Roger L. Stevens and Kermit Bloomgarden have their eyes on you. Relax a little; one of your most celebrated nervous tics will be your undoing. Your first volume of poetry will be published as soon as you finish it. You may be a hit uptown, but downtown you're legendary! Your walk has a musical quality which will bring you fame and fortune. You will eat cake. Who do you think you are, anyway? Jo Van Fleet? You think your life is like Pirandello, but it's really like O'Neill. A few dance lessons with James Waring and who knows? Maybe something will happen. That's not a run in your stocking, it's a hand on your leg. I realize you've lived in France, but that doesn't mean you know EVERYTHING! You should wear white more often - it becomes you. The next person to speak to you will have a very intriquing proposal to make. A lot of people in this room wish they were you. Have you been to Mike Goldberg's show? Al Leslie's? Lee Krasner's? At times, your disinterestedness may seem insincere, to strangers. Now that the election's over, what are you going to do with yourself? You are a prisoner in a croissant factory and you love it. You eat meat. Why do you eat meat? Beyond the horizon there is a vale of gloom. You too could be Premier of France, if only ... if only... #frankohara #painting #drawing #landscape for Julia & Andy 💚

[hottytoddynews]

Delta Magazine has compiled a list of influencers — the history makers, the tastemakers and the movers and shakers out in the world as we know it shaping the way we think, what we see and what we talk about collectively as a nation. Take note: the breadth of these influences and the everlasting effects will blow your mind.

By Melissa Townsend, Addy McDaniel and Noel Workman with Luther Brown, Roger Stolle and Mark H. Stowers 

This story was republished with permission of Delta Magazine

1. Robert Johnson (1911-1938) The Man, The Myth

Elta Haze Corporation All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission

Has there ever been a bluesman more controversial and inspiring than Robert Leroy Johnson of Hazelhurst, Mississippi? The questions keep his name in the headlines. Did he really sell his soul to the Devil at The Crossroads? If so, where? And how did he die? (His running-buddy Honeyboy Edwards claimed it was a jealous man and some poisoned whiskey. The back of the death certificate theorized disease. And the latest book on the subject suggests bad moonshine.) In which of three possible cemeteries is his body buried? How many images exist of the enigmatic musician? And why have so many claimed to have “real” photos? Seventy-eight years, three headstones and multiple crossroads later, his legend still draws tourists to the Mississippi Delta from around the world every day—not to mention rock stars from Robert Plant to Ozzie Osbourne. Still, none of the controversies would matter if his musical talent and legacy didn’t back it all up. Simply put, Johnson was the Jimi Hendrix of his generation. He took what came before, made it something new, and we’re still trying to figure it out. For music fans and musicians in search of both story and inspiration, stops at his “graves” near Greenwood (especially the third, most likely, site that includes an official Mississippi Blues Trail marker) and the ceremonial (though definitely not definitive) “Crossroads” marker in Clarksdale are essential stops. – Roger Stolle

2. Jim Henson (1936-1990) Creator of the World’s Most Famous Frog

If you’re under 50, it’s probably hard to imagine television and movies before the Muppets. Many are still surprised that the inspiration for this life-shaping collection of puppets came from the Mississippi Delta. Greenville born Jim Henson spent his childhood on the banks of Deer Creek near his Stoneville home. Kermit, the original Muppet, sprang from Henson’s childhood and memories of playing along nearby Deer Creek with childhood friend T. K. (Theodore Kermit) Scott, the inspiration for the frog’s name. He first garnered fame in the 1970s when he joined Sesame Street, and helped develop characters for the series. He also appeared in the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live. Henson won fame for his creations, particularly Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Rowlf the Dog, and Ernie, and was involved with Sesame Street for more than 20 years. Puppeteer, artist, cartoonist, inventor, screenwriter, songwriter, musician, actor, film director, and producer who changed the way children learned and created some of the most unforgettable characters in pop culture. – Noel Workman

3. Archie Manning America’s Football Family

“People ask me if I knew all this would happen…The short answer would be, Of course not. As proud as I am, I didn’t know. And I wouldn’t have dared to dream it. But I do know this. It wasn’t a fluke.” – Archie Manning, Manning: A Father, His Sons and a Football Legacy

