Mississippi Expat: Harrison Scott Key
"Home is both the place you leave and the place you stay. Mississippi will always be the place I left. And I keep leaving, every time I go back."
What does it mean to call Mississippi home? Why do people choose to leave or live in this weird, wonderful, and sometimes infuriating place? Harrison Scott Key now lives in Savannah, Georgia, but he grew up in rural Mississippi. In his first memoir, The World’s Largest Man, published in 2016, Harrison writes about his upbringing, including his larger-than-life father, “a great man, [who] taught me many things: How to fight, how to work, how to cheat, how to pray to Jesus about it, how to kill things with guns and knives and, if necessary, with hammers.” Harrison’s most recent memoir, How to Stay Married, tells the spiritually profound story of the author’s journey through hell and back when infidelity threatens his marriage. How to Stay Married is also our Rooted Book Club pick for April. We’ll be talking with Harrison TONIGHT at 5:30 CDT. Join us!
Where are you from?
Earth, generally. Specifically, Puckett, Brandon, Jackson, Oxford, Starkville, Port Gibson. I have enemies in most every county.
When did you move to Savannah and why did you move there?
My wife Lauren and I moved from Mississippi to Savannah, Georgia, in 2007 when I took a job at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), the world's biggest design school. I was hired to write speeches for the president of the college. I'd never written a speech for anyone. I don't know why they hired me. I've had many jobs at SCAD over the years: professor of writing, chair of liberal arts. I'm now the executive dean. I don’t even know what that means.
Home is both the place you leave and the place you stay. Mississippi will always be the place I left. And I keep leaving, every time I go back.
What does “home” mean to you? How does Mississippi fit into that definition?
Home is both the place you leave and the place you stay. Mississippi will always be the place I left. And I keep leaving, every time I go back.
What do you miss most about Mississippi?
The systemic poverty.
I come back a lot, for the gas station food.
How have you cultivated community in Savannah?
I wrote a story about finding friends in Savannah, called "I Can Feel God's Presence in this Portable Toilet," which addresses that question. You could just google it.
Do you still feel rooted to Mississippi?
Oh yes. I come back a lot, for the gas station food.
What’s the weirdest question or assumption you’ve encountered about Mississippi by someone who’s never been there?
The usual. We're all toothless racists. I'm like, Sure, okay. But some of us can juggle, too!
The worst cook in Mississippi is a great cook almost anywhere else in the U.S.
How has being from Mississippi affected your identity and your life’s path?
It's nice to be from a place. So many people are not.
What is something that you’ve come to understand about Mississippi by living elsewhere?
The worst cook in Mississippi is a great cook almost anywhere else in the U.S.
Have you ever thought about moving back? What would need to happen in order for you to move back to Mississippi?
We almost moved back during the pandemic, but then my wife left me and I wrote a book about it. So I guess we got distracted? I could see coming back at some point, but Mississippi would need to add a few more bike lanes first.
I could see coming back at some point, but Mississippi would need to add a few more bike lanes first.
What do you wish the rest of the country understood about Mississippi?
That everything they think about Mississippi is exactly right, and all wrong.
Do you have a favorite Mississippi writer, artist, or musician who you think everyone needs to know about?
Painter Patrick Puckett.
If you had one billion dollars to invest in Mississippi, how would you spend your money?
A billion dollars would generate about $60 million every year in perpetuity. I would grant most of that (say $500,000 to 100 people every year—50 from in the state, 50 from outside the state) for people to use however they like: buy a home, pay off school debt, start a new business. You could award it to teachers, artists, entrepreneurs, nurses, whoever. The only catch is, they'd have to stay in Mississippi for a minimum of 10 to 20 years, say, or pay it back if they moved. If you did that every year for 20 or 30 years, can you imagine how many bike lanes Mississippi would have?
What or who do you want to shamelessly promote?
Mississippi gas station food.
MY KIND OF GUY! ONWARD AND DOWNWARD. AFTER TWO MARRIAGES, I NOW KNOW I SHOULD HAVE READ HARRISON SCOTT KEY. BEAUTIFUL TOES.
SOOOO funny! And the best profile picture ever! I never heard of this author, but I will be picking up some of his books soon. Thanks for sharing!