Willie Carver Jr. is Tore All to Pieces: Joy, Advocacy, and Appalachian Voice in the Culture War

Willie Carver Jr. is Tore All to Pieces: Joy, Advocacy, and Appalachian Voice in the Culture War

Loblolly Press In Conversation: Willie Carver Jr. In this episode, we’re joined by Willie Carver Jr. for a conversation about writing and teaching in a time when it feels like everything is on fire. We talk about joy, not as a performance or a slogan, but as something you protect day to day. Willie shares how he steps out of guilt, how he shifts toward love and concern for other people, and how writing keeps him in community. We also talk about what happened when Willie was named Kentucky Teacher of the Year, and how quickly that public recognition turned into backlash in the middle of the culture war. He walks us through what it meant to defend queer, Black, and brown students in a system that often would rather quiet the conflict than do the right thing, and why he ultimately left the classroom. From there, we get into language and place, and what it means to protect Appalachian English instead of sanding it down. Willie talks about the pressure to “correct” a Southern accent, why “you might could” says something standard English can’t, and how voice becomes an ethical choice on the page. He also introduces Tore All to Pieces, explains the phrase, and reads from the book, including “Sometimes I miss these hills” and a section centered on Keisha. In this episode, we talk aboutJoy without performance, and refusing guiltWriting as community and conversationKentucky Teacher of the Year, backlash, and leaving the classroomAdvocacy as calling out and trusting people to respondAppalachian English, accents, and what gets erased“You might could” and the humility built into the languageTore All to Pieces, and why the stories needed the voice they haveReading: “Sometimes I miss these hills” and a Keisha excerpt Books mentionedGay Poems for Red Stateshttps://bookshop.org/a/113834/9780813198125 [https://bookshop.org/a/113834/9780813198125] Tore All to Pieceshttps://bookshop.org/a/113834/9781985903708 [https://bookshop.org/a/113834/9781985903708] Article mentioned“I’m Afraid to Return to the Classroom”: A Gay Teacher of the Year Speaks Out (Education Week)https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/im-afraid-to-return-to-the-classroom-a-gay-teacher-of-the-year-speaks-out/2022/05 [https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/im-afraid-to-return-to-the-classroom-a-gay-teacher-of-the-year-speaks-out/2022/05] Episode Credits Hosted by: Andrew Mack Guest: Willie Carver Jr. Produced by: Loblolly Press Music: Summersteen by Tony Sopiano Get full access to Loblolly Press on Substack at loblollypress.substack.com/subscribe [https://loblollypress.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

7th Heaven, Limewire, Babyland: Emma Ensley’s "The Computer Room" and the Internet South