The flat land of Drew’s athletic fields forged a living legend in Archie Manning. The three-sport phenom would go onto Rebel glory, marry the homecoming queen and produce three SEC football scholarshipped sons. Two would take their dad’s DNA and upbringing and spin NFL Super Bowl gold while a third would make his mark in the financial and entertainment world. His NFL days with the New Orleans Saints were marred with losing records and plenty of blooper reel material. But the humble Rebel kept taking snaps—and hits—and represented his home state (Mississippi) and adopted state (Louisiana) to the best of his ability. The hometown hero never got a ring, but his passion for the game and desire to be the best husband and dad gave him immeasurable rewards to reap off the field. Sons Cooper, Peyton and Eli as well as their mom, Olivia, know they’ve got an MVP and Hall of Famer that they wouldn’t trade for anything. In the business world, Manning has put his stamp on successful companies and he’s even helped provide stable success at his alma mater, vetting and recruiting coaches. Super Bowl success may now run in the family, but it’s all rooted in the Mississippi Delta. One would be hard-pressed to find a sports fan who doesn’t know of the Manning legacy. – Mark H. Stowers

4. B.B. King (1925-2015) Ambassador of The Blues

Barry Brecheisen Photography/Courtesy Of B.B. King Museum

Simply put, Riley “B.B.” King was the last universally-known bluesman the world will ever know. B.B. King or simply “B.B.”—no blues name will ever be as instantly recognized by kids and grandmas, kings and queens, presidents and rock stars. Period. He was born just east of Indianola, Mississippi, because he really couldn’t have come from anywhere other than the Delta and sounded like he did. Even after his blues went uptown—adding horns and enough band members to fill a bus—his music still “felt” like his native land. It was still connected to the cotton fields, church houses and juke joints he grew up in as a young man. It was fitting, then, that 89 years after his arrival on planet earth, his final request brought him back home to a small plot next to the world-class museum that bears his name, the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola. In case there is any doubt of his influence on rockers, after King’s passing last year, Rolling Stone magazine headlined an article: “10 Legendary Acts that Wouldn’t Exist without B.B. King.” The list included Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Santana, Allman Brothers…It’s a list that could go on and on, and probably will. Forever. – Roger Stolle

Getty Images

5. Joseph Biedenharn (1864-1952) Brilliant Bottler of Americana

Sooner or later, Coca-Cola would have been the world-wide symbol of classic Americana, but Vicksburg’s Joseph Biedenharn sure gave it a jump start. Like all other soda fountain sellers in the 1890s, he created the fountain drink with a squirt of Coke’s super-secret syrup plus a lot of carbonated water, a system used for rose, claret, grape, peach, orgeat, sasaparilla and peppermint. Biedenharn’s primary job was running a Vicksburg candy company, but wanted to supply out-of-town customers. In 1894 he sent one of the first cases of “bottled” Coca-Cola to Asa Candler in Atlanta, who at that time had complete control of Coca-Cola. Candler commented, “it was fine.” From that, the Biedenharn family’s interest in Coca-Cola grew to hold the bottling rights in Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas. Thanks to Joseph, the premier symbol of American culture was available to everyone who had a nickel—plus a two-cent deposit on the bottle. – Noel Workman

6. Holt Collier (1846-1952) The Legendary Bear Hunter and his Boon

Willa Johnson

What do Winnie the Pooh, political satire and the Mississippi Delta have in common? Holt Collier, of course, the famous Delta bear hunter whose legendary hunt with President Theodore Roosevelt resulted in the beginning of an industry that has produced untold numbers of soft bear toys. The name teddy bears originated from the 1902 Delta hunting trip to which Roosevelt was invited. Most of his fellow hunters had already killed an animal when Collier, the Delta’s legendary bear hunter, cornered, clubbed, and tied a bear to a tree for the President to shoot. The President refused to shoot the bear, deeming it unsportsmanlike. His decision famously became the topic of a Washington Post political cartoon. The President may have hated the nickname Teddy, but he permitted a toy maker to use his name. “Teddy’s bears” were an immediate success and forever became an iconic children’s toy. – Noel Workman

