Podcast Profile
LiveWriters chats with Clifford Brooks of Dante's Old South Radio Show
Q: Dante's Old South Radio Show offers listeners something different--
variety. What is your mission with this broadcast? And has that
evolved, or does it remain true to your original vision?
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A: When WUTC/NPR offered me time on their schedule I jumped at the chance. I wanted unheard voices and voices from rarely heard vocations--creative vocations--and there’s an art to everything. Dante's Old South upends negative stereotypes and highlights the diversity that makes us a people. We prove laughter, art, and healthy conversation are food for the soul.
Since the first show six years ago I’ve honed the number of guests on the show, added music to prevent monotony, and focused on all artists--magicians, mathematicians, architects, landscapers, lawyers, teachers, etcetera--all genres of creators. Of course, we make room for poets, novelists, essayists, visual artists, and storytellers. “Art is life lived well.” I showcase those who’ve found, or are finding, contentment in their passion. I delve into how they make the business of art work. Folks who understand art is a business.
The show evolved in design, but its mission remains unchanged.
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Q: You are also an author and an editor. How do your different titles and positions inform one another? Do you keep those "identities" separate, or do you always wear all three hats at the same time?
A: All my hats fuse into one love. I’m the same canine all day. People fascinate me, but my autism makes social interaction tough. I write poetry about life. I cover life in all areas of my interests. Interviewing people for The Blue Mountain Review and Dante’s Old South allows me to gel with folks without the social stress.
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All my efforts intertwine so that no detail is lost, no one feels unheard, and I don’t work myself to death. If you hear someone on the show, chances are you’ll find out more in the magazine. The overlap is attractive to those with new products or vision. It gives readers and listeners a panoramic view of our guests.
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Q: Tell readers about The Southern Collective Experience. What is it, and how do its members support one another? What are the best parts of that community you have founded?
A: I never thought an idea to build a safe place for professional artists to meet and share good news would develop into a company. In 2013 my first book found traction. I attended several literary events and found most clogged with egos. Art is not a small pool with too many big fish. It’s an expanse of ocean with too many fish that don’t want to share. Few are honestly happy to see others get ahead. I feel that when we rise together the ascent proves a lasting trajectory.
The Southern Collective Experience is that safe place. We often talk about our troubles, projects, and celebrate together when one of us breaks the glass ceiling. It’s a company devoted to the business and family of art. There are community programs and charities we support. Right now, our mainstays are Autism Speaks and Mostly Mutts. Once Covid lifts we’ve an array of community outreach events to bring culture and hope back to adults and children.
Then we had the idea for a magazine, but not one like others we followed. We created The Blue Mountain Review to be a journal of culture. Our ongoing goal is to capture all of life and distill it on the page and radio. The same energy went into Dante’s Old South and our festival-style reading/music/visual art events. We thrive because we work together.
Our membership is from all over the country. Our motto is, “We’re all south of somewhere.” We’ve folks from all walks of life with brilliance that can’t, and shouldn’t, be ignored. We laugh a great deal. Every day they astound me with the heights they’re able to reach. “I” am not the SCE. I simply want more people to know my family exists.
I couldn’t choose a favorite part. All of it, the projects and everyone in it, are my equals. I love them very much.
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PODCASTING A to Z
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