In this episode of Loblolly Press: In Conversation, guest host Matt Sawyer sits down with Emma Ensley, author of The Computer Room (Loblolly Press, September 4, 2025). Recorded live at City Lights Bookstore, this conversation traces how Ensley’s work captures what it meant to grow up both online and in small-town Georgia. “I think a lot about the two places I grew up — the South, and the internet. Those shaped me as much as anything else.”— Emma Ensley Ensley reads from her stories “Babyland” and “The Computer Room,” offering glimpses into Cabbage Patch “births,” Sims pregnancies, and the surreal, tender ways childhood imagination collides with digital spaces as we grow into adulthood. The discussion digs into how the book balances humor with heartbreak, the design instincts that shaped her prose, and the role of religion, nostalgia, and constraint in short story craft. What we cover in this conversation * Why Ensley set her stories in the hybrid space of Georgia and the early internet * Using the Wayback Machine to research message boards, Seventh Heaven fanfiction, and 2000s pop culture * The challenge (and joy) of structuring short stories like contained plays or designs * How religion, mission trips, and youth group culture surface in subtle but powerful ways * The role of nurture and unreal “births” across the collection * What she misses most about growing up online, from LimeWire misfires to Napster paranoia * Creating the Computer Room audio zine with musician Lorg, mixing Sims sound effects, dial-up tones, and Ensley’s narration Ensley also talks about the darker side of internet culture in stories like “You’re Such an Inspiration” and “Cave Girl,” which trace the beginnings of influencer culture, online body image, and retreat from digital life. Fall at Loblolly Press * The Computer Room by Emma Ensley — debuted Sept 4, reviewed in Hood of Bone Review [https://www.hoodofbonereview.org/the-computer-room-review]. Dispatch from Launch Party in Zona Motel [https://substack.com/profile/337432560-zona-motel]: And this thoughtful essay on Emma’s audiozine [https://emmaensley.gumroad.com/l/thecomputerroom] for The Computer Room: * Proud Roads [https://www.loblollypress.com/products/book-bundler-proud-roads-understory#:~:text=Choose%20variants,the%20stubborn%20pulse%20of%20community.] by Kelly Riedesel [https://www.loblollypress.com/products/book-bundler-proud-roads-understory#:~:text=Choose%20variants,the%20stubborn%20pulse%20of%20community.] — poems on the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene, out Sept 27 * A Field Guide to North American Trees [https://goodprintedthings.com/products/field-guide] by Garrett Ashley (with Good Printed Things) — chapbook out Oct 7; full-length Habitats coming April 2026 💌 Support the podcast and Loblolly Press at loblollypress.substack.com. Paid subscribers get early access to books, discounts, and behind-the-scenes updates. Episode Credits 🎤 Hosted by: Andrew Mack & Matt Sawyer 👥 Guest: Emma Ensley 🎧 Produced by: Loblolly Press 🎶 Music: Summersteen by Tony Sopiano Get full access to Loblolly Press on Substack at loblollypress.substack.com/subscribe [https://loblollypress.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

A Field Guide to North American Trees: Exploring Roots Through Poetry and Memoir

In this episode of Loblolly Press In Conversation, Andrew Mack is joined by Garrett Ashley, author of A Field Guide to North American Trees (Good Printed Things x Loblolly Press, October 7, 2025), and Lib Ramos, founder of Good Printed Things. We talk about how Field Guide began as the center section of Ashley’s full-length manuscript Habitats (forthcoming from Loblolly Press in April 2026) before taking on a life of its own as this debut chapbook. Each poem adopts the form of a field guide entry — from leaves and bark to cones and range — but shifts unexpectedly into memoir, weaving trees together with moments from Ashley’s childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. What we cover in this conversation: * Why poetry can feel more vulnerable than prose — and why Ashley leans into that discomfort * How Habitats grew out of years of writing between fiction projects, and the creative arc that gave it shape * The origins of Field Guide as a “palate cleanser” that became its own fully realized book * The craft challenge of structuring poems around “habitat” and “range” as hinge points * How teaching, community, and even AI are shaping the writing and publishing landscape Ashley also reads “Loblolly Pine,” a poem from the chapbook, and talks about the joy and difficulty of writing poems that hold both ecological detail and personal memory. ––– 📚 Fall at Loblolly Press: * The Computer Room by Emma Ensley (stories) debuted September 4, and has already been reviewed in Hood of Bone Review. Read it here [https://www.hoodofbonereview.org/the-computer-room-review]. * Proud Roads [https://www.loblollypress.com/collections/frontpage/products/proud-roads-poems-from-the-aftermath-of-hurricane-helene] by Kelly Riedesel (poems on the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene) available for pre-order now. Release on September 27, 2025). * A Field Guide to North American Trees by Garrett Ashley (poetry chapbook in partnership with Good Printed Things) out October 7, 2025 —pre-order now from Good Printed Things. Plus: we’re celebrating the one-year anniversary of If Lost by Clint Bowman with a fall tour —Clint is out on the road now. Follow along: @clintbowman [https://www.instagram.com/clint_bowman/] on Instagram. 💌 Support the podcast and Loblolly Press at loblollypress.substack.com [https://loblollypress.substack.com]. Paid subscribers hear episodes like this first and get early access to books, discounts, and behind-the-scenes updates. Episode Credits 🎤 Hosted by: Andrew Mack & Lib Ramos👥 Guests: Garrett Ashley🎧 Produced by: Loblolly Press🎶 Music: Summersteen by Tony Sopiano Get full access to Loblolly Press on Substack at loblollypress.substack.com/subscribe [https://loblollypress.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Making Good Printed Things: Lib Ramos on Chapbooks, Collaboration, and Running a Southern Indie Press

