2016 Artists – Word of South

Wayne A. Wiegand

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Wayne A. Wiegand is F. William Summers Professor of Library and Information Studies Emeritus at Florida State University, and former Director of the Florida Book Awards. As author and editor of many books (including Irrepressible Reformer: A Biography of Melvil Dewey) and over one hundred scholarly articles, he is often referred to as the “Dean of American library historians.” In 2008-9 he was a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow to support research on his recently published book, “Part of Our Lives:” A People’s History of the American Public Library (Oxford University Press, 2015).

Jim White

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Jim White gets around. When he’s not releasing his own critically acclaimed solo albums, he splits time producing records for other songwriters, exhibiting his visual art in galleries and museums across the U.S. and Europe and publishing award winning fiction.

His sixth solo studio album, the bizarrely titled “Waffles, Triangles & Jesus,” is a mind-bending joy ride of sonic influences featuring a bevy of his hometown Athens’ roots musicians, plus west coast indie darlings Dead Rock West, and rock and roll maverick Holly Golightly.

Prior to “Waffles, Triangles & Jesus,” White released five eclectic, totally uncatagorizable albums plus another six even stranger side projects. Numerous songs from his back catalog have appeared both in film and television, with his Primus-esque Word-Mule being featured in Breaking Bad, and more recently his cautionary rocker Crash Into The Sun appearing in Ray McKinnon’s highly praised Sundance Channel series Rectify. Jim will be appearing on Saturday at Word of South with the musician/artist Abe Partridge and writer Tad Bartlett, and again on Sunday with Tallahassee’s Mark Hinson to discuss Jim’s new memoir, Incidental Contact.

The Suffers

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The Suffers are a 10-piece band from Houston that is redefining the sound of Gulf Coast Soul. The band is known for mixing elements of Classic American Soul with Rock & Roll. Lead singer Kam Franklin’s voice is backed by talented and powerful horn and rhythm sections. Entertainment Weekly lauded the band’s “buttery horn arrangements, funky guitar licks, and lead singer Kam Franklin’s bubbly vocals.” The Suffers released their debut album Make Some Room in 2014.

Story Pirates

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Story Pirates believes that every child has a story to tell. Whether it’s a world where cats can fly or a rock opera about fuzzy alien tickle monsters, this sketch comedy musical is based entirely on stories by elementary schoolers! Watch the Story Pirates celebrate the words and ideas of your very own student authors. This imaginative show features 6 actors and a live pianist who bring along colorful sets, costumes, and props to create a hilarious, inspiring, and one-of-a-kind event.

Sye Elaine Spence

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Sye Elaine Spence is a singer, songwriter, and artist originally from New York City and now residing in Atlanta, GA. In 2008, she began collaborating with artists and producers in New York City in efforts to begin a career as a professional songwriter. In doing so, her interest in becoming an artist was heightened.

Spence’s collaboration with folk multi-instrumentalist, Michael Lesousky returned to her roots as a writer and a poet. Collaborating for months, choosing scenic and serene locations to create, the two stumbled upon a simple quiet sound that supported Spence’s simile-laden lyrics and hushed vocals. The resulting four-track set, Bloom, begins with its title track, featuring a softly plucked banjo as the sole accompaniment. Spence’s most recent two-song outfit, “Repeat/1964,” sustains this very simplistic style of accompaniment while bringing more poetic lyricism to the forefront.

Minton Sparks

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A Tennessee native, first-ever Spoken Word Award recipient at the Conference on Southern Literature, and founder of The Nashville Writing and Performance Institute, Minton Sparks has established herself in Nashville. Sparks meshes her gift for storytelling with music, and poetry to tell vivid stories of the rural South. She earned the title of the first non-singing country singer with the release of 2001’s Middlin’ Sisters. Since then, she’s released two studio follow-ups—This Dress (2003) and Sin Sick (2005), and a live record cut in Nashville. Whatever she’s doing, it’s working: Minton’s been featured on NPR’s All Things Considered, BBC’s Bob Harris Show, and WoodSong’s Old-Time Radio.

The Sonnet Man

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If you’re ready for some Hip Hop Shakespeare Fusion, the 2016 Word of South Festival is the place for you. Come check out the Sonnet Man, aka artist Devon Glover of New York, who performs the Bard’s love sonnets to a Hip Hop beat, introducing young people to Shakespeare’s immortal words in a form they know and love. Glover teaches and performs in New York City and drew an enthusiastic response from viewers when he appeared on the Today Show. The Sonnet Man promises to make Shakespeare “exciting and fun” for his Tallahassee audience.

Amanda Shires

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Amanda Shires is a violinist and singer/songwriter who performs as a solo act and with her husband Jason Isbell’s band, the 400 Unit. She began playing violin around age 10, and by her teens was performing with Western Swing legend Bob Wills’ band the Texas Playboys. She has released five albums and appeared in the film Country Strong in 2013. Her singing has been compared to Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton and the imagery in her lyrics has been compared to Tom Waits. A native of Texas, Shires now lives in Nashville.

Brenda Shaughnessy

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Born in Okinawa, Brenda Shaughnessy is an award-winning American poet. A recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts, Shaughnessy has also received fellowships from the Radcliffe Institute, the Japan/U.S. Friendship Commission, and the Howard Foundation of Brown University. Her 2008 book Human Dark with Sugar won the James Laughlin Award from the Academy of American Poets. The Poetry Foundation says Shaughnessy’s “work is known for its ability to twin opposites: her poems are both playful and erotic, lyrical and funny, formal and strange.” She is an assistant professor of English at Rutgers University, where she also teaches in the MFA program.

Bob Shacochis

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Bob Shacochis is one of America’s most provocative and accomplished writers. His story collection Easy in the Islands won the National Book Award, and his novel Swimming in the Volcano was a National Book Award finalist. His most recent work, The Woman Who Lost Her Soul, was the winner of the Dayton International Literary Peace Prize and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. He lives in Florida and New Mexico, and teaches at Florida State University. Mr. Shacochis will be appearing with the musician David Broza at a special Thursday night pre-festival event.