John T. Edge shared reflections on community and family life in his new memoir, “House of Smoke: A Southerner Goes Searching for Home,” at Off Square Books Tuesday evening, drawing a standing-room-only crowd.
Edge moved to Oxford in 1995 to pursue a master’s degree in Southern studies at the University of Mississippi, where he founded the Southern Foodways Alliance in 1998. He now serves as writer in residence in the UM Department of Writing and Rhetoric and directs the Mississippi Lab.
Edge has published numerous works on Southern cuisine, including “The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South,” published in 2017. He has also contributed to The New York Times, Oxford American, Southern Living and Garden & Gun publications.
UM Distinguished Professor of English Beth Ann Fennelly, a writer and former Mississippi poet laureate, moderated the conversation with Edge and posed questions about his writing process and themes that held the most resonance. Approximately 150 community members and out-of-state visitors attended the event.
“He means a lot to a lot of people here, so it was great to see all this support,” Lyn Roberts, general manager of Square Books, said. “It’s just a testament to how interested people are in history and how much of a part of the community (Edge) is.”
The author spoke with honesty about his past, sharing difficult moments. A moving moment came from Edge reading his prologue, offering a dramatic glimpse into his mother’s possible suicide attempt.
“When I wrote this book, I was still functionally estranged from my mother,” Edge said. “I had never been to her gravesite. I had never brought her back into my life.”
Edge’s mother died in 2001. In “House of Smoke,” the author rewrites her into stories he had written her out of.
“I have learned through this book to love my mother,” Edge said. “I have learned to love her again to bring her back into my life.”
Edge spoke about his years in Oxford and challenges he has encountered during his time in Mississippi, though he highlighted the support and strength he has found in the Oxford community.
“College students ask themselves when they step on the University of Mississippi campus, is this home? How do I belong? How do I contribute?” Edge said. “It’s a question we ask ourselves as we move through the stages of our lives. For me, the answer in my book is Oxford is home. Mississippi is home. It’s the place I choose to contribute.”
Father and son Ryan and Graham Biles are longtime fans of “TrueSouth” and traveled from Lonoke, Ark., for the book signing.
“Probably starting with his work at the (Southern Foodways Alliance) and (being) fans of the podcast for a long time, we watched (TrueSouth) together,” Ryan Biles said. “So, the day that they announced this, I pre-ordered from Square Books and made plans to be here.”
The book signing was a full circle moment for Edge; as a former employee of Square Books, he brought a deeply personal touch and paid homage to the bookstore.
“Square Books became a place for me to learn but also for me to build a community,” Edge said.
Raegan Settle contributed reporting.
