Narrative Edge

In this episode, Orlando and Peter explore the life and legacy of celebrated Southern writer Carson McCullers. Drawing from the new biography "Carson McCullers: A Life" by Mary Dearborn, they discuss McCullers' journey from Columbus, Georgia, to literary fame in New York City, her groundbreaking works like "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter," and delve into McCullers' personal challenges, including health issues, struggles with alcohol, and her complicated relationships, as well as her bold approach to race and gender in the mid-20th century. With insights from Dearborn's book, this episode offers a compelling glimpse into the life of a groundbreaking author whose influence on Southern literature remains profound.

In this episode, we unravel the complex story of Alvin Ridley, the "Zenith Man," a television repairman from a small town in Georgia who was accused of murdering his wife in 1997. Despite his eccentric behavior and a town's suspicion, the truth revealed a different narrative. Join Orlando Montoya and Peter Biello as they discuss the new book, "Zenith Man: Death, Love, and Redemption in a Georgia Courtroom," written by McCracken Poston Jr., the lawyer who defended Alvin Ridley. This episode explores the unique life of Ridley, his struggles with autism, and the courtroom drama that ultimately led to his acquittal.

When a massive asteroid hurtles toward Earth, humanity braces for annihilation—but the end doesn’t come. In fact, it isn’t an asteroid but a three-mile-tall alien that drops down, seemingly dead, outside Little Springs, Nebraska. Dubbed “the giant,” its arrival transforms the red-state farm town into a top-secret government research site and major metropolitan area, flooded with soldiers, scientists, bureaucrats, spies, criminals, conspiracy theorists—and a murderer.

A city is hellbent on revolution. Passionate and impetuous, Shelley is a university student at a time of political discord in Dhaka in the late 1960s. Frustrated by the oppression of West Pakistani rulers, the Bengali people are rising up, taking Shelley with them. As he is forced to navigate the chaos of an uprising, where his every choice and action weighs heavy with consequence, Shelley's life is thrown further into disarray when he elopes with his childhood sweetheart.

One of the world's greatest basketball players is the hero in two very American tales: one, a success story the nation loves; the other, the latest installment in an ongoing chronicle of American antiblackness. Author Valerie Babb joins Peter and Orlando to discuss the power, politics, and passion of LeBron James.

Utilizing more than two decades of meticulous research, fresh historical analysis, and compelling storytelling, Michael L. Thurmond rewrites the prehistory of abolitionism and adds an important new chapter to Georgia’s origin story. Can he change the hearts and minds of those who were taught Georgia history years ago? Can he change the hearts and minds of our hosts, Peter and Orlando? Listen and judge for yourself.

For generations, upwardly mobile white families have extracted opportunity from the nation’s heavily subsidized suburbs, then moved on before the bills for maintenance and repair came due, leaving the mostly Black and Brown families who followed to clean up the ensuing mess. Peter and Orlando are joined by author Benjamin Herold to discover the vicious cycle undermining the dreams upon which American suburbia was built.

When celebrated American novelist and short story writer Flannery O’Connor died at the age of 39 in 1964, she left behind an unfinished third novel titled "Why Do the Heathen Rage?" Scholarly experts uncovered and studied the material, deeming it unpublishable. It stayed that way for 40 years. Until now. Join Peter and Orlando as they explore, along with author Jessica Hooten Wilson, the lessons and the what-might-have-beens of "Why Do the Heathen Rage?"

Dan Sinykin details how changes in the publishing industry have affected fiction and literary form, and reveals how conglomeration has shaped what kinds of books and writers are published. Peter and Orlando explore a conversation with the author and discuss underrated and "weird" books from nonprofit publishing houses.

In her third book of essays, Georgia Author of the Year Award winner Kathy Bradley continues to ask important questions about humanity, community, and stewardship. In this episode, Peter and Orlando discuss this "rare gem" of a book, the difficulties and art of writing against a deadline, and finding meaning and metaphor in the simplest things.

Michael Jordan's path to greatness was shaped by race, politics, and the consequences of fame. To become the most revered basketball player in America, it wasn't enough for Michael Jordan to merely excel on the court. He also had to become something he never intended: a hero. In this episode, Peter and Orlando delve into a conversation about His Airness with author and Georgia Tech professor, Johnny Smith.

Award-winning CNN journalist John Blake grew up a self-described “closeted biracial person,” hostile toward white people while hiding the truth of his mother’s race. In this episode of Narrative Edge, Peter and Orlando explore a powerful conversation with Blake about racial reconciliation, acceptance, and empathy.

An indelible portrait of a family, The Peach Seed explores how kin pass down legacies of sorrow, joy, and strength. And it is a parable of how a glimmer of hope as small as a seed can ripple across generations. Peter and Orlando explore a conversation with author Anita Gail Jones and learn about the Civil Rights movement in Albany, GA along the way.

The Allman Brothers Band's "Brothers and Sisters" is iconic. In this episode, Peter and Orlando discuss Alan Paul's deep dive into the time before and after the 1973 album. It was not only the band’s best-selling album, at over seven million copies sold, but it was also a powerfully influential release, both musically and culturally. And this book has converted one of the hosts into a fan.

Famed NPR reporter Mary Louise Kelly comes to grips with the reality every parent faces: childhood has a definite expiration date. Peter and Orlando share their thoughts and opinions of Mary Louise Kelly's chronicle of her eldest child’s final year at home. Plus, we'll hear from Mary Louise herself.

It’s the summer of 1964 and three innocent men are brutally murdered for trying to help Black Mississippians secure the right to vote. Against this backdrop, twenty-one-year-old Violet Richards finds herself in more trouble than she’s ever been. Peter and Orlando dive into Anywhere You Run in this episode and talk with Atlanta-based author Wanda Morris.

Sally Sierer Bethea was one of the first women in America to become a “riverkeeper”—a vocal defender of a specific waterway who holds polluters accountable. In Keeping the Chattahoochee, she tells stories that range from joyous and funny to frustrating—even alarming—to illustrate what it takes to save an endangered river. In this episode, Peter and Orlando discuss the Hooch, an important water source for so many people.

At the height of the John Birch Society’s activity in the 1960s, critics dismissed its members as a paranoid fringe. After all, “Birchers” believed that a vast communist conspiracy existed in America and posed an existential threat to Christianity, capitalism, and freedom. But as historian Matthew Dallek reveals, the Birch Society’s extremism remade American conservatism. After a discussion with Dallek, Peter and Orlando share some of their thoughts and insights on Birchers, a deeply researched account of the rise of extremism in the United States.

LISTEN: Some of the most popular music in the world has roots in Atlanta. In "Rap Capital: An Atlanta Story," author Joe Coscarelli chronicles what it's like to be a rapper in Atlanta today and puts on spotlight on artists such as Migos and Lil Baby. After a discussion with Coscarelli, Peter and Orlando share some of their thoughts and insights on "Rap Capital: An Atlanta Story."

"King: A Life" by Jonathan Eig, the first major biography of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in decades, is a generational book filled with new information and perspectives from living witnesses, declassified documents, and unheard audio recordings. After a discussion with Jonathan Eig, Peter and Orlando share some of their thoughts and insights on "King: A Life."