An Interview...with humorist Cappy Hall Rearick

Humor columnist Cappy Hall Rearick began her writing career in the 5th grade when she wrote a poem about a litterbug. It won a $5 prize and was published in her hometown newspaper in Orangeburg, SC. Today she has a wall full of awards and three books under her belt. In the last 25 years, she has authored five successful columns for newspapers and magazines. She came to column writing as a way to replenish her South Carolinian roots while nearly 3000 miles away.

"I was living in Los Angeles and was terribly homesick," she says. She contacted the editor of the Times and Democrat , the same paper that published her 5th grade poem, and asked if he might like a weekly column about her life out there. "He jumped at the chance because small town people are dazzled by Hollywood glitz."

"Alive and Well in Hollywood" ran for 5 years in the early '80s. Other columns include: "Simply Southern," "Putting on the Gritz" and "Simply Senior," which currently appears in Charleston's Lowcountry Sun, and "Tidings," a column on writing. She also writes an e-column called "Simply Something."


Cappy's first book, Simply Southern (2002), is a collection of her columns as is her third, Simply Southern Ease (2006). She also has a collection of Christmas short stories, Simply Christmas (2004). All three have garnered raves from readers and reviewers. In addition, she collaborated with a local restaurateur, Barbara Jean Barter, for Barbara Jean's Cookbook, a collection of recipes seasoned with Cappy's Southern humor.

Her columns often feature her family, but that's ok with her husband Bill, aka "Babe," and the "grandkids from hell." "My two sons are still trying to figure me out. Good luck with that, kids!" she quips. "The grandkids love (that) I immortalize them in my stories. I've got great grandkids, and fortunately, they all have a good sense of humor."

"I just asked (Bill). He stopped just short of declaring it his 15 minutes of fame."

Cappy says she probably owes her sense of humor to her mom, but southerners are just innately funny. "Southerners learned as far back as the Civil War that laughing when they felt like crying was a good survival tool. (They) relish their crazy relatives and southern authors love to write about them."

Cappy will teach humor writing at the upcoming Southeastern Writers Workshop. She has taught for the workshop before and also works annually with minority students in the Glynn County School where she lives. She truly loves sharing her craft with others.

"Have you ever heard teachers say they learn as much or more than the students they teach? That's one thing I like about teaching. The other," she adds, "and most important is classroom energy. It's palpable and energizing."

Who was the biggest influence on her writing life?


Cappy touts Edgar Allen Poe for teaching her about mystery and intrigue. James Thurber's "The Night the Bell Fell" showed her the power of humor. "I laughed until I cried." As an adult, she loves Flannery O'Connor and humorists Erma Bombeck and Paula Wall.

What's the best advice she's ever gotten?

An author she knew while in California told her to write from her heart without worrying about whether it would be published. "Her thought was that if I put too much thought into publication, I would edit the piece to death," Cappy explained. "Her advice turned me into one of those writers who must write, instead of one who does it for fame, fortune, or whatever….This is not to say that I don't like to get paid…that's always a good thing!"

Do you want to know more about Cappy?


Check out Cappy's website. There you can read columns, check out where she'll be appearing, find links to writers organizations and sites dedicated to writing, humor and the South. There's even a page where you can purchase her books. Cappy's books are also available online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Borders and other booksellers.