Author Snowden-Wright. Photo by Lorikay Stone Photography. Courtesy of Snowden-Wright.
Major Works
- American Pop (2019)
- Play Pretty Blues (2012)
Biography of Snowden Wright
Born and raised in Meridian, Mississippi, Snowden Wright now lives in Atlanta, Georgia. While in Mississippi, he spent a lot of time on his family’s farm in Yazoo County and spent many weekends visiting Jackson, Mississippi where he could visit a bookstore.
Wright developed a love of literature during his education at Lamar High School in Meridian. He then attended Dartmouth College where he earned a B.A., and went on to earn an M.F.A. at Columbia University in New York, New York.
Wright lived for ten years in New York, returning to Mississippi in 2014. He primarily lived in the well-known literary town of Oxford, Mississippi, which was home to William Faulkner and other writers. He did a lot of his writing for the novel American Pop while spending time at his family’s farm.
Wright has written two novels; his first is a novel based on the life of the legendary and mythical Mississippi bluesman Robert Johnson entitled Play Pretty Blues. The story is a re-imagined biography told by six of the women Johnson was said to have married. It was the recipient of the 2012 Summer Literary Seminar’s Graywolf Prize.
Wright’s second novel American Pop, published in 2019, has received wide acclaim. It is the story of a Southern family, the Forsters, who originate in Mississippi and founded the world’s first major soft drink company, a fictional business called Panola Cola Company. Wright mixes fact and fiction to tell the story of the family’s ambitions, loves, and tragedy. The publisher states it is the story of a family, an empire, and a nation.
Wright’s work has also been published in The Atlantic, Salon, Esquire, the New York Daily News, and other publications.
Interview with Snowden Wright
Reviews
- A Review of Snowden Wright’s “American Pop” by Zachary Houle on The Medium (1/22/19)
- Southern Discomfort: ‘The Millions’ Interviews Snowden Wright (1/31/19)
- Kirkus Review of American Pop (2/5/19)
Description of American Pop plot from Inside cover of book. Click on photo to enlarge.
