Episode 315 || The Power of Poetry

Listen in this week as Annie is joined by special guest and author Andre' Hadley Marria (The Songs I Could Not Sing) to discuss all things poetry.

The books mentioned in this week’s episode can be purchased from The Bookshelf:

Some of Andre’s other favorite poets:

  • William Wordsworth

  • Gwendolyn Brooks

  • Langston Hughes

  • Walter Wintle

  • Edgar Guest (Sermons We See )

From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in South Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf’s daily happenings on Instagram at @bookshelftville, and all the books from today’s episode can be purchased online through our store website, www.bookshelfthomasville.com. 

A full transcript of today’s episode can be found below.

Special thanks to Dylan and his team at Studio D Production for sound and editing and for our theme music, which sets the perfect warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations. 

This week, Annie is reading Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid Just As I Am by Cicely Tyson.

If you liked what you heard on today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on iTunes. Or, if you’re so inclined, support us on Patreon, where you can hear our staff’s weekly New Release Tuesday conversations, read full book reviews in our monthly Shelf Life newsletter, follow along as Hunter and I conquer a classic, and receive free media mail shipping on all your online book orders. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch.

We’re so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week.

episode transcript

Welcome to From the Front Porch, a conversational podcast about books, small business, and life in the South.

“Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true. 

That even as we grieved, we grew.” 

- Amanda Gorman, “The Hill We Climb” 

I’m Annie Jones, owner of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in beautiful downtown Thomasville, Georgia, and today, I’m joined by my friend Andre Hadley Marria. Andre and I met several years ago while serving on our town’s One Book committee, and now Andre -- a native Thomasvillian, community leader, licensed professional counselor, and Rotarian -- can add one more title to her list: author. Andre’s new collection of poetry, The Songs I Could Not Sing, released a couple of weeks ago, and since April is National Poetry Month, I wanted to talk with Andre not only about her book and her writing process, but about the beautiful and lasting power of poetry. 

Welcome Andre. 

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:01:22] Thank you.

Annie Jones: [00:01:23] I'm so glad you're here today.

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:01:25] Thank you.

Annie Jones: [00:01:25] Okay. So first I wanted us before we kind of talk about your books specifically, I wanted to talk about poetry and I wanted to talk about your favorite poet because your book is kind of this beautiful collection of a wide range of poetry. You cover a lot of territory and we're going to talk about that, but I want to know kind of who inspires you.

So who are your favorite poets? Over the course of your life, has there been a poem or have there been poems that have really touched you or brought you comfort? 

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:01:57] Yes. I started reading poetry [00:02:00] probably in the seventh grade. I had an awesome English teacher and because of that, they were and this is not only her, but the teachers were very, very demanding that we learned different points. So we started out with William Worsworth. "My heart leaps up when I could hold a rainbow in the sky." These are the things that we were taught. Then we went to Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard," we had to remember that. And then I thought about "The Old Man and the Sea" and he's, these are not poets. These are writers. 

These were the ones which started me out in poetry. Then we had to read Moby Dick. Yes, but for me. It started out with Gwendolyn Brooks. She was the first poet that I was introduced to, but I did not start to really get into poetry until Langston Hughes started writing and I was really drawn to him. And then as I began to journey into reading, I became [00:03:00] fascinated with Kahlil Gibran. He has to be my favorite poet. Oh, I have everything that he's ever written.

Annie Jones: [00:03:06] Oh wow. 

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:03:07] And as a result, my Bible in poetry is The Prophet. I know almost everything in that book. And I think that because my childhood was so, I guess troubled early on that I, I learned from him and I thought about what children should be and one of the ones he wrote was "On Children." And it starts out by saying," your children are not your children. They are the sons and the daughters of life longing for itself. They come through you, but they're not of you and though they'll be with you. They don't belong to you. You can give them your heart, but not, you can give them your love but not your heart.

They have their own heart. You can house their bodies, but not their souls, for their souls dwell in a place tomorrow where you can not visit, not even your dreams and you can strive to be like them, but you can't make them like you. 

That- ate me up. 

Annie Jones: [00:03:58] Thats good.

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:03:59] It is a [00:04:00] thing that, um, Sweet Honey in the Rock is a music group and they made a music to that and I taught it to my children and it was just like, This is what life should be about.