7. Morgan Freeman The Voice, The Face, the Living Legend

When Hollywood needed to put a voice and face on God, they came to Charleston, Mississippi, and asked for Morgan Freeman. Certainly his talent is on loan from the Big Man himself and his body of work has certainly been of biblical proportions. In the 1970s he taught us how to read on “Electric Company” on PBS and eventually found his way to the big screen where his talent showered the world with dramatic roles, though he also nailed characters that instantly tickled our funny bone with his comedic skills. His working buddies have included Paul Newman, Batman and Miss Daisy as every role he takes seems to spring from his Delta upbringing. His trophy collection includes a Golden Globe an Oscar and he’s continually nominated for each. Even with all of that Hollywood power and glory, the man stays grounded in the fertile Delta soil and even creates much of the digital voice over work from a North Mississippi studio built just for that. His “Lucius Fox” character creates Batman “toys” on the big screen but in real life, Freeman has used his Rock River Foundation to raise money for Hurricane Katrina victims and much more. He’s partnered with Clarksdale mayor and friend Bill Luckett to bring needed revitalization to the North Delta community through his Ground Zero Blues Club. His car wreck in Mississippi made international headlines a few years back, but it hasn’t slowed him down too much. His mocking narration of a Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself” garnered millions of YouTube hits, originally published by Vanity Fair, his ubiquitous voice still heard in Visa commercials and other narrations. However controversial, when Morgan Freeman speaks, we hear about it. But “Red” learned long before he found success in life and before Dufresne put so aptly in words that he should “get busy living, or get busy dying.” – Mark H. Stowers

8. Craig Claiborne (1920-2000) King of the Culinary Arts

“Foodies now have more celebrity chefs to worship than spatulas, yet even the chefs themselves probably do not realize the debt they owe to Craig Claiborne (1920-2000),” his niece Marion Barnwell wrote in Delta Magazine’s 2009 tribute. “In his time he caused a food revolution.” Introducing the star-rating system, The New York Times restaurant critic could make or break a restaurant, and became a favorite figure in the New Yorker cartoons. The New York Times published 20 of his cookbooks, the first selling more than three million copies. When the Sunflower-born, Indianola reared Claiborne was asked by a Chicago reporter to name the best cook in the South, he famously answered, “My mother.” A two- page spread followed in a 1948 issue of Liberty magazine of Miss Kathleen “holding court” in her boarding house, where servants doted on the young Claiborne and he had his first taste of culinary artistry. Later, his own lavish dinners would make headlines and he would become an American culinary icon. – Delta Magazine

9. Tennessee Williams (1911-1983) That Baby Doll Man and Broadway

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Summer and Smoke didn’t just happen. They were Tennessee Williams’ up close, painful observations of life growing up in the Mississippi Delta. Set on a plantation, Cat examined the relationships between Big Daddy, his son Brick and Maggie, the “Cat,” All were thinly veiled Deltans, revealed to the world through the playwright’s amazing and tortured theatrical skills. And his Summer and Smoke includes references to Moon Lake Casino, a far cry from today’s gamblers’ magnets. As a boy Williams was dazzled by the lavish entertainments of Clarksdale’s Blanche and J.W. Cutrer. The playwright even used the Cutrer name in The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire. Williams may have been born in Columbus, but spent his early years the rectory of Clarksdale’s St. George Episcopal Church in Clarksdale, home of his grandfather. Those years helped shape the most influential American playwright of the 20th century. – Noel Workman

10. Muddy Waters (1913 or 1915-1983) Still Got His Mojo Working’

Waters: Delta Haze Corporation All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission

On one of the two markers that sits out on Stovall Plantation where McKinley “Muddy Waters” Morganfield grew up, no less than god (lowercase “g”) speaks volumes in one sentence. At the former home site on the outskirts of Clarksdale, British blues-rocker Eric Clapton declares, “Muddy Waters’ music changed my life, and whether you know it or not, and like it or not, it probably changed yours, too.” The Rolling Stones (the band) and Rolling Stone (the magazine) apparently agree. Both named themselves after one of his songs. Beyond the Muddy Waters importance to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and GRAMMY set, there is also the bluesman’s amazing and lasting influence on blues music itself. From the 1950s onward, he was a household name in blues circles with a veritable who’s who of “Chicago blues” greats flowing through this band, including Jimmie Rodgers, Otis Spann, Willie Dixon, James Cotton, Hubert Sumlin, Big Walter Horton, Pinetop Perkins and others—also born in Mississippi. More than three decades after his death, his hits are still played weekly at blues bars and rock clubs around the globe. Next time you hear the ubiquitous “Got My Mojo Workin’,” tip your hat to Mr. Muddy and the Great State of Mississippi. – Roger Stolle

