Magic of Mississippi: Misfits, Drunks, Freaks
Jonathan Miles, a 35-year-old freelance writer for Men’s Journal and The New York Times, among other titles, was born in Cleveland, raised in Phoenix, but considers home to be Oxford, which he described as a “cheap and funky enclave for misfits, drunks, vaguely artistic aspirants, blues travelers, (and) freaks of the highest order.” Despite his, um, carnival of impressions, (or because of it, actually) a recent interview on popmatters.com is a must read.
Turns out, Miles was dismissed from the Oxford Eagle after three years as a staff writer covering topics from school board meetings to murders and, of course, an unfortunate instance of romance between man and bovine that a few of us north Mississippi editors and writers will shudder to recall. He still calls his Eagle tenure “invaluable.”
Miles talks about the magic of Mississippi, the allure and romanticism of newspapering, “finding stories you own,” and how the late, great novelist Larry Brown changed his life. Read the article here…