A few words about my long talk with the leader of the Blind Boys of Alabama.

It’s the title of a Salvador Dali painting, yes, but it’s also a uniquely Southern affliction.

In 1785, on the land where Clemson University now stands, the United States government signed a treaty. It promised the Cherokee people, “The hatchet shall be forever buried.” But that didn’t save the Cherokee town of Esseneca.

Our Southern Reader’s Travelogue continues on the trail of William Faulkner, from his home in Oxford to the bookshop that bears his name in New Orleans.

Every year, they gathered at the campground to feel the magic of the mountain fireflies that glowed in time with each other. Then, a harsh discovery broke the spell.

Visit little Monroeville, Alabama, the inspiration for the immortal “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Our Southern Reader’s Travelogue continues.

Sixty years ago, George Wallace said, “Segregation now.” Six years later, the Supreme Court said, “Integration now.” We’re still assessing the aftermath.

A pair of poems from the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas

When integration came, her parents sent her to a whites-only private school. For four years, she’s collected the stories of students from that era. This is what she’s learned.

Salvation South regulars Doug Cumming and Adam Smith introduce us to Frank Hamilton, who for many decades has ridden the rails of American folk music in fine company.

There was a time in Hudson, North Carolina, when a man would never walk into a beauty shop. But one day, in 1973, one did.

Thoughts on reverie, restlessness, and recklessness from the poet laureate of West Virginia.