“When I first heard The Best of Muddy Waters, it was the most powerful music I’d ever heard, the most expressive. I’d listed to Mozart, I’d listened to Beethoven. This is on par with the best music in the world.” – Keith Richards, “Keith Richards: Under the Influence”

11, 12 Larry Gordon & Chuck Gordon Hollywood Heavyweights

“If you build it, he will come.” – “Field of Dreams”

Larry and Chuck. Chuck and Larry. Belzonians love their native son brothers, the Gordon brothers, whose executive and producer credits in Hollywood (Lawrence Gordon and Charles Gordon) include blockbusters such as 1987’s “Predator,” 1988’s “Die Hard” and 1989’s “Field of Dreams.” Larry was president of 20th Century Fox and later formed his own entertainment company with his brother, Chuck. Their filmographies take moviegoers through decades of memorable flicks. When these two Californians need to get a fill of home, however (or rather of Winkie Allen’s caramel cake), Larry especially may jet into town without much notice or fanfare for a slice of both. Chuck once challenged me as DELTA Magazine editor to track down the recipe for the old Pig Stand barbecue, in hopes of surprising his brother with pulled pork sandwiches and ribs. “He’d think he’d died and gone to heaven!” In that exchange, Chuck shared, “I have so many fond memories of Belzoni and constantly give it and its lore and colorful characters credit for whatever success I’ve had in this business. Larry and I are so lucky to have grown up there.” – Melissa Townsend

13. William Alexander Percy (1885-1942) The Greenville Galvanizer

William Alexander Percy, a Greenville native who was seldom seen outside of Tralake plantation, provided the hothouse that produced a number of authors who writings helped explained the Delta to the world. Lanterns on the Levee, his 1941 bestselling autobiography, helped explain the Mississippi Delta of a century ago to the world. His leadership helped bring Hodding Carter, who created the Delta Democrat-Times, and helped Carter explain the Delta to a changing Mid-century America. Percy’s nephew Walker Percy explained the vagaries of the human heart to the world through his fiction. Walker’s childhood friend Shelby Foote helped explain the Civil War to Americans no longer interested in that conflict. And Will Percy’s sponsorship encouraged Greenville’s every growing collection of published authors: Hodding Carter III, his son W. Hodding Carter, Ellen Douglas, Bern Keating, Charles Bell, Gayden Metcalfe, Julia Reed. A generation ago, Greenville was famous for having “more published authors per capita than any other city in the nation.” Will Percy was the example and made writing an honorable, attainable job. – Noel Workman

14. Willie Morris (1934-1999) The Giver of Literary Gifts

We all loved Willie Morris, our beloved Mississippi author. He started shaping our imagination in the fifth grade, when teachers read Good Ole Boy: A Delta Boyhood aloud in classrooms. What child growing up in the Mississippi Delta would ever forget tales of the infamous Witch of Yazoo—and didn’t shiver every time the family traveled old 49 to and from Jackson at the sight of hills and kudzu? The ‘good ole boy’ from wrote about friendships, but the one he shared with his dog Skip would make the Mississippian a part of American film history, too. Willie died (too young) just before the major motion picture “My Dog Skip” debuted, starring Frankie Muniz, Diane Lane, Luke Wilson and Kevin Bacon. As a nation in the theatres, we laughed and we cried. Back home in Mississippi, we still read Willie stories and we still tell Willie stories. Conversations with Willie at a country club party, his practical jokes, the index cards to which he jotted down ideas and memories, his drink of choice at The Gin in Oxford, his love of Doe’s Eat Place, his booth and dish of choice at Lusco’s. Of course, we quote Willie too—in our own writings, on Twitter and instagram posts and, as it turns out, in that now ubiquitous Faulkner “quote.” The source of “To understand the world, you must first understand a place like Mississippi,” as best as any researcher can find, is Willie paraphrasing Faulkner in a 1996 New York Times book review. Yep, Willie’s mark on our culture and society will never wane. He touches our souls. As his epitaph reads, “even across the divide of death, friendship remains an echo forever in the heart.” – Melissa Townsend

