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The Thacker Mountain Radio Hour returns to the Walter Anderson Museum of Art in Ocean Springs, MS on Saturday, August 23 at 6PM. The show will feature Mississippi’s new Poet Laureate Ann Fisher-Wirth, Louisiana-native songwriter A.J. Haynes and Fairhope, AL songwriter, Molly Thomas Band.📚 About Ann Fisher-Wirth:
Ann Fisher-Wirth is the Mississippi Poet Laureate for the term 2025-2029.
Her recent books of poetry include Paradise is Jagged (Terrapin Books, 2023).
Also, with co-editor Laura-Gray Street, she has published, Attached to the Living World: A New Ecopoetry Anthology (Trinity UP, 2025).
A senior fellow of the Black Earth Institute, Ann has had Fulbrights to Switzerland and Sweden. A Fulbright Specialist Award to lecture on ecopoetry at Cappadocia University, Turkey, was cancelled by the current State Department.
She has had residencies at Djerassi, Hedgebrook, Storyknife, among others.
Ann has received the 2023 Governor’s Award for Excellence in Literature and Poetry from the Mississippi Arts Commission, as well as three Mississippi Arts Commission Poetry Fellowships, the MS Institute of Arts Poetry Award, and fifteen Pushcart Prize nominations.
Ann retired in 2022 from the University of Mississippi, where she taught in the MFA program and directed the Environmental Studies program.
🎶 About A.J. Haynes:
A.J. Haynes is a mesmerizing enchantress of music, whose melodies transcend earthly boundaries to captivate audiences worldwide. Born and nurtured in the rhythms of the South, her music weaves together strands of soul, rock, disco, and gospel, conjuring a spellbinding sound that is uniquely her own. With a voice that ascends to celestial heights and whispers secrets of intimate vulnerability, A.J. Haynes commands the stage with a magnetic presence, casting a spell of raw authenticity that leaves listeners enchanted.
Haynes was surrounded by diverse influences from an early age, fostering a deep appreciation for the power of music to connect and inspire. Drawing inspiration from legends like Aretha Franklin, Alice Coltrane, and Prince, she developed a style that is both timeless and contemporary, channeling the spirit of the past while forging her own path forward. Earning widespread acclaim for her electrifying performances and thought-provoking lyrics.
🎶 About Molly Thomas:
Alabama based singer songwriter Molly Thomas has released the single, “Crash,” from her forthcoming, fifth studio album, Tumble Home. The ten-song collection is due in September 2025.
Written and recorded in the aftermath of an August 1, 2023 car accident that nearly took her life, “Crash” is an unflinchingly intimate track.
Her previous recent releases include the singles “Everything’s Going to Be Okay” and a cover of John Prine’s “Hello in There.”
Thomas was born in Mississippi and spent work years in Nashville before making Fairhope, AL her home.
The show is hosted by Jim Dees with Paul Tate and the Yalobushwhackers with vocalist Mary Frances Massey
Tickets are available online or at the museum.
GA Tickets are $30
VIP Tickets are $50 ( Includes: VIP Cocktail Hour, Early access to get seats, and 2 FREE drink tickets)
No assigned seats. Seats are first come, first serve.
No live broadcast. This show will be recorded for later air.
The show is presented by the R&B Feder Foundation with additional support from Gulf Hills Hotel & Resort, Ocean Springs, and Visit Mississippi.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
510 Washington Ave, Ocean Springs, MS, United States, Mississippi 39564
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