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Constance Bailey, "Conversations with Kiese Laymon" (UP of Mississippi, 2025)

Sep 24, 2025

Guest

Kiese Laymon

Guest

Constance Bailey

Constance Bailey, an accomplished editor and scholar of African American literature, chats with Kiese Laymon, a celebrated author from Mississippi. They dive into the fascinating process of compiling 'Conversations with Kiese Laymon,' exploring how regional identity influences his writing. Laymon shares insights about his creative energy and changing narratives, while Bailey reveals the challenges of preserving the authenticity of his voice through transcription. Their dialogue showcases Laymon's humility and his profound impact on contemporary literature.

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INSIGHT

Conversations Series As A Living Archive

The University Press of Mississippi Conversations series collects accessible interviews to introduce writers to students and general readers.
Constance pitched Kiese's volume to capture his work while he was rising, not only posthumously or late-career.

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ANECDOTE

How A Skype Visit Became A Long-Term Connection

Constance first met Kiese by inviting him to Skype into her class when she couldn't afford his fee.
They later met in person when she could pay him and their relationship broadened through shared Mississippi networks.

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ADVICE

Curate For Classroom Accessibility

Prioritize accessible, short interviews when curating for students and classroom use.
Choose pieces that balance substance with readability so they fit course syllabi and budgets.

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Mississippi Identity and Early Encounters

03:42 • 3min

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Why the Conversations Series Matters

06:19 • 4min

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Professional Relationship and Classroom Connections

10:29 • 9min

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Prime, Productivity, and Creative Limits

The Collection as Revision and Self-Perception

Transcription Choices and Preserving Voice

Coming of age in Mississippi

Anne Moody

Men We Reaped

Jesmyn Ward

One writer's beginnings

Eudora Welty

Eudora Welty's 'One Writer's Beginnings' is a memoir that explores the origins of her life as a writer. The memoir is structured into three sections: 'Listening,' 'Learning to See,' and 'Finding a Voice. ' Welty reflects on her childhood in Mississippi, emphasizing the importance of family, place, and the power of observation. She recounts how the sounds, sights, and stories of her early life shaped her imagination and her approach to writing. Ultimately, 'One Writer's Beginnings' is a celebration of the formative experiences that transform an individual into a storyteller.

#12112

• Mentioned in 3 episodes

In this memoir, Kiese Laymon delves into his complex relationship with his mother, grandmother, and his own body, addressing themes of weight, identity, art, family, and national failures. Laymon writes about his experiences growing up in Jackson, Mississippi, including early encounters with sexual violence, his suspension from college, and his journey to becoming a young college professor in New York. The book is a candid and insightful exploration of the consequences of living in a country obsessed with progress but disinterested in reckoning with its past, and it highlights the personal and national weight of secrets, lies, and trauma.

#45303

Incidents in the life of a slave girl

Published in 1861 under the pseudonym Linda Brent, this book is a firsthand account of Harriet Jacobs's life as a slave. It describes her experiences with sexual harassment, her seven-year hiding in a crawl space to protect her children, and her eventual escape to the North. The book is a powerful critique of slavery and its impact on African American women, making it a significant work in American literature and the history of the abolitionist movement.

Conversations with Kiese Laymon

• Mentioned in 2 episodes

Memorial Drive

A Daughter's Memoir

Natasha Trethewey

In this memoir, Natasha Trethewey recounts the traumatic event of her mother's murder by her former stepfather in 1985. The book delves into the author's experience of grief, loss, and the long-term effects of domestic violence. Trethewey explores her mother's history in the deeply segregated South, her own girlhood as a 'child of miscegenation' in Mississippi, and how these experiences shaped her as a poet. The memoir includes personal narratives, historical context, and actual court transcripts, providing a poignant and intimate look at the author's journey toward understanding and healing.

#55563

Long Division

Kiese Laymon

Long Division is a novel that weaves together two narratives: one set in 2013, where a teenager named Citoyen 'City' Coldson becomes embroiled in a viral controversy, and another in 1985, where City and his friend Shalaya discover a time-travel portal. The book explores themes of racism, identity, and the complexities of American history. It is known for its innovative structure and metafictional elements, blending humor and depth in its portrayal of Black American experiences.

#106

• Mentioned in 127 episodes

Dominion

The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy

Matthew Scully

In 'Dominion,' Matthew Scully presents a comprehensive and eloquent case against the mistreatment of animals. The book delves into various aspects of animal suffering, including factory farming, hunting, whaling, and laboratory experiments. Scully challenges the notion that humans have unlimited dominion over animals, as suggested by biblical interpretations, and argues for a moral and compassionate approach to animal treatment. He draws on both religious and scientific perspectives to make his case, emphasizing the importance of empathy and the recognition of animal consciousness and suffering. The book is a call to action for reform and a plea for human benevolence and mercy towards animals.

This is a very special episode of the New Books Network, as the editor of Conversations with Kiese Laymon (UP of Mississippi, 2025), Dr. Constance Bailey, discusses the process of selecting, compiling, and publishing the volume with the subject himself, award-winning author, Kiese Laymon.

Conversations with Kiese Laymon provides an in-depth look at Laymon as an educator, creative writer, activist, family member, and Mississippian. Interviews capture surprising insights into Laymon’s life and craft. Within the book’s pages, Laymon talks about his engagement with other writers, including Richard Wright, William Faulkner, and Eudora Welty. These revelations situate his memoir, Heavy, among other great Mississippi autobiographies and memoirs, such as Anne Moody’s Coming of Age in Mississippi, Welty’s One Writer’s Beginnings, Jesmyn Ward’s Men We Reaped, and Natasha Trethewey’s Memorial Drive. In other interviews, he discusses his obsession with revision and deftly fields questions about pop culture, politics, and Black masculinity, along with a host of other pressing contemporary issues.

As the first collection of its kind, Conversations with Kiese Laymon serves as the perfect introduction to studying Laymon. The cross section of interviews included reflects Laymon’s humility, while simultaneously celebrating his accomplishments. Most importantly, the interviews reflect his stature as a major American literary figure. With topics ranging from hip-hop and family to politics and everything in between, Conversations provides an unfiltered look at the prolific Southern writer in his own words.

And the same can be said of this episode.

You can find Dr. Constance Bailey at her website, and on Instagram.

Find host Sullivan Summer at her website, on Instagram, and on Substack.

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