15. Charlie Conerly (1921-1996) The Father of Football

A man’s man football player. The original Marlboro Man wore number 42 and Ole Miss red and blue during his college years. He would don the same colors and number for the fabled New York Giants. The tough quarterback made plenty of Southerners pay allegiance to the team above that played its home games in Yankee Stadium. With his cleats hung up after the 1961 season, he came home to Clarksdale, called an option and sold shoes across the Mississippi Delta through stores that bore his name. Conerly is a member of The College Hall of Fame and Ole Miss Team of the Century and his wife Perian supported him throughout his career while carving her own swath as an author (Backseat Quarterback), columnist and TV appearance on “What’s My Line?” His number has been retired and he held plenty of Giants records and he is reviled in his home state, Conerly may never be enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame but in the Delta, there’s Charlie and there’s Archie—and that’s one heck of a Delta Hall of Fame. He may have left us in 1996, but the quarterback’s influence cuts deep in the Delta. – Mark H. Stowers

16. Charlaine Harris Bloody Good Writer

Vampires, from the Delta? Few could have predicted that Tunica native Charlaine Harris would dominate television’s “True Blood,” a dark fantasy series, based on her Southern vampire mystery novels set in a fictional small town in northwestern Louisiana. “True Blood” premiered on HBO in 2008 and its 80 episodes ran for seven seasons. NBC just picked up the supernatural drama “Midnight, Texas,” based on her three-book series, centering around a remote Texas town where “no one is who they seem.” From werewolves and witches to psychics and hit men, writer Charlaine horrifies us—and we’re so proud. – Noel Workman

17. Hoda Kotb The Princess of Pop Culture

Who doesn’t love Hoda? Americans are on a first-name basis with NBC’s “The Today Show” co-host Hoda Kotb, and guess where she got her big break? Greenville, Mississippi. To this day, Hoda Kotb still credits Stan Sandroni (her “game changer”), WXVT-TV and the Mississippi Delta for literally changing her life and steering her career. Noel Workman interviewed Hoda for DELTA Magazine many years ago and she couldn’t have been kinder or more grateful to the people of the Delta. One of her quotes from that interview about Delta storytellers would end up in The Delta: Landscapes, Legends and Legacies of Mississippi’s Storied Region. We’ll always claim her! Now Hoda has millions of viewers curled up on the couch with coffee, while Hoda and Kathie Lee sip their wine—in their pajamas—on national television. Of course we love her! With the off-the-wall stunts she and Kathie Lee pull, she just may have the coolest job in America. I mean, we go to work humming a new Meghan Trainor song none of your friends have even heard yet because Hoda said it was her fave. Next thing you know, it’s a hit! And how much fun has it been watching Delta girl Elizabeth Heiskell in the NBC kitchen enlightening Americans on Delta hospitality and holding court with Hoda on air? Hoda simply makes mornings, and life, more fun. Cheers! – Melissa Townsend

18. Bobbie Gentry The Mississippi Mystery Girl

The questions surrounding the mysteries behind the lyrics in Bobbie Gentry’s “Ode to Billie Joe,” the singer’s real name, its spelling, the aloofness and all but disappearance of the musician herself, still linger after all these years—since 1967 to be exact, when her single knocked “All You Need is Love” by the Beatles off the top of the charts. Every third of June, nostalgic music fans feel compelled to post a photo of some barren landscape or cotton field and quote the opening line in the song, “It was the third of June, another sleepy, dusty Delta day…” This year, we finally declared it: June 3rd, National Bobbie Gentry Day! Journalists still try to track her down, but if you want the answers to many of the aforementioned questions, we gave them to you in the cover story by Bill Ellis in the 12th anniversary collector’s edition of DELTA Magazine, the July/August 2015 issue. Oh, yeah, and the bridge! The Tallahatchie Bridge! Which one? Where is it? We addressed that too, yet there’s still debate. As to Bobbie Gentry’s whereabouts, well, we came mighty close on that one, and at press time, decided to respect her life as a private citizen. Her ties to Greenwood have not all been broken, however, which allows us to believe that she read it all, your letters that followed included. To Bobby Lee Streeter, we will always love your music as much as the thrill of the chase. – Delta Magazine

