Joseph B. Atkins, Author and Teacher-Episode #311

Storybeat with Steve Cuden

The noted author and teacher, Joseph B. Atkins, is a veteran writer and professor emeritus of journalism at the University of Mississippi.

Joe’s latest book, Harry Dean Stanton: Hollywood’s Zen Rebel, won the Bronze Award for biography from the Independent Publisher Book Awards in 2021.

Regarding Joe’s novel, Casey’s Last Chance, Edgar Award-winning author Megan Abbott called it, “…pitch-perfect vintage noir.”

Among his other notable works, Joe authored the nonfiction Covering for the Bosses: Labor and the Southern Press. And his novella, Crossed Roads, was a finalist in the Pirate’s Alley Faulkner Awards in New Orleans. Joe also edited and contributed to the short story collection Mojo Rising: Contemporary Writers, Vol. II.

His articles and short stories have appeared in The Oxford American, Noir City, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, USA Today, Baltimore Sun, In These Times, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and the Guadalajara Reporter.

Joe’s feature film screenplay, Memphis Tango, was a finalist in the 2021 Final Draft Screenplay Competition and Toronto and Vancouver independent film festivals. He served as a congressional correspondent for Gannett News Service in Washington, D.C. and worked for several newspapers across the U.S. South.

I’ve read both Harry Dean Stanton: Hollywood’s Zen Rebel and Casey’s Last Chance and can tell you that Joe has remarkable range. His book on Harry Dean Stanton is a fascinating, in-depth look at one of the most beloved yet unsung actors Hollywood has ever produced. And Casey’s Last Chance is a ripping, action-filled, page-turner. I highly recommend both books to you.