I live in a small college town out in the Mississippi countryside. I’ve yearned for just such a situation for 30 years. Now I’m 72, and all time has fled and left me here. Of all the places I’ve lived – Boston, New York, Seattle, Memphis – Mississippi is the most beautiful. Yes, it’s stark, and there are social problems. There are social problems aplenty in those other places as well and not so different from the way Mississippi is often misrepresented in the media. To pass the time, I love to hunt for abandoned art by regional artists. Other than that, I read as if possessed. The best times are the short treks that my love and I take all over Mississippi, astonished by its loveliness and history and people. You should see it before you die.