Hear-Tell

Martin Padgett reads an essay titled “Underneath the Sweet Gum Tree,” originally published by the Oxford American, and adapted from his book, “A Night at the Sweet Gum Head: Drag, Drugs, Disco, and Atlanta’s Gay Revolution” (W.W. Norton, 2021). The story follows Frank Powell, an architect of Atlanta’s queer nightlife from the 1960s until his death in 1996. One of Powell’s many nightclubs, the Sweet Gum Head, offered gay Atlantans a safe space to be themselves long before queer culture became popular culture. Padgett’s story details the progress made in the South and the United States in terms of gay rights and lingers over all that has been lost to the AIDS pandemic and gentrification. A 2018 graduate of the Low-Residency MFA in Narrative Nonfiction program at the University of Georgia, Padgett is a writer and PhD candidate in History at Georgia State University. His writing has appeared in the Bitter Southerner, Men’s Health, Outside, and many others.  

For parents, building nests, rather than cages, for baby birds can prove difficult.  In Max Blau's story "How Jim White Helped His Bluebird Spread Her Wings," originally published by the Sunday Long Read, a songwriter and his daughter learn to overcome turmoil to love each other on equal terms.  Blau, a 2018 graduate of the Low-Residency MFA program at the University of Georgia, spent years interviewing the subjects of the story, Jim White and daughter Willow Martin. He squared their accounts of a messy custody battle and inter-personal growing pains with family members, and he fact-checked the details against court documents. The result is a story about how parents, as their children forge their own identities, must understand their role with clear eyes. Max Blau is an independent journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. His work has appeared in publications like the Atavist, ProPublica, Atlanta, and Georgia Health News, among many others.

Jasmin Pittman Morrell reads an essay originally published by the Bitter Southerner called "Is That Your Mother?" The story follows the author's experience as a Black mother to a child who appears white; it explores the commodification of Black motherhood throughout U.S. history and challenges the recurring assumptions of the white gaze. In response to hurtful encounters, Jasmin celebrates the fullness of her identity and family. A 2020 graduate of the Low-Residency MFA in Narrative Nonfiction program at the University of Georgia, Jasmin is a writer and editor based in Asheville, North Carolina. 

Kristin Lowe reads an essay called "The Orchard on a Cloud," about the agricultural community of Quincy, Washington. The Grand Coulee Dam irrigates the apple orchard and potato fields around Quincy. That same water source has attracted data storage centers, run by the likes of Microsoft, creating fundamental shifts in how the people of Quincy define themselves.  Returning to an important geography from her childhood, Kristin reflects on how life has changed for farmers like her uncle, Carl Yeates, and what these changes mean for generations to come. A 2018 graduate of the Low-Residency MFA in Narrative Nonfiction program at the University of Georgia, Kristin is a freelance writer based in Atlanta, Georgia. 

2019 MFA graduate Jeremy Redmon reads an essay called “December 21 and What Came After,” about his experiences as a reporter embedded with U.S. troops in Iraq. The essay was originally published by The WarHorse, a nonprofit new website dedicated to telling stories about military service and the impact of war. Redmon’s essay explores what drew him to covering armed conflict, what working in a war zone taught him about his Air Force veteran father, and the lasting impact of trauma on his life. A veteran journalist, Redmon currently reports for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 

Current MFA students Alison Miller, Will Alford, Sierra Williams, and Stephanie Paladino read short narrative essays composed during their low-residency coursework over the past year. Their stories introduce us to fascinating characters and take us to communities across the US and Global South. We'll meet independent wrestlers, awkward roommates, stifling small towns, and almost romances.  This episode is the second Hear-Tell episode produced from the safety of the homes of our guests and host. Considering the health of our contributors, the show will continue in this fashion for the near future.  To learn more about Hear-Tell, visit https://grady.uga.edu/graduate_studies/hear-tell/. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @heartellpodcast. 

Kim Lute, Tom Cullen, Jasmin Pittman Morrell, and Diana Keough read short narrative essays composed during their low-residency coursework over the past year. The stories share the theme of family, and consider the lessons our ancestors and loved ones provide us today.  This episode is the first Hear-Tell episode produced from the safety of the homes of our guests and host. Considering the health of our contributors in light of the continuing coronavirus pandemic, the show will continue in this fashion for the near future.  Follow Hear-Tell on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Karen Thomas, a 2017 MFA graduate, reads an essay called "Traveling Graces," which is adapted from a chapter from an in-progress book project currently titled "Stealing Away: Alzheimer's and One African-American Family's Journey," which is currently seeking a publisher.  The story follows the day Thomas moved her mother, who had Alzheimer's and died in 2016, into an assisted living facility. The plan had been long in the making, but when moving day finally arrived, Thomas worried if that decision was truly for the best. Following a distinguished career in newspaper journalism, Thomas now serves as a professor of practice at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. 

