The work of Alabama authors deserves to be read out loud – and now it is! Join host Don Noble as he reads the diverse and extensive work of Alabama’s finest authors. (All works appear with permission of the authors and publishers.)
From Troy Public Radio’s Alabama Allowed, this episode features Don Noble reading Jennifer Horn’s short story “Why I Live at the Albert Pike Hotel.” The narrator, a recently widowed woman, moves into the Albert Pike Hotel and faces concern from her children about spending the family inheritance.
Warm, witty, and distinctly Southern, the story examines independence in later life, family expectations, and the small comforts that make hotel living appealing.
Robert Earl and W.C., two hard-luck brothers from Monroeville, Alabama, share fishing trips, car deliveries, and a dangerous fondness for whiskey. A reckless stunt with a Coke bottle shatters a windshield, leads to a terrible injury, and costs them their jobs — yet their loyalty, humor, and small-town bonds persist through hospital visits, bourbon, and quiet companionship.
Anthony Grooms’s “Negro Progress,” read on Alabama Allowed, is set during the Children’s Crusade in Birmingham and follows Carlton Wilkes, a businessman torn between financial security and the moral pull of the civil-rights movement.
As Carlton watches children hosed and faces pressure from family, neighbors, and his fiancée Selina, he must confront fear, courage, and what progress means for himself and his community.
Don Noble and the Alabama Allowed podcast invite you to an evening with author and actor Tom Gossam Jr., featuring short stories and hors d’oeuvres.
Join us Thursday, October 10 at 7:00 PM at East Alabama Arts in Opelika. The event is open to the public.
Producer Austin Toye introduces an In Focus interview with Tom Gossam Jr., covering his career as an Auburn walk-on and memoir Walk On, his acting roles (NYPD Blue, Fight Club, Miss Evers’ Boys), and his slice-of-life stories including Xena and his upcoming book.
Tonight Tom will read his work at the Southside Center for the Arts in Opelika at 7 p.m. with Don Noble; the free event is hosted by Troy Public Radio and East Alabama Arts and the episode’s story will be posted Friday.
From Troy Public Radio’s Alabama Allowed, this episode reads “Coach” by Tom Gossam Jr., the story of Paul D. Jones — the first Black head coach at Alabama Tech — as he faces the historic and high-pressure opening kickoff in a new domed stadium.
The story explores themes of integration, community expectations, family, and the intense scrutiny of leadership in college football, capturing the emotions and stakes of that defining day.
In this episode:
“A Luckless Santa Claus” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, published in Newman News, 1912, read by permission of The Matthew J. & Arlyn Bruccoli Collection of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, University of South Carolina Libraries
“One Christmas” by Truman Capote, published by Random House, 1983, read by permission of the Truman Capote Literary Trust.
Happy Thanksgiving!
The work of Alabama authors deserves to be read out loud – and now it is! Join host Don Noble as he reads short stories from Alabama’s finest authors.
In this episode: “Under the Bridge” by Anthony Grooms
The work of Alabama authors deserves to be read out loud – and now it is! Join host Don Noble as he reads short stories from Alabama’s finest authors.
In this episode: “The Great Amphibian” by Michelle Richmond