Episode 295 with Wright Thompson, Author of The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi and One of America's Foremost Storytellers of the Shocking, The Banal, The Instructive, The Profound

Notes and Links to Wright Thompson’s Work       Widely regarded as one of the nation’s leading sports journalists, Wright Thompson is a senior writer for ESPN, an Emmy Award-winning reporter, and the executive producer of the TV show TrueSouth. He is the author of several bestselling books including Pappyland, about the storied whiskey distillery, and, most recently, The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi, a New York Times bestseller that confronts the haunting legacy of Emmett Till’s killing.    A Mississippi native, Thompson is at heart a southern storyteller who believes that understanding the place one lives is both an obligation and an act of love. By exploring foodways, beliefs, identities, and histories—both remembered and forgotten—he seeks to reveal the truths of the region he calls home.   Buy The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi   Wright Thompson's Website   Book Review for The Barn from Washington Post   At about 1:45, Wright talks about the paperback release of The Barn and feedback on the book as “resonat[ing] with readers” in an “urgent” way At about 4:10, Wright responds back to Pete’s questions about what connections he sees between the events of The Barn and contemporary politics and culture At about 7:00, The two reflect on and Wright highlights the open-casket funeral of Emmett Till At about 8:10, Wright responds to Pete’s questions about the biased/blind books that he was exposed to in his Mississippi schooling; he also highlights North Towards Home and Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom as his favorite book of all-time    At about 10:30, Wright asks Pete about books/writers that his guests have consistently hailed as the best; Pete is unsure, but thinks right away of Toni Morrison At about 11:50, Wright shouts out Ian Toll as a favorite writer At about 12:10, Wright speaks on the best barbecue, highlighting Scott’s-Parker in Lexington, TN At about 14:30, Pete notes the myriad connections between Mississippi/Southern/cotton economy and so many disparate parts of the country and world; Wright expands upon international connections and the need to “go back across the ocean” to fully understand the events of the book and so much more history At about 17:30, the two discuss the “incredible” Gloria Dickerson and her incredible work in Drew, MS, a “stripped” town ruined by economic chains At about 19:15, Pete notes his close connection to Christopher Rufo, and Wright envisions a conversation with him and others railing against “Wokeism” about differences in Black history and CRT  At about 21:55, Wright discusses the “entry point” for The Barn, an article about the family tree for Lakers' players At about 23:00, Wright discusses an incredible connection between Avery Bradley and Chamillionaire and highlights  At about 24:00, Wright talks of his reverence for Sam Anderson, especially his work regarding Weird Al Yankovic  At about 25:05, Wright responds to Pete’s question regarding Frank DeFord, Bill Naack, Ric Telander, Gary Smith, Tom Junod, Michael Paterniti and other inspiring and chill-inducing sportswriters   At about 26:10, Pete stans Wright’s wonderful collection, The Cost of These Dreams, an incredible anthology focusing on top-tier athletes At about 27:05, Pete traces the book’s beginning, with Willie Reed seeing Emmett Till in his killers’ truck and Pete asks Wright about the titular barn and its standing as a living being in 2025 At about 29:50, Wright responds to Pete’s questions about the impunity with which white people terrorized Black people in Mississippi; he talks about a “moral test”  At about 33:35, Wright highlights family members who passed and failed the aforementioned “moral test” and ideas of all Mississippians being bound together  At about 35:30, Wright talks about history as being weaponized in recent years, versus something to be analyzed/examined with its “disparate datapoints” At about 36:40, Wright points to connections between Chicago and the Mississippi Delta At about 37:25, Wright talks about tracing the intimate last days of Emmett Till, and Keith Beauchamp’s and Jerry Mitchell’s intrepid work that inspired and lifted his own At about 40:40, Wright responds to Pete’s question about ideas  At about 42:40, Wright discusses the “death penalty” that Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam suffered after their killing of Emmett Till At about 43:45, Pete wonders about the short-term and long-term  At about 44:20, Wright connects “The Lost Cause” of the past and the Mississippi and MAGA movement of today;   he highlights great work by Sven Beckert At about 46:35, Wright traces the land history of the grid and lawmaking that led to The Barn becoming the place where Emmett Till was killed At about 49:05, Wright reflects on his attendance at a special White House commemoration  At about 50:15, Wright reflects on Emmett “Bobo” Till and how he is “not a symbol” to those eight-12 people still alive who remember him as he was  At about 51:45, Wright highlights how Mamie Till “rose to the occasion” and was such an incredible civil-rights icon and hero      You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow Pete on IG, where he is @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where he is @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both the YouTube Channel and the podcast while you’re checking out this episode.       Pete is very excited to have one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. His conversation with Hannah Pittard, a recent guest, is up at Chicago Review.     Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl      Check out the page that describes the benefits of a Patreon membership, including cool swag and bonus episodes. Thanks in advance for supporting Pete’s one-man show, DIY podcast and extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content! This month’s Patreon bonus episode features an exploration of flawed characters, protagonists who are too real in their actions, and horror and noir as being where so much good and realistic writing takes place. Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.     This is a passion project, a DIY operation, and Pete would love for your help in promoting what he’s convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.    The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.    Please tune in for Episode 296 with Ursula Villarreal-Moura, the author of Math for the Self-Crippling (2022), selected by Zinzi Clemmons as the Gold Line Press fiction contest winner, and Like Happiness, named a Best Book of 2024 by NPR    Please go to ceasefiretoday.org, and/or https://act.uscpr.org/a/letaidin to call your congresspeople and demand an end to the forced famine and destruction of Gaza and the Gazan people.