NOVEMBER 2 EDITION
Kenny Chesney’s new book lands this week—exclusive excerpt and essay from coauthor Holly Gleason. Essayist Patty Ireland leans on everlasting arms. Poet Kevin Nance visits Aunt Lila's pear tree.
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Stories

Cover of 'Mother Emanuel' by Kevin Sack, celebrating Charleston’s Black church legacy, resistance, and story of forgiveness.

On Forgiveness and Grace

For generations, Black Charlestonians have endured unspeakable injustice, yet found within themselves the power to forgive—a radical act that defies history and asserts dignity in the face of hate. This excerpt from Mother Emanuel captures their grace.

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.

The Threads, Both Light and Dark, of Life in Appalachia

A review of “Those We Thought We Knew,” the fifth novel by David Joy

How to Save the Summer

When you’re putting up the bounty of the garden, it’s positively lyrical.

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…

Chain Lightning

A short story about an old man, a young man, the checkout line, and small things that feel like justice.

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.

Colossal Love

One about where to grow old together. Another about where to put the remains when we’re gone.

Word Efficiency

Why Will Maguire’s “Chain Lightning” is magical.

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.

A Brighter, Broader South

A few words on what Salvation South has become as we approach our second anniversary.

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.

The Mema Poems

From North Georgia come two verses to honor a mountain matriarch, a woman of courage, who does what needs to be done.