Jasper

Johnson works downstate in Mobile, Ala. as a writer and teacher. His next novel, tentatively titled Lou, was inspired by recent research: sorting through old family photos, listening to old family stories, asking new questions. When Caleb was a boy, Ronnie shielded his son from talk of the mines. For this episode, Caleb and Ronnie sat down to talk about that work, what it made possible for their family and the price they paid across generations.

Justice Evans grew up in his father's welding shop on the edge of Jasper and the coal mines drove that business. Justice followed his father, Howard Evans, into said business. He also followed his father onto the track. His father raced a stock car at the nearby Sayre Speedway and by second grade, Justice was racing a souped-up go-cart. Now, he races his father's old Monte Carlo.