And then I moved on to Walter Wintle. This is the one in ninth, eighth grade I think that, it's all in the state of mind.

 If you think you're beaten, you are; 

If you think you dare not, you dont. 

If you'd like to win, but think you can't, it's almost certain you wont. 


If you think you'll lose you've lost;

For out in the world, you will find

Success begins with a fellow's will

It's all in the state of mind.

Those were the kinds of poems that centered me on focusing on what it is that I really want to be, but what is I really want to do in the world? And then Edgar Guest. I was raised in a very religious. Family and it was like Sermons We See by Edgar Guest.

"I'd rather see a sermon than to hear one any day.

I'd rather one walk with me then nearly show the way. 

The eye's a better pupil and more willing than the ear,

Fine counselor is confusing, but examples are always clear;"

and those are the kinds of things that [00:05:00] helped me along the way. Those were the poems that kept me centered and I think I loved them the most.

Annie Jones: [00:05:05] That kept you grounded

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:05:06] Yes it did. 

Annie Jones: [00:05:07] I love that and I love how they took you through the years. They took you along. So I started the episode by reading a line from Amanda Gorman's poem, "The Hill We Climb", which is the poem she read at the inauguration and so many of us, January, we've had a rough year. Let's be, let's be honest. It's been a hard 12 months, but I felt like on inauguration day, maybe no matter how you were feeling that day, when Amanda Gorman stood up and began reciting and really performing her beautiful poem, it's felt like we all were united there with her. 

We were listening. We were moved. We were touched. We were in awe. We were impressed. And I wondered, I just wanted to know and even you sitting here reciting poetry to me is very moving to me. I love it. Um, and it does something to me. It, art moves me. 

And so I [00:06:00] wondered, what do you think it is about poetry in particular? Because I love books. I love, I love prose and chapters and sentences, but what is it about poetry that has the power to move us? And it felt like when Amanda Gorman was leading us in and saying those words over us, it felt like they had the power to save us.

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:06:22] I think poetry speaks to our spirit and our soul is the voice that has been on is spoken. It addresses the pain that we've never spoke about. It frees us to feel and to be who we are in the moment. That's what poetry does. It answers all of the questions in our souls that we dare not speak because we don't want to be not accepted and it speaks true. Then I think it speaks life. And I think that Amanda, that day spoke truth and she spoke life. And she said, if only we can see the good in ourselves, if we [00:07:00] only be the light, then we can make a difference in the world. 

And because our society right now is so clouded with anger, bitterness, and resentment, she took a moment to grap us to make us think about why are we really here? And I think that speaks to why poetry does what it does. 

Annie Jones: [00:07:20] I think she did that so beautifully and I think you're absolutely right. Like it's, it's this kind of unspoken and the title of your book is the Songs I Could Not Sing. And it's this idea that somehow. And we talked about this at the Bookshelf a lot, but books have the power, in my opinion, to let us have conversations that we might not normally have.

 Like books kind of calm us down a little bit and they can, they can make us have conversations that we might not be able to safely have if we didn't have a book at the center and I'm wondering if poetry is the stability, like you said, so kind of pull out of us and maybe the same things that we haven't been able to say before, or [00:08:00] because it's so poetic and different and mysterious. 

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:08:03] And also it speaks to our likeness and also our differences and we can talk at something when we can't talk to each other. We can speak to, well, I think this will, the facts are this, our literature says this, but the history says this and that so it removes that somewhat to a safe environment where we can have uncomfortable conversations. 

Annie Jones: [00:08:26] It feels a little less personal, takes us out of it a little bit. Then since we're kind of talking about this, I think this kind of leads into, as you began to write the story of your life, why did you choose poetry?

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:08:40] It was my first love. Poetry was my first love. And when I began to sing, I portrayed Mahalia Jackson, but because of her life and song at that time, I had to act it out and then I had to sing, I realized that, Hey, this is something I can do. And I [00:09:00] would write my thoughts down, but I was too afraid to talk about them.

And I thought that, you know, I'm a singer and as a singer, you tell stories and we are taught in music and especially in opera workshops to dramatize or to express ourselves when we're singing a note, or if it's a bird that is flying, the voice is to articulate a flight that people can feel.

