This episode of Rock is Lit features my fellow North Carolina-native author and music lover Michael Parker’s new novel, ‘I Am the Light of This World’, a gripping story that follows protagonist, Earl, who serves over 40 years in a Texas prison for a heinous crime he didn’t commit, then, upon his release, has to navigate a world that he can barely comprehend. If you love radio favorites of the 1970s and the music and lore of Lead Belly, you’re going to love ‘I Am the Light of This World’ and this episode.

In the last segment of the show, Jeff Place, Grammy-award winning Archivist and Curator at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, joins the podcast to talk about Lead Belly to add real-world context to the music legend’s role in ‘I Am the Light of This World’.