Samantha Bresnahan, a 2018 MFA graduate, reads a chapter from her book “In the Blood, Flowers Bloom,” which is currently seeking a publisher. The story follows American and Japanese veterans of Iwo Jima during World War II and how the keepsakes that soldiers took from enemies kept the battle alive long after the fighting stopped. Bresnahan’s story concerns the trauma of war, but is ultimately about the necessity of reconciliation and forgiveness, no matter how long that takes. Bresnahan is a senior writer and copy editor at CNN in the international features division, where she has worked for more than a decade.

John T. Edge reads his essay “My Mother’s Catfish Stew,” originally published in the Oxford American, about a son’s duty toward family memories and his mother’s legacy. Edge is the author of “The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South.” He’s the director of the Southern Foodways Alliance and host of ESPN’s True South. Edge is also an original member of the Low-Residency MFA in Narrative Nonfiction at UGA faculty.  In the episode, Edge discusses the changing role of the first person in his writing and what he learned about narrative craft by exploring his personal life on the page.

Mark Shavin reads a selection from his book-length manuscript “Unforgettable: Marriage, Memory and Madness in a Small Southern Town,” which is currently seeking a publisher.  The story follows Harold Riley, who lost his memory following brain surgery in 1971, and his wife, Elaine, as she tries to help Harold relearn how to live in the world. A veteran reporter and TV broadcaster, Shavin lives in Atlanta and teaches journalism at Georgia State University. He is a 2018 graduate of the Grady Nonfiction MFA program. In this episode, Shavin discusses his decades-long research into the Rileys’ story, why this particular story stuck with him over the years, and what the family’s openness taught him about being a good person.

Dorothy Lennon reads from her essay “Coming Out,” about the author’s relationship with her mother, and how Lennon’s sexuality affected their family. Lennon, a 2019 MFA graduate, also holds degrees from North Carolina A&T State University, New York University, and currently teaches theatre. She lives in Atlanta, where she is the founder of Dope Sista, an online publication highlighting the achievements of black women. In the episode, Lennon discusses how a theatre background impacted her writing, as well as her journey to unlocking an authentic voice. Visit the podcast's home at bit.ly/heartellpodcast.  Read a transcript of the interview with Dorothy Lennon here. 

Valerie Boyd, director of the Low-Residency MFA in Narrative Nonfiction program at the University of Georgia, joins host André Gallant to help define narrative nonfiction and discuss why stories, especially true ones, are so important to us.  Voices heard during the intro belong to MFA alums Katoya Fleming, Marty Padgett, and Tracy Coley. Learn more about Hear-Tell and the innovative Low-Residency MFA in Narrative Nonfiction program at the University of Georgia, visit bit.ly/heartellpodcast. Follow Hear-Tell at @heartellpodcast on Instagram and Twitter.   

In this episode of Hear-Tell, Martin Padgett illuminates the complicated, very human life of Michael Hardwick—the Atlanta man at the center of Bowers v. Hardwick (1986), the Supreme Court decision that upheld state sodomy laws and galvanized LGBTQ+ activism, decades before Lawrence v. Texas overturned it. In his latest book, The Many Passions of Michael Hardwick: Sex and the Supreme Court in the Age of AIDS (W. W. Norton, 2025), Padgett blends biography and narrative history, drawing on newly surfaced materials and interviews to restore Hardwick’s personhood beyond the case caption—set against the backdrop of the AIDS era and shifting American ideas about privacy and liberty.    Padgett’s portrait pushes past a landmark ruling to ask a harder question: Who was Michael Hardwick, and what did that era demand of him? It’s a lesson in writing narrative nonfiction that treats sources—and subjects—with dignity while still telling an unflinching story.   The Many Passions of Michael Hardwick: Sex and the Supreme Court in the Age of AIDS (W. W. Norton, 2025). A Night at the Sweet Gum Head: Drag, Drugs, Disco, and Atlanta's Gay Revolution 

In this episode of Hear-Tell, Rosalind Bentley—distinguished professor of practice in the University of Georgia’s MFA Narrative Nonfiction program—sits down with recent MFA graduate and freelance journalist Ryan Atkinson for a thoughtful conversation about reporting, trust, and the art of storytelling. Ryan, now based in metro Atlanta, spent over a decade as a sports writer and editor in newsrooms across the lower Midwest before transitioning into trade publishing. Last year, he returned to longform with a powerful feature for FanSided, chronicling hurdler Cordell Tinch’s remarkable quest for a spot on the 2024 Paris Olympic team. In this episode, Ryan talks with Roz about what it took to earn Cordell’s trust, how he navigated access, and what the story taught him about perseverance—both on the track and on the page. Read Ryan’s full story here: Cordell Tinch’s Olympic Journey – FanSided.