In this episode of Loblolly Press In Conversation, we sit down with Lib Ramos, founder of Good Printed Things, an indie press based in Greenville, South Carolina. This episode dives into what it means to build something meaningful from scratch—how chapbooks, collaboration, and Southern design sensibilities can create space for voices that deserve permanence in print. We talk about the creative and logistical challenges of running a press, how collaboration between small publishers can push us to do better work, and the story behind our first joint project: A Field Guide to North American Trees by Garrett Ashley, a poetry chapbook that serves as a companion to his forthcoming full-length collection Habitats. We also explore what makes a chapbook special, the ripple effect of beautiful small things, and how poetry rooted in place opens us up to new ways of seeing and feeling. Whether you’re a writer, a reader, or someone dreaming of starting your own press, this one’s for you. ––– 📚 September and October are big months for Loblolly Press!We’ve got three new titles in the world: * The Computer Room by Emma Ensley (short stories, Asheville-based debut) * Proud Roads by Kelly Riedesel (poems on the one year anniversary of Hurricane Helene) * A Field Guide to North American Trees by Garrett Ashley (poetry chapbook in partnership with Good Printed Things) Plus: It’s the one-year anniversary of If Lost by Clint Bowman, and we’re kicking off a fall tour to celebrate. Stay tuned for upcoming event announcements. 💌 Support the podcast and Loblolly Press at loblollypress.substack.com [https://loblollypress.substack.com]. Paid subscribers hear episodes like this first and get early access to books, discounts, and behind-the-scenes updates. Episode Credits: 🎤 Hosted by: Andrew Mack 👥 Guest: Lib Ramos 🎧 Produced by: Loblolly Press 🎶 Music: Summersteen by Tony Sopiano Get full access to Loblolly Press on Substack at loblollypress.substack.com/subscribe [https://loblollypress.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

The South We Know: Robert Busby on Boyhood, Masculinity, and the Politics of Place

In this episode, we sit down with Robert Busby, author of Bodock, his debut short story collection from Hub City Press. Set in a fictionalized version of his Mississippi hometown, Bodock explores the sharp edges of Southern identity—grappling with masculinity, family, faith, and the quiet violence of becoming. Busby talks with us about what it means to be a “Southern writer,” how growing up in a dry county shaped his sense of taboo and rebellion, and how religion and myth structure the emotional worlds of his characters. We talk Larry Brown and Brad Watson, rural trauma, class anxiety, and the generational patterns we pass down—intentionally or not. He also reads from “Fraternal Twins,” a standout story from Bodock that blends dark humor, biblical allusion, and moral reckoning in a scene both devastating and unforgettable. At the heart of this conversation is a quiet argument: that the South isn’t just a region—it’s a microcosm. And to understand its contradictions is to begin to understand something deeper about American identity. ––– Bodock is out now from Hub City Press [https://bookshop.org/a/113834/9798885740517]. We also included Bodock on our Southern Summer Reads List for 2025 [https://loblollypress.substack.com/p/southern-summer-reads-loblollys-picks]. 💌 Support the podcast and Loblolly Press at loblollypress.substack.com [https://loblollypress.substack.com]. Episode Credits: 🎤 Hosted by: Andrew Mack 📖 Guest: Robert Busby 🎧 Produced by: Loblolly Press 🎶 Intro/Outro Music: Rooftop Sunsets by Alexey Anisimov via Tune Tank Get full access to Loblolly Press on Substack at loblollypress.substack.com/subscribe [https://loblollypress.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]