Dolly Parton may have taken some time to admit she's a feminist, but Sarah Smarsh always knew Parton was.
Smarsh grew up among the working poor in Kansas, taking note of the hardworking women who were keeping households together and food on the table. Maybe they didn't talk about their feelings, but the characters in country music songs certainly did.
And Dolly Parton's songs provided particular inspiration, as Smarsh points out in her book She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs. We visit with the author about the songs that told the stories of the people around her.