Listen to our Intro!
THE SUITCASE is a new nine-part podcast about the life and autobiography of Ely Green, a biracial man forced to flee his home in the mountains of Tennessee, a witness to 75 years of American history. Writing and rewriting his life story, he returns home to publish an autobiography, an epic saga entitled Too Black, Too White, that takes us from the dust of Reconstruction to the rise of the modern Civil Rights era. On the surface his story is steeped in adventure and romance, but it belies the complex and dangerous experience of a man caught between worlds and finding a way to write about it. Digging deeper, questions arise about how his work was edited, how readers and critics accepted it, and why such a cinematic story was never made into a movie. THE SUITCASE investigates Green’s original manuscripts, talks with his descendants, and tracks down the places and people that shaped the many twists and turns of this biracial autobiography. Join us to discover Ely Green.
The SUITCASE is an independent cooperative production. Please see our donation page to help.
Listen to “Ely’s Theme” by composer Sarah Rimkus
Composer Sarah Rimkus created original music for The Suitcase Podcast. Melding elements of Ely Green’s life, Rimkus produced a theme piece that rises from Green’s Appalachian roots and takes us through his life to the golden age of Hollywood. Steeped with adventure and yearning, her music is a resonant reflection of his story. Listen now to “Ely’s Theme.”
Where It Starts: Sewanee, Tennessee
Sewanee is on the edge of the Cumberland Plateau in Middle Tennessee. The University of the South is 13,000 acres at an elevation of almost 2,000 feet.
Learn more about the Ely Green Archive!
THE ELY GREEN DIGITAL VARIORUM
The Ely Green Digital Variorum (EGDV) is a digital humanities project and collaboration between the Center for Southern Studies and the Roberson Project on Slavery, Race, and Reconciliation at the University of The South. The project was directed by Dr. Hannah Huber.
The Ely Digital Variorum compares Green’s handwritten words with the manuscript’s published derivatives. To visit the website of the EGDG, use the button below.
What is a digital variorum?
A digital variorum is a digital transcription displayed alongside printed variations of a written work. Learn more about this process with Ely Green’s work on the EGDV website.
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THE SUITCASE is an independent production. We are grateful to our supporters of this important work: