*Eudora Welty, Jackson, Miss., 1978 by William Ferris*

Eudora Welty was one of the South’s most beloved writers, and her fiction is still a study in detail and dialogue and wit. Her settings were often Southern, but her themes were universal. Eudora won multiple awards in her lifetime, including a Pulitzer in 1973 for her novel The Optimist’s Daughter. She passed away in 2001.

The audio you hear of Eudora in this episode is part of folklorist Bill Ferris' recent book The Storied South, which is a collection of interviews with iconic writers, musicians, historians, photographers and artists.

I first featured Bill in Episode 10, and we talked extensively about his 40-year career and how the South has perfected the art of storytelling.

In this episode, Bill returns to tell us about his close friendship with the famous Southern writer.