Mississippi Delta - grace grits and gardening

Things I Brake for in the Delta

February 13, 2018 By Talya Tate Boerner 17 Comments

I prefer to take the backroads, the gravel roads, the roads that veer off the interstate. The things I brake for in the Delta are plentiful. And because of that, for me, getting from Point A to Point B rarely involves a straight line. Braking leads to exploring. Exploring leads to all sorts of creative endeavors. I make sure to build brake time into my schedule.

To the person who posted a recent Tweet saying (something to the effect), “I forgot how there is NOTHING in this part of the state.”

Oh, my word and bless your heart. If you find yourself driving behind me, please pass at the first opportunity. I will be driving way too slow for your imagination.

The things I brake for in the Delta?Continue Reading

Wilson, Arkansas: How Geography Shapes a Place

March 15, 2017 By Talya Tate Boerner 31 Comments

(This post is sponsored by Designsensory, Inc. Opinions are my own.)

I’ve been thinking about how geography shapes a place. Not only the physical landscape, which often determines the direction a town grows (nestled within a valley or spread across the flat prairie), but also the way geography shapes the culture of a place. Over time, geographic location has certainly played a significant role in the culture of Wilson, Arkansas. From Mississippi River swampland to cotton empire to Delta town of the present, Wilson is distinctive in part because of the very landscape surrounding it.

Consider the Music.

If a highway can affect culture, Highway 61 has certainly played a role in the small towns scattered throughout the Delta. Also known as the Great River Road, this American byway passes through downtown Wilson, paving the area in blues history. Many of our country’s greatest musicians played juke joints all throughout northeast Arkansas including a few miles north in Osceola and south to Twist.

B. B. King christened his guitar Lucille in Twist after a fight over a woman and a fire that left its mark in Delta history.

There’s no denying the Delta has long been a hotbed of passion and inspiration. My theory? The rural, pancake-flat landscape of northeast Arkansas lends itself to creativity. When one lives in a setting pulled straight from the pages of a Flannery O’Conner novel, the mind is free to wander and dream with no boundaries.

That’s a mighty far distance.

Delta Resort & Spa! (McGehee, Ar)

February 25, 2017 By Talya Tate Boerner 4 Comments

I’ve been trying to get down to visit the Delta Resort & Spa near McGehee, Arkansas for almost a year. Finally I did! I was invited to visit and speak about my novel, The Accidental Salvation of Gracie Lee, at the resort’s monthly Girls’ Night Out event. And earlier on the same day, I did a reading in town at the McGehee Public Library.

I’ll say right off, the entire town of McGehee, Arkansas—the library patrons and Girls’ Night Out participants—REPRESENTED Southeast Arkansas in a big way. What an enthusiastic group of new Gracie Lee supporters. Thank you!

The resort did not disappoint. I was impressed by this mirage-like resort in the Delta.

(Disclosure: As a guest of the resort, I received complementary hotel accommodations, dinner, drinks, and shooting range privileges. As always, opinions are my own.)

Consider the Music.

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