Randy Rudder, Author/Screenwriter/Producer

Hello, and thanks for visiting my site. 

I am an author, arts and entertainment writer, and television producer in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, near Nashville. I also teach English at Aquinas College in Nashville. 

This site contains links to several samples of my writing, as well as links to recent television segments I have produced.

Click on the links to the right to read or watch. 

What I Do

Over the past 20 years, I have written over 200 articles in the area of arts, entertainment, and travel in nearly 50 publications. My features have appeared in popular culture magazines such as American Profile, The Washington Post, Significant Living, Country Weekly, The Nashville Business Journal, Nashville Lifestyles, Keyboard Magazine, Today's Christian, The Nashville Scene, Bluegrass Unlimited, and dozens of others. I have also written for a number of academic publications as well, including The Pinch (University of Memphis), Southern Crossroads (Mercer University) , and Southern Cultures (University of North Carolina). Click one of the "Samples" links to the left to see some of my recent clips.

I recently wrote and co-produced a documentary film on the 40th anniversary of The Farm, a hippie commune in Summertown, Tennessee, which will screen at the Nashville Film Festival in April. 

I received an MA in English literature from Tennessee State University, and an MFA in creative writing from the University of Memphis. In 2007, I was awarded the Tennessee Arts Commission Fellowship for nonfiction writing. Along with Rosanne Cash, I also edited  the Country Music Reader 2007, a music anthology containing articles, essays, and interviews with top country and bluegrass artists.  

On May 3, 2011, my book, Chicken Soup for the Soul / Country Music edition will hit the shelves. It is a collection of stories behind 101 classic country songs, ranging from "Green Green, Grass of Home," and "Delta Dawn," to "Jesus Take the Wheel," and the Grammy-winning song by Miranda Lambert, "The House that Built Me."

The book is already available for pre-order at Barnes & Noble and Amazon. Click on the "Buy Chicken Soup for the Soul/Country Music edition" page for links to these sites or to buy an autographed copy from my Paypal account--with free shipping!!

If you need a freelancer or ghost writer in the arts & entertainment arena, or a speaker for your convention, writers conference, or business meeting, please contact me at the email or phone number below. I'm flexible, dependable, and I'm happy to provide references. To read more about my background, look under the "What I Do" section on this page.

To see some of my clips, please click the "Writing Samples" link. To see some of my video samples, please click the link for "TV Segments."

I also write a weekly cloumn on my blog called "The Story Behind the Song," where I interview songwriters about the sources of inspiration behind their music.

You can also order an autographed copy of my new Chicken Soup for the Soul book on stories behind country songs right here via Paypal, or preorder your copy from barnesandnoble,com or amazon.com.