ABC Wednesday – Q is for Queen

Hey, y'all, ABC Wednesday is the perfect time for you to meet Jill Conner Browne, Boss Queen of the Sweet Potato Queens. Jill's tour for her latest book, "The Sweet Potato Queen's Guide to Raising Children for Fun and Profit," brings her to Portland on Friday, Jan. 11, at 7:30 p.m. Hip-hip-hooray! She'll be at Powells on West Burnside. Mama and plan to be in the great big crowd, suitably attired as true followers of the Boss Queen.

I took these photos in March, 2005, at the Mal's St. Paddy's Day Parade in Jackson, Mississippi. Boss SPQ Jill and the Sweet Potato Queens ride a vividly tacky float around a loop through the heart of downtown. As I explained in my random facts, 2005 was my second year to be an official SPQ Wannabe Wannabe, marching along behind the float, in I-never-knew-how-much-fun-marching-in-a-parade-could-be heaven!



Every few minutes loud, danceable music blares from the float, initiating a rolling floor show from the Sweet Potato Queens, therefore, this blurry but fun photo below.



Please note the water bottles you can see all around the edges of the float. That big white cooler is packed to the gills with water! Parading around in pounds of sequins, foam and fringe take it out of a gal.



I'm happy to report that I got to interview Jill in 2004 for the Jackson Free Press. Click here
to read the interview. Plus, you can read a summary about Jill here.

P. S. Believe it or not, in the mid to late '70s Mama and Jill worked together at the Sears credit department. I discovered that when I reviewed Jill's last non-fiction book, “The Sweet Potato Queens’ Wedding Planner/Divorce Guide”. In between it and this latest non-fiction one, she wrote "The Sweet Potato Queens' First Big-Ass Novel: Stuff We Didn't Actually Do, but Could Have, and May Yet." For a bit about the tour for the novel as well as the essence of Jill and the Sweet Potato Queens, please read this article in USA Today. You'll be glad that you did, I promise.