Reflections from the Mississippi Delta—on faith, paradox, and the crossroads of life.
Wrestling with Wisdom at the Crossroads
The Aphorisms and Poems of Malachi Montroy
by Chilly Billy Howell
Chilly Billy Howell, writing under the pen name Malachi Montroy, offers reflections on faith, paradox, and the choices that shape a life lived at the crossroads of the Mississippi Delta in Wrestling with Wisdom at the Crossroads.
“We are not our best selves by ourselves.”
— WWC, 31:76
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Many who travel the Mississippi Delta soon discover that the region is not merely a landscape but a place of reflection. The Delta has long been a crossroads of rivers and roads, music and history, faith and doubt. Here, stories are told slowly and questions about life are never far from the surface.
“If the Lord’s Word is a lamp unto my feet, then I better turn the light on.”
— Chapter 2:30
Wrestling with Wisdom at the Crossroads gathers the aphorisms and poems of Malachi Montroy, the pen name of Delta storyteller and philosopher Chilly Billy Howell. Written over many years, these reflections explore the tensions of faith and doubt, prudence and folly, and the difficult choices that shape a life lived at the crossroads.
Rooted in the landscape and culture of the Mississippi Delta yet reaching toward universal questions, the work invites readers to pause, reflect, and consider the paths before them.
The book also features original illustrations created by Madge Marley Howell, offering visual meditations alongside the text.
For those who wish to explore these reflections further, the book is available online.
About the Author
Chilly Billy Howell, also writing as Malachi Montroy, is a Delta-born philosopher, poet, and storyteller from Clarksdale in the Mississippi Delta. He is the co-founder of The Delta Bohemian, an online chronicle devoted to the culture, constancy, and diversity of life in the Mississippi Delta.
Howell is also the storytelling docent and guide for Delta Bohemian Tours, where he leads visitors from around the world through the history, culture, and lived realities of the region.
Writing as Malachi Montroy, he distills a lifetime of observation and experience into aphorisms and poems that explore faith, paradox, and the moral choices encountered at life’s crossroads.
He lives, writes, and paddles in the Mississippi Delta with his wife Madge and their dog Dandy.