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April 4-6, 2025
Word of [South], a festival of literature and music, is a unique blend of writers and musicians and an exploration of the relationship between the two disciplines. Beginning with our first festival in 2015, the festival showcases authors who write about music, musicians who also are authors, authors and musicians trading places, and everything in between. We’re especially proud of our “mu-aushups”: authors and musicians appearing together (some of whom have never met), as well as our cookbook authors, kids programming and musical performances of every genre--we’ve got gospel and HipHop, pop and bluegrass, jazz and country, Americana and R&B. Bring the whole family, and come see what’s down South!
Presented by
Presented by
2025 Artists
Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes formed in 1981 as an acoustic punk band playing on the streets of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Their main influences at that time were Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps and The Velvet Underground. Their goal was to rock harder than any other acoustic act on the planet.
After being rejected for an audition by a local nightclub, the Femmes set up outside a Pretenders gig and began to play. Pretenders’ lead singer Chrissie Hynde asked them to open that night’s show, which gave the young band a publicity boost and caught the attention of Richard Hell, who invited the Femmes to open for him in NYC. A rave review in the New York Times eventually led to a record deal, which in turn spawned worldwide touring.
Violent Femmes eponymous debut album became the first and only album in Billboard history to enter the charts with a platinum certification- eight years after its release. Over the ensuing three decades, the Femmes became a mainstay of festivals, clubs, and theaters in more than 20 countries worldwide.
MTV’s “Unplugged” show was inspired by the Femmes, although they never actually appeared on it. Their raw sound and honest lyrical perspective has been cited as an influence by artists as diverse as Pink, Keith Urban, The Smiths, The Pixies, John Cusack, Mark Morris, and Wim Wenders.
More than 40 years into their careers, Violent Femmes continue to attract young audiences on tour, create lasting music, and inspire people of all ages.
George Clinton
Grammy-winner George Clinton, formerly known for his role in the groups Parliament and Funkadelic, revolutionized R&B during the 70’s. Since his first major hit “(I Wanna) Testify,” George Clinton made his mark in the music world for his psychedelic rock and funk band-format, with eccentric costumes and themes inspired by ’60s acid culture and science fiction. Clinton took Funk to new heights by blending the musical elements of Jazz, Rock, Pop, Classical and even Gospel into his productions, eventually developing a unique style called “Pfunk.” He’ll be appearing at Word of South as part of a musical retrospective of his work, seen though the eyes of his longtime keyboardist, Danny Bedrosian.
M.O. Walsh
M.O. Walsh is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels My Sunshine Away, The Big Door Prize, and the story collection The Prospect of Magic. His fiction and essays have appeared in The Guardian, the New York Times, The Southern Review, The Paris Review, and others. His most recent novel The Big Door Prize was a finalist for the James Thurber Award for American Humor and adapted for television by David West Read (Schitt’s Creek). It is now streaming as a series on Apple TV. Walsh currently directs the Creative Writing Workshop at the University of New Orleans and The Yokshop in Oxford, MS, where he lives with his family near the southern shore of Lake Pontchartrain. He’s appearing at Word of South as part of the community One Book Tally read sponsored by Tallahassee’s bookstore Midtown Reader.
Kristen Arnett
Kristen Arnett is the queer Floridian author of With Teeth: A Novel (Riverhead Books, 2021) which was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award in fiction and the New York Times bestselling debut novel Mostly Dead Things (Tin House, 2019) which was also a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award in fiction and was shortlisted for the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award. She was awarded a Shearing Fellowship at Black Mountain Institute, has held residencies at Ragdale Foundation, Vermont Studio Center, the Millay Colony, and the Studios of Key West, and was longlisted for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize. She runs the substack “Dad Lessons.” Her work has appeared at The New York Times, TIME, Vogue, The Cut, Oprah Magazine, Guernica, Buzzfeed, McSweeneys, PBS Newshour, The Guardian, Salon, The Washington Post, and elsewhere. Her next novel, STOP ME IF YOU’VE HEARD THIS ONE, about a lesbian birthday party clown, will be published by Riverhead Books (Spring 2025), followed by the publication of an untitled collection of short stories. She has a Masters in Library and Information Science from Florida State University and lives in Orlando, Florida. She’ll be appearing at Word of South with the author Jami Attenberg.
