Kathryn Stockett Stirs the Pot with 'The Calamity Club'

Kathryn Stockett’s The Help captivated millions of readers and brought national attention to the complex relationships between Black housekeepers and their White employers during the Civil Rights era in Mississippi. It also became an Academy Award winning film just two years later, with Kathryn’s friend Octavia Spencer winning for Best Supporting Actress. Now, 17 years later, she’s back with her long-awaited second novel, The Calamity Club. Set in 1933 in Oxford, Mississippi, it follows a group of resourceful women with a “terrible, awful but very profitable idea” to make enough money to survive during the Great Depression. In true Stockett form, it’s full of memorable characters, hilarious scenes, and plenty of heartbreak. Sid talks to Kathryn about how her mother’s struggles as a divorced woman in the 1970s inspired her new book, why some characters came more easily than others, and how she sees her job as a Southern woman. For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam Episode Art Courtesy of Southern Living/ Ken Kochey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices