Hey y'all, welcome to Biscuits and Jam from Southern Living. I'm your host, Sid Evans.

And this week I'm talking to an actress, comedian, and author who's an Alabama legend and a national treasure.

Fannie Flagg grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, where she had close family ties to the Irondale

Cafe, a restaurant that's still serving fried

chicken, creamed corn, and of course, fried green tomatoes. The beloved local spot was run by her

aunt, Bess Fortenberry, and served as inspiration for her 1987 novel Fried Green Tomatoes

at the Whistle Stop Cafe, which she also adapted for the famous

1991 film. It was no accident that Fannie found success in the movie business. Both her father and

grandfather worked as motion picture machine operators, which exposed Fannie to the magic of films

at a young age.

It also gave her just enough knowledge to bluff her way into running the spotlight at the local theater,

where she eventually became both a performer and a writer.

Now she's out with her 11th book, Something to Look Forward to,

a collection of short stories featuring a lot of the quirky southern characters she's known for. We had the best time talking about her early days in Birmingham,

her very funny grandmother, and the upcoming movie adaptation of her novel, A Redbird Christmas,

all in this week's Biscuits and Jam.

Thank you. Good to see you. It's so great to see you and such an honor to have you on here.

This is really a special treat for me and for our listeners.

Well, for me, too. You know what a fan I am of yours and our wonderful magazine. Yay.

I've been waiting to talk to you. Well, you know, you've written stories for us.

Many. And you have so many've written stories for us. Many.

And you have so many fans here at the office, me included.

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