Tales from the South

87º ~ great little thunder shower this morning, now bright sun and humid air heating up

Last night I had the great pleasure of attending Tales from the South and hearing good friend Hope Coulter read.  Tales from the South is a locally produced radio show featuring southern writers presenting stories from their own lives.  These are often humorous or poignant or a mix of both, as was Hope’s tale, “The Lake.”  Raised in Alexandria, LA, Hope spent many summer days of her youth on the lake, and this tale led us through her learning to water ski, accounts of the adults in the group staying up late with a few adult beverages, and one hungover uncle’s toppling into the lake the next day.  Beneath the humor and coming-of-age details, Hope laced just the right amount of nostalgia without falling into the dreaded over-sentimentality.  There was also an acknowledgement of all the difficult times yet to come in her life that she could only feel vaguely encroaching as she grew closer to adulthood.  Beautiful.

The shows are taped on Tuesday nights at Starving Artist Cafe in North Little Rock, and are broadcast on local NPR on Thursday nights.  The show reaches more than 130 million listeners worldwide on World Radio Network, airing at 9:00 a.m. CST on Sunday mornings.  If you get a chance to listen, tune in.  You won’t be disappointed.