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.
Stories
On the Rails of the Mystery Train
He’s almost 90, and he teaches music in a little school in Georgia. He’s also an unsung giant of American folk music who played with Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. Meet Frank Hamilton.
By Doug Cumming and Photographs by Adam Smith /
Made You Look
The award-winning North Carolina writer David Joy’s new novel forces White characters into difficult conversations about race—and White readers to look harder at themselves.
By Chuck Reece and Photographs by Ashley T. Evans /
The Threads, Both Light and Dark, of Life in Appalachia
A review of “Those We Thought We Knew,” the fifth novel by David Joy
By Marianne Leek and Photographs by Ashley T. Evans /
How to Save the Summer
When you’re putting up the bounty of the garden, it’s positively lyrical.
By Chris Wood /
A Profound New Southern Book
Come with us to North Carolina to meet David Joy, the author of one of the most important Southern books you’ll read all year. And speaking of books…
By Chuck Reece /
Chain Lightning
A short story about an old man, a young man, the checkout line, and small things that feel like justice.
By Will Maguire /
The Peacock Pilgrimage
Our Southern Reader’s Travelogue series continues with a visit to Milledgeville, Georgia, where Flannery O’Connor raised peacocks until her death at age 39. Peacocks still roam at Andalusia, and the rest of the property looks just like it did when she was writing her classic novels and stories.
By Rob Rushin-Knopf /
Colossal Love
One about where to grow old together. Another about where to put the remains when we’re gone.
By Rhienna Renée Guedry /
The Southern Reader’s Travelogue: Zora Neale Hurston
If you’re a Southern literature lover whose summertime reading aspirations don’t involve sand and sunburn, we have some travel ideas that don’t require sunscreen.
By Rob Rushin-Knopf /
A Brighter, Broader South
A few words on what Salvation South has become as we approach our second anniversary.
By Chuck Reece /
Teach Joyfully. Then Rock.
Drs. Jordan and Hawley—who’ve covered teaching with our editor for a decade—tell a story that belies the negative view of public-school teachers.