Stephen Grant was laid off from his job at a boutique marketing agency in March 2020, right when COVID took the world hostage. Newly diagnosed with cancer, he needed health insurance, fast — plus, he was the primary financial supporter of his wife and daughters. Which is how he found himself becoming a mail carrier, back in his hometown in rural Appalachia. It was a tough transition. Grant was bad at his job — “deeply incompetent,” he writes in his new memoir, “<a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Mailman/Stephen-Starring-Grant/9781668018040" class="default">Mailman</a>.” He is shaken by his lack of real-life skills, by his inability to feel at home in the mountains where he grew up, by his uncertainty in what it means to be in community during a time of isolation. But “Mailman” rarely lingers on the malcontent. Instead, what Grant learned about himself, his fellow Appalachians and our country as a whole propel his new book. He joins host Kerri Miller on this week’s Big Books and Bold Ideas to share stories about working as a rural mail carrier, about blue collar versus white collar work, and about the overlooked importance of public service in a fractured nation. Guest: <ul><li>Stephen Starring Grant is a writer and brand strategist. His new memoir is “<a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Mailman/Stephen-Starring-Grant/9781668018040" class="default">Mailman: My Wild Ride Delivering the Mail in Appalachia and Finally Finding Home</a>.” </li></ul> <a href="https://www.mprnews.org/newsletters" class="apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link default">Subscribe to the Thread newsletter </a>for the latest book and author news and must-read recommendations. Subscribe to Big Books and Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller on <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-daily-circuit-mpr-news/id95498128?mt=2" class="apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link default">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5wdWJsaWNyYWRpby5vcmcvcHVibGljX2ZlZWRzL21wci1uZXdzLXdpdGgta2VycmktbWlsbGVyL3Jzcy9yc3M%3D" class="apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link default">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/mpr-news-with-kerri-miller/rss/rss" class="apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link default">RSS</a> or anywhere you get your podcasts.

Podurama

Home

Trending

Personal

Your Podcasts

New Episodes

My Files

Favourite Episodes

Tags (Folders)

Recently Played

Bookmarks

Followed Playlists

What being a mailman taught Stephen Grant about work, belonging and going the extra mile

Big Books & Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller

AI Chapters

AI Insights

Reviews