FOURTH OF JULY VACATION WEEK
To tide you over till our next weekly edition on July 13, we bring back four pieces from the last three years—worthy perspectives on what it means to be an American.
COME IN AND STAY AWHILE

Stories

Target shooting range with bullet holes — illustration for a 4th of July poem by Lucie Brooks poet about how to raise Black sons in America.

On the Fourth of July

A visit to the shooting range reverses societal power structures, if only for a moment.

A hand-drawn cross on notebook paper illustrating faith between Sundays, the new Diana Keough column about finding meaning in the everyday

Between Sundays

Award-winning journalist Diana Keough on how faith transforms as life unfolds—becoming less about certainty and more about showing up, holding space, and finding meaning in the everyday messiness that falls between Sundays.

The great Mississippi artist Dusti Bongé in her studio, illustrating Dusti Bongé biography, Mississippi women artists, and Ellen Ann Fentress essay—discover Bonge's legacy and creative ambition blooming late.

The Power of Blooming Late

When Mississippi’s Dusti Bongé turned to painting, she defied the limits set for women of her era, forging a path from Biloxi to the New York art world. Ellen Ann Fentress finds in Bongé’s story—and in her own—the urgency, satisfaction, and bittersweet cost of pursuing creative dreams in life’s second half.

Give My Poor Heart Ease, Bill Ferris interview, and Mississippi blues documentary—watch the film, see the Bill Ferris interview, and explore blues history.

Fifty Years of Ferris

As renowned folklorist Bill Ferris celebrates 50 years since the release of four landmark documentaries, we present those films and begin a series of interviews about the cultural connections that should unite all Southerners.

Tennessee poet Kory Wells stands outdoors holding her homemade washtub bass, illustrating her old-time music essay about embracing imperfection and finding joy on stage.

Live, for One Night Only

When a novice midlife musician makes her festival stage debut on a homemade washtub bass, she learns a little about old-time music. And more about embracing imperfection.

Sunset landscape with glowing campfire, evoking Rosa Castellano poem, family reunion poetry, and All Is the Telling-discover this moving family reunion poetry by acclaimed poet Rosa Castellano.

Going Home: Family Reunion

More than a century ago, in “The Second Coming,” Irish poet William Butler Yeats wrote, “the centre cannot hold.” But sometimes it does. This poem says so.

Illustration of Salvation South membership levels-Cornbread, Biscuit, Dinner Roll, and Red Velvet Cake-inviting you to join the Southern storytelling community, support Southern writers, and become a Salvation South member to help keep stories of mercy alive.

When Times Are Dark, Have Mercy

Storytelling is a merciful, hopeful act. The words of skilled writers with compassionate hearts can heal wounded people and communities. Our 2025 membership drive is here. Please help keep this home for such writers running for another year.

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.

Portrait of Salvation South editor Chuck Reece in a dark shirt, seated against a plain black background.

Next Week, We Drive

Beginning with our May 11 edition, Salvation South will kick off its 2025 membership drive. But starting today, you can join the Family Circle early—and get the swag that goes with it.

Misty field with deer silhouette in fog depicts a powerful coming-of-age story and hunting short story in Southern fiction tradition exploring a boy's moral dilemma during his first hunt.

Nothing but the Rain

A boy’s hunt with his grandfather becomes a test not just of skill, but of conscience. As thunder rumbles above, a twelve-year-old must decide what kind of man he wants to become.

Sunlight streams through water in an image for a fictional baptism short story by Jean Dowdy, Florida writer, exploring faith, fear, and belonging. The story title is "Cade Weaver and the Weight of Water."

Cade Weaver and the Weight of Water

Caught between her church’s expectations and her own anxieties, a nine-year-old’s journey from the community pool to the baptismal font becomes a quiet search for belonging in a world that promises salvation but delivers uncertainty.

Smooth river stones in clear, flowing water with sunlight reflecting off the surface, evoking Mississippi’s natural beauty. In the upper right, the Salvation South New Poets Prize Honorable Mention badge highlights Jennifer Peterson’s award-winning Mississippi poems and her recognition as a Southern poet.

Every Place Is Home to Someone

This finalist for the New Poets Prize—also poet laureate for Hattiesburg, Mississippi—takes us on intricate tours of Saturday in a small town, the thin line between redemption and judgment, and how beauty and love unfold in everyday moments.

Illustration of a young woman in a flowing dress walking across a cracked, sunlit landscape with barren trees, symbolizing resilience and introspection in Southern poetry. Features the Salvation South New Poets Prize Honorable Mention badge, representing Karrington Garland’s award-winning, unpublished poems by a rising North Carolina poet.

Write It Out for the Both of Us

From a New Poets Prize finalist, four whirling lyrics on the body and mind.