Violent Femmes formed in 1981 as an acoustic punk band playing on the streets of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Their main influences at that time were Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps and The Velvet Underground. Their goal was to rock harder than any other acoustic act on the planet.
After being rejected for an audition by a local nightclub, the Femmes set up outside a Pretenders gig and began to play. Pretenders’ lead singer Chrissie Hynde asked them to open that night’s show, which gave the young band a publicity boost and caught the attention of Richard Hell, who invited the Femmes to open for him in NYC. A rave review in the New York Times eventually led to a record deal, which in turn spawned worldwide touring.
Violent Femmes eponymous debut album became the first and only album in Billboard history to enter the charts with a platinum certification- eight years after its release. Over the ensuing three decades, the Femmes became a mainstay of festivals, clubs, and theaters in more than 20 countries worldwide.
MTV’s “Unplugged” show was inspired by the Femmes, although they never actually appeared on it. Their raw sound and honest lyrical perspective has been cited as an influence by artists as diverse as Pink, Keith Urban, The Smiths, The Pixies, John Cusack, Mark Morris, and Wim Wenders.
More than 40 years into their careers, Violent Femmes continue to attract young audiences on tour, create lasting music, and inspire people of all ages.
Grammy-winner George Clinton, formerly known for his role in the groups Parliament and Funkadelic, revolutionized R&B during the 70’s. Since his first major hit “(I Wanna) Testify,” George Clinton made his mark in the music world for his psychedelic rock and funk band-format, with eccentric costumes and themes inspired by ’60s acid culture and science fiction. Clinton took Funk to new heights by blending the musical elements of Jazz, Rock, Pop, Classical and even Gospel into his productions, eventually developing a unique style called “Pfunk.” He’ll be appearing at Word of South as part of a musical retrospective of his work, seen though the eyes of his longtime keyboardist, Danny Bedrosian.
M.O. Walsh is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels My Sunshine Away, The Big Door Prize, and the story collection The Prospect of Magic. His fiction and essays have appeared in The Guardian, the New York Times, The Southern Review, The Paris Review, and others. His most recent novel The Big Door Prize was a finalist for the James Thurber Award for American Humor and adapted for television by David West Read (Schitt’s Creek). It is now streaming as a series on Apple TV. Walsh currently directs the Creative Writing Workshop at the University of New Orleans and The Yokshop in Oxford, MS, where he lives with his family near the southern shore of Lake Pontchartrain. He’s appearing at Word of South as part of the community One Book Tally read sponsored by Tallahassee’s bookstore Midtown Reader.
Kristen Arnett is the queer Floridian author of With Teeth: A Novel (Riverhead Books, 2021) which was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award in fiction and the New York Times bestselling debut novel Mostly Dead Things (Tin House, 2019) which was also a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award in fiction and was shortlisted for the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award. She was awarded a Shearing Fellowship at Black Mountain Institute, has held residencies at Ragdale Foundation, Vermont Studio Center, the Millay Colony, and the Studios of Key West, and was longlisted for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize. She runs the substack “Dad Lessons.” Her work has appeared at The New York Times, TIME, Vogue, The Cut, Oprah Magazine, Guernica, Buzzfeed, McSweeneys, PBS Newshour, The Guardian, Salon, The Washington Post, and elsewhere. Her next novel, STOP ME IF YOU’VE HEARD THIS ONE, about a lesbian birthday party clown, will be published by Riverhead Books (Spring 2025), followed by the publication of an untitled collection of short stories. She has a Masters in Library and Information Science from Florida State University and lives in Orlando, Florida. She’ll be appearing at Word of South with the author Jami Attenberg.
