Ep. 4 - Reelfoot Forward - Jireh Breon Holder: Writer on NBC's “New Amsterdam”

Reelfoot Forward

Jiréh Breon Holder, born and raised in Memphis, Tenn., is currently a writer on NBC's hit show “New Amsterdam.” Holder talks about how he made it from Memphis to the Yale School of Drama, then on to Hollywood and New York and how his grandmother helped him come up with the idea for his award-winning off-Broadway play, "Too Heavy for Your Pocket." In the play, Holder takes us back to Nashville in the summer of 1961 as the Freedom Riders are embarking on a courageous journey into the Deep South. In the episode, Holder shares his own thoughts about choosing to—or not to—publicly take a stand on important issues of the day, his writing habits and the impact of his West Tennessee heritage on his work. Afterward, hear the story of Verne and Nonie Sabin who together photographed Union City and Reelfoot Lake from 1919 to 1924. Their collection of photos has been praised throughout the country for its ability to create a window through which we can experience the lives of those living in the Reelfoot Lake region during that time.