THE WRITE TIME: San Antonio author Leila Meacham has become quite the sensation in the publishing world. Her East Texas-set Roses was a New York Times bestseller, and her latest book, the Panhandle-set Tumbleweeds, may be headed in the same direction. It’s all a lot to take for Meacham, who didn’t really begin writing until retirement. People often wonder why she didn’t start earlier. “When people ask me that, their implication is that, if I had been writing all along, I’d have more books and more money and more time to enjoy all of this, because I am 73,” Meacham tells dfw.com. “But to that, I say, ‘It wasn’t the season.'” She’ll sign copies of Tumbleweeds tonight at the Lincoln Park Barnes & Noble.

A LOOK AT THE SOUTH: Way back in February, I spoke with Oak Cliff photographer Kael Alford, who was busy working on a group exhibition for Atlanta’s High Museum. The show, “Picturing the South,” is just what it sounds like – images that capture the current state of the American South. That show has now opened, and The New York Times stopped by for a visit. Several images from the exhibition are included in the writeup.

QUOTABLE: “Music is unique in the way that it engages children and transforms them. If we make the next musician genius that will be great, but it’s really about seeing the smiles on their faces and … having them learn something about American culture.”

– Alan Jay Palmer, professional jazz pianist and Thriving Minds teacher, tells dallasnews.com. Thriving Minds, the musical education program for Big Thought, is currently holding a musical instrument drive. Got an instrument to donate? Info here.