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Stories

Virginia poet Sharon Ackerman's Appalachian verses capture Carolina wrens, bloodwort meadows, and climate change in evocative poetry that bridges generations and landscapes.

The Berry Behind the Brambles

Ackerman’s verses—rich in the landscapes of the Blue Ridge—bridge our generations, from a rickety shelf stacked with jelly jars to climate-anxious meadows.

Cornbread Is Personal

If you want to know me and my people, let me put a crusty wedge in your bowl.

Where We Go From Here

Looking back through decades of struggle, uncertainty, and hope

Toward Love

An early autumn assessment of what we hope y’all get when you open Salvation South.

We’ll Start a New Country Up

From the time they were kids, they just couldn’t wait for something bigger than their small Alabama town.

Truer Than the Truth

Why fiction is—and should always be—part of Salvation South.

Tupelo, Honey!

ELVIS! was born in Tupelo, crowned the King of Rock ’n’ Roll, and became such a legend—and punchline—that the man himself is almost beside the point. Almost.

Salt and Light

A Tennessee social worker unfurls a flag of healing and mercy.

Thank You Kindly

Nanci Griffith, one of the finest Texas songwriters ever, left this earth two years ago. Her music lives on in a new tribute album out today. Mary Gauthier writes about the lasting power of Griffith’s songs.

Gauthier Remembers Griffith

We welcome one of our favorite Grammy-nominated songwriters, Mary Gauthier, to our pages with a tribute to her heroine, the late Nanci Griffith.

Where I’m From: Seven Decades in Seven Scenes

An island poet from North Carolina recounts a life defined by books, music, and events far beyond her control.

Grits by Any Other Name

While studying in Uganda, one Southerner learned that even eight thousand miles away, familiar flavors can bring you home in an instant.

To Make Peace With My Life

An Arkansas veteran and professor unearths the South’s ambiguous tracks.