William Paul Odom flew cargo planes prior to World War II across The Hump between China and India. During the war he flew heavies including bombers. After the war he began setting distance flight records before fatefully entering the Thompson Trophy Race in a P51c Mustang.

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the landfall of Hurricane Katrina. The catastrophic impact on the people living in its path and its periphery is still part of our collective memory in the Deep South. Authors Rod Davis and Julie Liddell Whitehead examine the impact on their recent novels.

Julie Liddell Whitehead lives and writes from Mississippi. An award-winning freelance writer, Julie covered disasters from 9/11 to Hurricane Katrina throughout her career. She writes on mental health, mental health education, and mental health advocacy. She has a bachelor’s degree in communication, with a journalism emphasis, and a master’s degree in English, both from Mississippi State University. In August 2021, she completed her MFA from Mississippi University for Women. https://julieliddellwhitehead.com/ Order her book here:

https://madvillepublishing.com/product/hurricane-baby/

Hurricane Baby is also available through Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

What does the FBI, the CIA, Daniel Boone, and the fated Russian Czar Nicholas II have to do with Columbus, MS, and Friendship Cemetery? Let me take you on an old-fashioned Mississippi bird hunt.