Annie Jones: [00:09:24] It's theater.

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:09:25] It's theater so as a result of that, I thought this is how I can tell them the truth. I can use poetry because in my work with kids, I'm always asked if there was problem with anger, I would ask the kid, if you could wear your anger, how heavy would it be? That's a hundred pounds. That's it, how does that feel in your tummy?

It feels like I have five kids in there. And so we will go from that to, to release the feelings because it's something that is not going to upset anyone. So poetry for me was a way of, I can express myself. It's one of my [00:10:00] points that I can hide my feelings. I can hate my mother there. It's a safe place where I can speak my truth and then not really be judged by it.

So as a kid, I felt that writing was the best outlet. And you know, when you look at it over and over again, it's like, wow, you know, that's, that felt good. And then you get scared. I'm not sure I want to put it out there. It's dangerous, but it's the truth. Yes. And it's a release. It's a release that once it's out, you can sa, *exhale* and so for me, that was what I felt when I would write. 

Annie Jones: [00:10:33] So what took you from maybe writing as catharsis or release and then what inspired you to publish it? Because those are very different things.

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:10:43] I, in 2013, I, I did a one woman show at the Center for the Arts and it was titled the Songs I Could Not Sing.

Annie Jones: [00:10:49] Okay.

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:10:50] And what I've done is I had music and poetry, the poetry that I had written. I took a leadership course from Jack, Jack's Stanfields. There was [00:11:00] a leadership course and one of the things that we had to do, we had to do mapping. Okay. What was one of the things that you wanted to do that you've never done.

Okay. And I wanted to do, I wanted to sing. I want to, I was at a point when I was ready to sing and I was ready to share my poetry public publicly. So my, my to graduate from that course I had to do it, so the results of that was the one woman show. And I thought that this is the way, this is the way for me to do it.

And I'm not sure I'm answering your question, but I think that that's what made me want to do the book because I had the stories, but the second to that was COVID. So I had a bad hip. I was locked in the house and I do believe in self-care and I had to do something. Walter is like, my husband. He's like, you can't go this, you can't do this.

As we got the sign on the door, everybody has COVID don't come in.  And so as a result of that I will, my personal coach, Enrique Cheryl, [00:12:00] he said, Andre, you, you come and work out. We talk all the time. Write the book. Just finish the book. And I had been talking about this for the last 15 years that I wanted to write a book and I would speak life to it when I'm giving workshops, I got this book, but by God, it's time to do it. So by locked in, in the house, not able to go anywhere. Yeah. I sat down and finished the book. 

Annie Jones: [00:12:24] I so, I love that because I think we are a year or so out from COVID or, you know, from the starting point of the pandemic and a lot of us are feeling like, what good has come from this? It is, it is so long. I'm so tired

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:12:38] I'm so tired, I'm so tired.

Annie Jones: [00:12:40] And it's, and it's so nice to hear, but wait, beauty can come from this. Yeah. And I love, cause I've heard, I've been hearing you talk about your book for a long time. And so it's really nice when you called, I think you called the Bookshelf and you said, it's done, I'm done.

And I thought, [00:13:00] what? This is so exciting! And so I'm glad to know that COVID kind of poked.

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:13:06] It did.

Annie Jones: [00:13:06] And kind of prodded when maybe you needed it. Um, okay. So there are ways you brought me your book, right? And you brought it to the bookshelf. And I was standing at the register, you know, minding my own business and you bring me this book and I flipped through it because it's beautiful.

It is a really beautiful, it's a work of art in itself. It's filled with your pictures that you took and your poetry and your story and your words, and all of a sudden I'm reading and I'm getting tearful. It's very moving and not only is it moving, but some of it is hard. I think you used the word dangerous earlier. Like it's painful and I-

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:13:43] It is not for the faint. 

Annie Jones: [00:13:44] It is not for the faint of heart. And so I want to know, I guess my question is twofold. Why is it important for you to share that part of you? What, why are you trusting us with that? 

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:13:57] Well, first of all, in my work as a [00:14:00] therapist, secrets have always been the things that have kept people sick. I've had clients to kill themselves. I've had cutters because of pain. And over the years, I've used portions of my story with kids who had issues with anger and resentment, and I would give them "Will You Come Home With Me?" That not knowing, and I would break them up into groups and I would have them to take the story and tell it.