19. Newell Turner The Eyes of American Design

The last time Newell Turner graced the pages of DELTA Magazine, he was editor-in-chief of House Beautiful, a lofty position in the worlds of media and interior design. Now the Belzoni native oversees three shelter magazines for Hearst Design Group: Elle Décor, House Beautiful, Veranda and Metropolitan Home magazines. As one who brands content for the largest publisher of monthly magazines in the U.S., it’s Newell behind the cool collaborations with designers and posed questions on paint colors and next-big things. Designer and friend Charlotte Moss adds more. “Beyond design what makes Newell the ultimate influencer is his intelligence, his curiosity and his enthusiasm for all the layers in our business, making him a rare bird,” Charlotte says. “He’s also just a heck of a lot of fun to be around!” Newell’s father Tom Turner was mayor of Belzoni for more than two decades, his mother Rose Marie an English teacher. We also asked designer Bunny Williams about Newell’s national impact in the interior design industry. “There is no one who has a better pulse on the interior design community than Newell,” Bunny tells us. “He sees that we are all exposed to the most creative talent in our industry. And no one does it with more charm and style—a product I am sure, of his Delta upbringing!” – Melissa Townsend

20. Mary Wilson Supremely a Motown Mama

“Stop! In the name of love/before you break my heart…” Need we even cue a chorus by The Supremes, from any one of their 12 number-one Motown hits? Diana Ross didn’t do it alone; she had a Mississippi Delta girl, Mary Wilson, by her side. As biographies go, Wilson wasn’t just born in Greenville, but her family migrated north while she was still a toddler, leaving behind relatives she would return to visit time and time again. Playing on the levee as a child to picking up Delta hot tamales on the way back to the airport would be memories she would later recall as vividly as her life as a “Dreamgirl” in subsequent autobiographies. “We became famous at a time when black was not beautiful,” Wilson told Delta Magazine in a 2007 interview. “We were part of that social change.” To have a first hit record at age 19 or 20, and in 1964, was life changing for this performer, but for millions of Americans then as now, Mary Wilson set the stage that talent, beauty and grace know no boundaries. And when there’s a Motown band playing, we’ll never stop singing and snapping in sync on the dance floor. “Think it o’ oh’ vah…” – Delta Magazine

21. Thomas Harris Hannibal the Cannibal

“I do wish we could chat longer, but I’m having an old friend for dinner.” The year was 1991 when the nation met one of cinema’s most terrifying creations on the big screen. Dr. Hannibal Lecter, the cannibalizing serial killer as famously portrayed by Anthony Hopkins, was created by suspense writer Thomas Harris. The film adaptation of The Silence of the Lambs was one of that year’s most buzzed-about movies, and an Oscar sweep followed, but Harris’s 1988 novel also won its share of accolades for fiction and horror writing. Rarely has Harris granted interviews, even when his own mother, still living and residing in Cleveland at the time, gave Delta Magazine his home phone number. (He politely rejected our request many years ago. Where’s agent Clarice Starling when you need her?) Although his writing is “a kind of torment,” in Stephen King’s words, his literary agent has described Harris as having “a courtliness you associate with the South.” Shiver you may, but the work of this Southern gent in the psychological horror and thriller genres made an indelible, chilling mark on literary and film history. – Melissa Townsend

22. Muriel Wilkins (1936-1990) The Spiritual Presence

The legacy of Muriel Wilkins would have been limited to the hearts of Tunica County residents and those of us lucky enough to have heard her play piano at the old Hollywood Cafe, private parties or in her church. Just four years before she died, however, her fate in music history was sealed the night she met Marc Cohn visiting from New York at the Robinsonville restaurant. The angelic Delta gospel singer invited Marc to sit with her and echo her singing “Amazing Grace,” whispering words of wisdom to the torn and hindered songwriter. The lyrics to Marc Cohn’s hit song “Walking in Memphis” tell the rest of the incredible, spiritual story. Meeting Muriel in the Mississippi Delta made Cohn, winner of the 1991 Grammy for Best New Artist, a household name. She gave Cohn the most beautiful inspiration for one of the most unforgettable, uplifting pop songs in history. It’s on many a playlist, still reverberating throughout our culture—a song that still makes us choke every time we hear and sing it. – Delta Magazine

