Front Porch Views: a Podcast by Lauretta Hannon
True Southern stories. Some funny. Some heartbreaking. Some a bit of both. Short commentaries on everyday encounters turned extraordinary. Encouraging, uplifting stories, mostly. Equal parts grit and grace. WHO IS LAURETTA HANNON? Named the “Funniest Woman in Georgia” by Southern Living Magazine, Lauretta Hannon is the bestselling author of The Cracker Queen–A Memoir of a Jagged, Joyful Life (Gotham Books, Penguin) and has been a commentator on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered, where her stories have reached 25 million listeners. Her memoir was named “One of the Top 25 Books All Georgians Should Read” by the Georgia Center for the Book. A documentary about her story, Raised in the South of Normal, captured several dozen awards at film festivals across the country. She writes in a shed that was once the site of a moonshining operation.
Episodes
64 episodes
Blue-Light Terror: Passing Bad Checks at Kmart for School Clothes
When Mama and I went back-to-school clothes shopping at Kmart, there was everything: thrills, extreme danger, catfights, and con games.
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4:32
I Turned 55 & Got Old Overnight
I turned 55, and something strange happened. Suddenly 50-year-olds were saying “yes ma’am” and “no ma’am” to me. The people in the TV ads for geriatric drugs and step-in tubs were looking like me. I started mocking millennials and...well,...
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3:25
I'll Die on the Hill of the Southern Accent
Researchers have found that the Georgia version of the Southern accent is fading away. Resist, I say. RESIST!
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3:28
Mama Kitty & the Feral Feline Circus
I know you should let the wild things be wild. But when a hugely pregnant cat is yowling for food at your front door...
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3:41
Cheap Beer & Ice Cold Murder
That time I was summoned to Nashville to write a tell-all about a country music legend. Shortly after, I was approached to pen a true crime book about the murder of a bar owner. Two books that were not mine to write.
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4:00
Stalkers I've Known (& One Who Remains Unidentified)
Within a week of publication of my memoir, the first stalker appeared. Two more would follow. I never dreamt one of them would sneak into my home.
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5:04
Rutabaga Woman
In a gritty Savannah neigborhood, the Rutabaga Woman shines a light and brings water to the thirsty.
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3:35
Gutters & Stars: An Excerpt From The Cracker Queen
A writing life is nurtured in beautiful, decadent, messy Savannah.
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3:00
For Women Who Talk Too Much
If your report cards said you talked too much, this story is in your honor.
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3:32
First Sermon
My first homily at the age of four. Being Southern, of course the topic had to do with sins against good food.
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3:15
Mama's Loaded for Bear
Mama Bear springs into action when a crackhead holds her baby sister hostage. You can't make this stuff up, people.
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2:59
Chicago Stud Muffin
Mama's fondest Chicago memory wasn't of the racial unrest she helped quell. It was of the stud muffin at her door.
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3:05
Live in Studio: Talkin' Christmas, Cracker History, Evel Knievel, & Mr. Ha-Ha Jones
Lauretta joins WRGA Host Tony McIntosh for a half-hour chat that's kinda all over the place. Entertaining...but all over the place.
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29:27
She Earned This Crown
She was sitting there alone studying. All I could see was a massive, sparkling crown on her head–and a purple sash with glittery words. Clearly, this person wanted to be seen and recognized for whatever the crown and sash denoted.<...
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4:12
My Time in a Spook House in a Stephen King Village
A tale so fantastic I wouldn't believe it--had it not happened to me. Douse the overhead lights, curl up with a hot beverage, and enjoy this haunted house story.
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5:01
Mama's Spotted Shoes
A story about the assumptions we make--and the consequences of lousy artistic skill.
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3:19
Fall Candle Scents: My Conspiracy Theory
There's more than meets the nose when it comes to those treacly and savory aromas of fall candles. Lauretta busts the conspiracy wide-open in this live studio appearance.
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13:29
Drug Dealer on Campus
Sometimes the one nobody would place a bet on ends up the best redemption story.
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4:05
Runnin' With the Sisters
The nuns and I hit the streets to offer food, cold drinks, and a listening ear to our unsheltered neighbors. Three encounters stand out. This work is incandescent, wrenching, funny, and exhausting.
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3:08
Showdown on the Playground
Let's get ready to RUMBLE! Third-grade style. Recess. My hulk of a nemesis is thirsty for blood. And I'm about to pee down my leg--or possibly not live to see field day.
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4:54
When I Left My Lifeless Body in the Water
A very literal illustration of how life on earth–or in eternity–is merely a breath away.
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3:42
I Have a Little Richard Story
My mother had a lifelong hero–a vivacious musician from just up the road from us in Macon, GA. The undisputed architect of rock-n-roll and the self-described “Beauty on Duty:” I’m talking about Little Richard–Little Richard Penniman. Mama wa...
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3:23
A Cortege for Benji
The nicer folks would always describe my dog Benji this way: “He’s so ugly he is cute.” That’s the Southern way of saying your dog is bad ugly.
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3:30