 One group had to act it out, one group had, and when they came back together and we debriefed, they would talk about how angry they were with their parents or how angry they were, their brother and how difficult it was for their parents to accept their friends. And I thought to myself, you know what? If we can free our kids to be who they are and for our parents to accept and realize that they have a voice and that they need to listen, why not share my story?

And in our debriefing, we have three things I ask kids. [00:15:00] What's been hard about it? What's what's on top? What's been hard? And what makes you happy? Those were the three questions that we, what I call feedback. Oh, your takeaway and I also participate in that. And as a result of that, I said, well, that little girl was me and then they couldn't pronounce, my name was most of the time.

Ms Ross? That was you? We talked so bad about your mom and the things where, Hey, but look what came out of that. You wrote a beautiful piece or if you could write your life over, what would you, how would it be? And I had a little boy who was about seven years old. He could not spell, but he put himself in a totally different world.

Now at seven years old, somebody is missing that. And so I'd never do therapy with kids without families. So I don't have many clients because if you don't buy in, I'm not going to serve your kid because you're putting them back in a bad situation. So as a result of that, I felt that it was time for me to show the world who I am.

[00:16:00] It has not been easy. But it has not been bad. I had a wonderful family, life happened and we lost it. Okay and the takeaway for my sister was drugs that I ended up rearing her kids. For my brother,  I'll never come to Thomasville again. Okay. Very successful. But what happens to family sometimes because of secrets are how we make our kids participate in things they aren't even interested in to keep a family name or to give the appearance that we know that we aren't. That we need to come to terms with the damage that we're doing to ourselves. We don't own who we are and the damage that we can do to our children.

So see me, see Andre, see that I overcame a lot of things. I'm still in overcomer, but I believe that if we speak truth and we are honest with ourselves, we can heal. And you'll be amazed at the things that people were saying to me about the book. Of course, I can't see it cause I wrote, well, they're saying, if you go on my Facebook [00:17:00] page, a little girl last night, she was with her mommy on the bed.

If you go to my page, you'll see her trying to read "I Sing" but she came and what she heard was me singing in poetry. And she had the book in her hand and she's trying to save my family in "I Sing." And I see that kid is four, but something happened Saturday.

Annie Jones: [00:17:16] Right, she picked up on it.

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:17:16] She picked up, she picked up on something and her mother sent the clip and put it on Facebook and I cried.

Annie Jones: [00:17:21] Of course.

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:17:21] So I'm thinking to myself, if I tell my story, now some people read it for gossip. Some people will read it for therapy and some people really read it from the healing that I'm getting. Oh my God. Uh, dreaming beginnings, new beginnings again. Somebody wrote us,"Andre, I just really needed that. Well, I have tried to tell my story to myself, and every time I write, I tear the pages out." That's what I want to get. If I can get that, Im okay.

Annie Jones: [00:17:46] I love that and I, so I like that. What you're saying too is what other people do with it is not up to you. And so you are saying, if some people rate it for gossip, well, that's on them. That's on them, but you know, like good could come of [00:18:00] it, but what's most important is that you told your story, you told your story.

So my other question, and we talked about this at the bookshelf a lot, um, is there is dark literature, dark poetry or dark memoirs, because, because the world can be dark and scary. And why in a world that is so dark, a lot of people, a lot of people want to read for escape, right? They want to read something fun and I think that's fine, but why is it important to for people sometimes to read things that are hard or scary?

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:18:35] I truly believe that people are searching. I do believe that and I think I said something said something Saturday, too, that we're all broken, but the writer says that we're made stronger at the broken places. And I think that when we get to a point that we are searching.

 The kid that's, I said a kid because I'm older, but the young person who sits with the martini in the evening, and picks up a book, that is [00:19:00] an escape, but something is going to be read that makes them think of something they need to let go of. 

See resentment in the search for peace I think we're all looking for release on that. And I think that we're trying to escape as best we can. I've been contacted by several women who said, you know what, Andre, these were things that we needed to hear. We needed to hear more about that so I said, well, sure, we'll talk about it. And I think that people are searching for how can I take control of my life? How can I change? How can I can stop being a woman, a woman who does too much? How can I slow down?

