By Elizabeth Howard

Episode Summary

On March 7, Elizabeth Howard, host of The Short Fuse, moderated a program at Lemuria Bookstore in Jackson, Mississippi, titled “Turning Pages, Changing Lives.” The conversation explored the importance of books; the communities formed through reading groups; and access to libraries and educational courses in Mississippi’s carceral system. Panelists included Carla Falkner, project coordinator for the Mississippi Humanities Council; Holly Smith, board member and volunteer with Big House Books; and Nicholas Spradley, executive director of Shower Power. A video of the program, including the Q&A, can be viewed on The Short Fuse YouTube channel

Episode Notes

Big House Books
Big House Books is a nonprofit, volunteer-run organization that sends free books by request to people incarcerated in Mississippi correctional facilities to promote literacy and serve as a vehicle for prison reform.

Big House Books would appreciate your paperback donations — westerns, fantasy novels, and science fiction are among the most requested genres. Books can be shipped via Media Mail. More information is available on the Big House Books website.

Shower Power
Shower Power is more than a shower. The organization believes that through faith and service, they can help transform people’s lives and communities. They bring hospitality to the streets by providing hygiene services to people experiencing homelessness. It’s about taking time to show people you care and restoring dignity by offering the resources needed for self-care. Their motto: We love people back to life.

Lemuria Bookstore
Now celebrating its 50th anniversary, Lemuria has built lasting relationships between authors and readers. The bookstore champions the value of the physical book — whether you’re a collector in search of a literary gem or looking for the latest bestseller. In a digital age, Lemuria remains a real bookstore, with floor-to-ceiling shelves, that unmistakable book smell, and a touch of Southern hospitality that makes visitors feel right at home. It’s one of Jackson, Mississippi’s most beloved landmarks — and one of the many reasons to visit

The Short Fuse Podcast  is hosted by Elizabeth Howard. She talks with artists, writers, musicians, and others whose art reveals our communities through their lens and stirs us to seek change through their art, music, ideas, and performances. James Baldwin reminds us that “artists are here to disturb the peace.”  Her articles related to communication and marketing have appeared in European Communications, Investor Relations, Law Firm Marketing & Profit Report, Communication World, The Strategist, and the New York Law Journal, among others.  Her books include Queen Anne’s Lace and Wild Blackberry Pie, (Thornwillow Press, 2011), A Day with Bonefish Joe (David Godine, 2015), and Ned O’Gorman:  A Glance Back (Easton Studio Press, 2016). @elizh24 on Instagram

Gerald Kent is the producer and editor of the Short Fuse. Based in Cape Town, South Africa. He is a talented musician and audio engineer who has been releasing his own music independently since 2021. Alongside his artistry, he’s built up experience working with multiple clients in the podcasting space, from editing to full-scale production.

Hannah Brueske manages social media and marketing for the Short Fuse. She is a senior journalism student at Emerson College, with a special interest in feature stories, arts reporting, and documentary filmmaking. She is active in campus publications as a reporter for The Berkeley Beacon, Emerson’s only independent student newspaper, and the editor-in-chief of The Independent, an arts magazine that covers independent art.

Evelyn Rosenthal copy edits the Short Fuse. She is a singer specializing in jazz and Brazilian music, a freelance editor, and the former editor in chief and head of publications at the Harvard Art Museums. She writes about music for the Arts Fuse and copy edits the magazine.

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