The Oddest Sea

"A map back home."

That's how author Wright Thompson (The Barn) describes the writing of his fellow Mississippi Delta native Will Griffith.

Home for Will Griffith is the Magnolia State. Born and "braised" (as he says) near the banks of the Mississippi River, these days he hangs his hat farther east in the Hill Country college town/literary Mecca of Oxford, where he is popular for his music and his proficiency as a drink slinger. Years in the service industry have honed his ear for the cadence of the lonely and the brokenhearted who hang out on the opposite side of the bar. He has his own tales of woe to tell as well, all steeped in classic country music and punk rock, a killer combination in the hands of Griffith's band, The Great Dying (Dial Back Sound).

Author Michael Farris Smith (Lay Your Armor Down, Desperation Road) says Griffith's words "hold the power of a gospel hymn, rising and falling, and carrying you on the wind of a great spiritual lyricism."

Consisting of 48 pieces over some 80 pages, The Oddest Sea contains materials from Griffith's many years of writing and music making. The book also features a close-up detail of one of his paintings on the cover and a smattering of Griffith's photographs among its pages.

Griffith's often conversational style of prose works well with his music, but the words are also capable of holding their own on the printed page, giving credence to Farris Smith's assertion that Will Griffith is "A real guy writing about real people in the real world. A true wordsmith and storyteller."