 I see this is why we read, we read. And it may be something that someone is trying to like I'm in the winter of my life, right? So this is a long chapter, so I was looking for change. And I think that when we read, we can become inspired. Right. We can become, and I think poetry and books do regardless of genre.

Annie Jones: [00:19:56] Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. And there's a season for things. [00:20:00] So sometimes you might read something that's light and fun because we're in the middle of a pandemic. Maybe that's what you need, but sometimes we might read something that's heavier so that we can have empathy or so that we can let go of our own heaviness. Um, okay. 

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:20:14] So let me say this. For me, it's classic radio. Oh,  you talk about other stuff. I love to look at, listen to facts. Just the facts, ma'am. Uh, I like to hear the horses running on the radio. This is old radio but that's me and Walter. We enjoy it. It was wiggle riding.

Um, I call it my vitamin D ride when I've had a hard day and then we'll get, we're sitting in  the car. People think of what's wrong with them and we're listening to classic radio. That's my getaway, that's my happy place other than outside. 

Annie Jones: [00:20:47] Oh, that's so fun. Everybody has something. Everybody has something. Okay. So we normally on the podcast or when I used to do all their events in person, which I hope we get to do one day soon. Um, I like to [00:21:00] ask a few kind of lightning round questions.

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:21:01] Sure

Annie Jones: [00:21:02] Okay. So what is a classic work of literature you've never read, but you wish you had? 

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:21:09] Um, I've seen the movie, but I've never read Little Women. I've seen the movie over and over and over again but I've never read Little Women. And I think that it is, um, It's something that I really need to read. 

Annie Jones: [00:21:29] It's beautiful. I love Marmee and Jo. Anybody who knows how I feel about Little Women. Um, so I won't judge you.  

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:21:42] Trust me, Walter has it all over. I mean, he has the book and everything. 

Annie Jones: [00:21:46] Okay. And you told me before you, before I hit record, then this is the first podcast you've ever done.

You're doing great. Um, but do you listen to podcasts? I'm not 

[00:22:00] Andre Hadley Marria: [00:22:00] what I've said to you is that it's classic radio. And I think my reasoning for not listening it's because I've never, I think I started one time and it was really a controversial and because of my work, I don't need this. In the afternoon,

Annie Jones: [00:22:20] all day, every day that you wouldn't. Yeah. And I do think a lot of, yeah, podcasts are news or there, yeah. Look for things like that. And you need classic radio with horse clubs, 

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:22:33] but I said today, I might be listening to podcasts. Im in this podcast, it'll be my favorite.

Annie Jones: [00:22:42] This is, I'm so curious. I love asking people this question, um, particularly southerners, but I think I've asked it of non Southern versus, well, what is your favorite part about life in the South?

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:22:53] Dirt roads.

Annie Jones: [00:22:54] Hmm. Oh, that's a great answer.

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:22:56] Pine trees and dirt roads. [00:23:00] I, I am just an earth girl. I'm a lover of the heavens and the smell of pine trees. Um, The red dirt clay that I played in. And I think seafood being able to get it fresh from the coast. I don't know anything about canned foods. Yeah. I went, when I was going North, we're going to have beans and I'm like canned beans? Who does that?

Fresh the freshness of it. And I went to school in the middle of Georgia. And back in the day, we actually go out into the peach fields and pick peaches and sit out and have fun. I mean, kids party nowadays, we had a party in peach fields. Going to, there was a place in Fort Valley that has this big, huge hole in the ground and it had the earth of red purple.

Just, we called it the Canyon. Being [00:24:00] able to look at God's nature. And I can't get that anywhere other than in the south for me, I guess. Beautiful, beautiful. Other than Washington state. When I went in there, I didn't want to come back.

Annie Jones: [00:24:09] Uh huh. That was what could have torn you away.

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:24:14] That's gonna tear me away. In the mountains and I just fell in love. I'm like, well, I don't know.

Annie Jones: [00:24:19] Yeah, there is something I will say. So I've loved hearing the answers to this question. Some people have said food. Some people have said one of my favorite answers was the two finger wave. And I thought that's a very specific, but I loved that.