23. Fannie Lou Hamer (1917-1977) The Advocate

The Delta produced many great Civil Rights activists who worked tirelessly as “foot soldiers for freedom,” seeking the right to vote and improve their families’ lives. Among giants like Amzie Moore, Aaron Henry, Charles McLaurin, Sam Block, and many others, one name personifies the honesty, charisma, eloquence and selfless dedication of a true leader: Fannie Lou Hamer. Mrs. Hamer lived her adult life in Ruleville, Mississippi. She did not know that she could register to vote until she was 37, and when she tried to register and was refused, she lost her job as a sharecropper’s wife and was forced to leave her home. Instead of being intimidated she was empowered and dedicated her life to the oppressed. Her deep Christian faith sustained her through threats and a serious beating. She helped found the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party in 1963 and emotionally addressed the Democratic Convention in 1964. She ran for the Second Congressional District in the same year. Later in life, she turned her attention to human rights and founded Freedom Farm to aid the hungry. She is remembered for her impromptu speeches and her strong singing voice. She is memorialized with a life-sized bronze statue and a Mississippi Freedom Trail marker at her gravesite in Ruleville, on the grounds of the old Freedom Farm. Her headstone bears her signature phrase, “I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.” – Luther Brown

24. Julia Reed The Delta Storyteller

Southern cuisine has been a national food trend, as seen in magazines such as Food & Wine and Bon Appétit for years, and on restaurant menus from California to Kalamazoo. Quite frankly, the Yankees, with their less than colorful cultures, are jealous. Luckily we have writer Julia Reed to enlighten Americans (explain?) on Southern food and Southern taste, which includes, of course, Mississippi Delta-style entertaining. Her underlying goal? To show non-Southerners how and “why we do have so much more superior fun.” Her words. Julia is a modern day storyteller, a Delta character to be sure. She’s telling our outlandish Delta stories to a national audience through magazine articles, essays, books and cookbooks. While her web of chefs and designers and writers from New York to New Orleans is wide, her entertaining style always leads her back to the Mississippi Delta. (Who could forget the spread in Vogue of her closet and designer shoe collection, and that was more than 15 years ago!) With her new Southern cookbook (see Food) published by a major New York publishing house, she’s doing just what she told us at a recent book signing. “I’m sharing the great blessing of having grown up in the Delta with people in and outside the place.” – Melissa Townsend

Pop Culture Catalysts: 3 Unsung Heros

25. Boo’s Literary Coup

“Thanks to Coach Ferriss,” a young John Grisham hung up his baseball cap and dreams of becoming a professional baseball player when he was cut from the team, and started a new career path. Grisham’s The Firm spent 47 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, and he’s been batting a thousand ever since. More than 300 million John Grisham books are in print; nine titles have been turned into films. And to think we can owe it all to our beloved Delta State University baseball coach Boo Ferriss, who advised Grisham to “stick to the books.”

26. Frankly, My Dear…

It’s the work of writer Willie Morris that generations of DELTA Magazine readers will always remember, but another Yazoo City boy before Willie’s time can be credited as the impetus for the popularity of one of the most well-known pieces of Southern fiction. Herschel Brickell (1889-1952) was one of the country’s best-known book reviewers and is often credited with launching Margaret Mitchell’s career with his glowing review of Gone with the Wind. Mitchell won a Pulitzer for her only novel and quotes from the 1939 film adaptation are two of the most memorable of all time.

27. Ben and His Editing Pen

The Brodsky Collection

Believing he had written “the damnest best book you’ll look at this year,” William Faulkner’s manuscript of Flags in the Dust was rejected. Shocked and angered, he asked his Greenville friend Ben Wasson, a New York literary agent, to recommend it to his publishers. Eventually, Harcourt accepted it on the condition that Wasson himself cut it at least by a quarter. Wasson labored, Faulkner continued writing, and it was finally published as Sartoris, the first of Faulkner’s tales set in Yoknapatawpha County. According to Myself and the World (University Press of Mississippi), Faulkner had “discovered what would become a signature trademark of his later fiction: the interrelationship of the present with the past.”

Scott Coopwood, publisher of Delta Magazine.

Delta Magazine is considered one of the most unique regional lifestyle publications, which some even call “the most southern magazine on earth.” The Mississippi Delta is known for its literary, musical and culinary heritage, as well as for its legendary entertaining style and social traditions. The bi-monthly Delta Magazine embodies every aspect of the Mississippi Delta with its fresh content, cutting-edge photography and devoted readership. Learn more by visiting deltamagazine.com.

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