Taylor Brown

Several weeks ago, I was asked by The Bitter Southerner to interview four-time Grammy winner Jason Isbell for the cover story of Issue 6. To say I was thrilled would be an understatement.

I discovered Isbell in 2005, when he was member of the Drive-By Truckers and I was a homesick young writer working on my first stories out of little cafés in Buenos Aires. After graduating from the University of Georgia earlier that year, I’d sold my car and used the money to move to Argentina with the intention to teach English as a Second Language (ESL). I ended up writing web content for two cents per word, hopped up on jarritos (double espressos, literally “little jars”) and force of will. In a strange twist of fate, I discovered a couple of Drive-By Truckers songs had come preloaded on my Dell laptop, and I immediately fell in love with their music. As I said in the BS piece:

“Here was a band doing what I aimed to do with my writing: Taking the old Southern stereotypes, lighting sticks of dynamite underneath them, and seeing what truth or beauty or horror might be found amid the dust and wreckage: usually an unforgettable constellation of all three.”

Since then, Isbell has branched out on his own, recording a string of No. 1 hits, earning a reputation for candor on social media, and becoming “Americana music’s favorite son.”

The Bitter Southerner didn’t want just another profile or album review, but something different: two writers talking about writing and art. I traveled to Isbell’s home in Nashville with this intention in mind. In reality, our conversation would range far beyond this starting point, turning over stones, upending myths, and looking for better ways of ways of moving through the world.

I’m damn proud of what came of our time together: “Jason Isbell is Walking Tall.” You can read the full 5500-word piece in Issue No. 6 of Bitter Southerner, available here: https://bsgeneralstore.com/products/bs-magazine-issue-no-6

Huge props to legendary rock photographer Christy Bush for the incredible photographs, Heather Mary Jackson for the styling, and the whole BS family for entrusting me with this story — it was an honor.

I’m thrilled to share the news that my next novel, REDNECKS, is coming in 2024 from St. Martin’s Press!

What if I told you there was a battle on American soil in 1921 in which more than one million rounds were fired, bombs were dropped from airplanes, and a multiethnic army of 10,000 coal miners wore red neckerchiefs to identify themselves, earning the nickname “Rednecks”…and almost no one outside Appalachia had even heard of it?

This is that story.

Started in 2017, this book was one hell of a beast to write. The main character is inspired by my great-grandfather, a farmer’s son who emigrated from Mount Lebanon to the US in 1889, at the age of 14, alone but for a priest as chaperone, and graduated from the University of Kentucky School of Medicine, becoming a physician and medical examiner in rural Kentucky. I’ve always felt a special connection with him since we share the same birthday.

The book also includes a cast of real-life characters including Smilin’ Sid Hatfield and Mother Jones, aka “The Most Dangerous Woman in America.”

I’m especially indebted to my friend Jason Frye — a native son of Logan County, WV, where the battle took place — for his stories, encouragement, and editing, and to the WV Mine Wars Museum staff for their recommendations and advice.

To get things right for this book, I not only had to read a library’s worth of books and talk to old-timers on the ground for their stories, but I took my dirt bike high and deep to find the old Blair Mountain battle sites where a car could hardly reach — and where coal companies still restrict access to much of the land.

I could not be more excited to share this novel with y’all.

Today I’m thrilled to share my new piece at The Bitter Southerner, a love song to blackwater rivers. This piece is particularly special to me, as it’s a collaboration with my BFF, Benjamin Galland, whose photography graces several books from UGA Press.

“More and more, we are realizing that what is good for the rest of the planet is good for us. That the health of our own species is tied inextricably to the health of our natural world. And that we remove ourselves from the natural dynamics of this majestic planet at our peril. Peril to ourselves, to our fellow living creatures, and to the incredible gift of this world, with all of its majesty, its beauty, and its mysteries still to be unfolded.”

Here’s a link to the full article: https://bittersoutherner.com/feature/2022/ode-to-blackwater-rivers-taylor-brown-ben-galland

Photo: Jordan Mount

Today is pub day for Wingwalkers — woohoo! I’m so excited to release this book into the world and have it land in your hands!

Copies should be available wherever books are sold. My publisher has ordering options here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250274595/wingwalkers

Or, if you’d like an autographed copy, you can order directly from one of my my hometown stores:

• E. Shaver Booksellers: https://www.eshaverbooks.com/book/9781250274595
• The Book Lady Savannah: https://thebookladybookstore.com/

Let me know how y’all enjoy it!

It’s paperback release day for Pride of Eden, winner of the 2021 Georgia Author of the Year Award!  The perfect time to purchase the book for a friend or family member!

Buying Options

• E. Shaver Books (Local Savannah store)
• The Book Lady (Local Savannah store)
• Bookshop.org (Supports Indie stores)
• Barnes & Noble (We need B&N sales)
• Amazon
• More Buying Options