Um, somebody said boiled peanuts, I think. But I, but I think there is something about you did feel really close to nature here that you do really do. Okay. I'm curious about this because Walter is who I see the most in the shop.

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:24:48] I know, there's a story about that though.

Annie Jones: [00:24:52] But I want to know what are you reading right now? 

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:24:55] I'm reading Just As I Am by Cicely Tyson. 

Annie Jones: [00:24:58] Oh, is it good?

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:24:59] It is [00:25:00] awesome. 

Annie Jones: [00:25:00] I've heard it's good. 

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:25:01] It is awesome. And she was one of those that I didn't get to see. I didn't get to meet. I've got a chance to meet quite a few, going to the black arts festival in Atlanta and things like that, but she was one um that I'm reading and I'm reading again, Pearl Cleage, "We Speak Your Names." This was part of the over Winfrey ball of legends and she had Pearl Cleage to write that. 

And it's all the tribute for all the African American women and what they had. Provided for me and you and younger women about the strength and we speak the names about them paving the way as African American women's and then what they've done to make it easier for us to go in all of these different parts of the industry. And so those are the two things I read I'm reading curl again. 

Annie Jones: [00:25:50] Okay. That sounds good. I, I liked the sound of that one and I've been very curious about the Cicely Tyson one.

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:25:56] And I meant to tell you too, one of the things that, Alice Walker. [00:26:00] I'm a very big fan of hers and there's poem you must read it because I think it freed me from resentment and it's called "Goodnight, Willie Lee, I'll see you in the morning." 

Annie Jones: [00:26:09] Okay.

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:26:10] It is her mother's last look at her husband and what it did for her, Alice. It is powerful. 

Annie Jones: [00:26:19] Okay. We'll put that in the show notes too, so people can listen or can find it too so that they can read it. Andre, this has been delightful.

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:26:26] Well, thank you.

Annie Jones: [00:26:27] I wanted, if it was okay with you to close out with you reading one of your poems, you feel comfortable doing that today?

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:26:33] Sure. Sure. 

All right. That'll be the last one in the book.

Annie Jones: [00:26:36] Okay. 

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:26:37] "It Said Be Still"

Annie Jones: [00:26:38] Okay. 

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:26:38] It says winter, water and waves rock me to the core of my soul. 

My maker, my creator moves with purpose with its flow. 

I'm speechless as he calls for me to sit awhile and listen closely at his agony. 

Peaceful. Calm. Be still. Exhale. [00:27:00] Renew. No troubles. Be Still. Exhale. Renew.

Peacefully and gently, he calls. 

Annie Jones: [00:27:11] Uh, Andre. That's beautiful. Okay. Tell people where they can find they can find the book at the Bookshelf.

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:27:18] That's the only place that I'm mentioning.

Annie Jones: [00:27:25] But you also have a really good website. 

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:27:27] Thank you. You can meet it. You can get it on Amazon as well, but I prefer Annie Bookstore. So let's keep the money locally. And, um, it's wordsspoken.com. That's www.Wordsspoken.com. That's my website. 

Annie Jones: [00:27:41] Thre's a beautiful video on there of you reciting part of the poem. It's beautiful.

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:27:47] Thank you. 

Annie Jones: [00:27:47] So please look up Andre's book. You can get it from the bookshelf. You can find her online. Andre. This has been so fun. Thank you for coming From the Front Porch.

Andre Hadley Marria: [00:27:55] Thank you for having me

From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in South Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf’s daily happenings on Instagram at @bookshelftville, and all the books from today’s episode can be purchased online through our store website, www.bookshelfthomasville.com. 

A full transcript of today’s episode can be found at www.fromthefrontporchpodcast.com. 

Special thanks to Dylan and his team at Studio D Production for sound and editing and for our theme music, which sets the perfect warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations. 

This week, I’m reading Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid. 

If you liked what you heard on today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on iTunes. Or, if you’re so inclined, support us on Patreon, where you can hear our staff’s weekly New Release Tuesday conversations, read full book reviews in our monthly Shelf Life newsletter, follow

along as Hunter and I conquer a classic, and receive free media mail shipping on all your online book orders. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch.

We’re so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week.

episodes, interview, special guestAnnie Jones

a weekly conversational podcast on books, small business, and life in the South