The Survival of the Community, Not of the Fittest
The pandemic left communities in Eastern Kentucky fighting for survival and waiting on government responses that came too slowly, so Misty Skaggs turned to the ancient principle of mutual aid.
Stories
End of the Groove
Remembering Memphis drummer Howard Grimes, who backed Al Green, Ann Peebles, O.V. Wright, Willie Mitchell and others
By Alan Richard /
Crossing Middle Age
Florida poet John Davis Jr. contributes “Crossing Middle Age” and two more powerful poems.
By John Davis Jr. /
The Car Wash
In his college admissions essay, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote that he first experienced a discrimination-free life while he picked tobacco in a Connecticut field. This is how the story gets told in a car wash.
By Paul Thim with photo-illustration by Stacy Reece /
Virginia’s Yasmin Williams Puts a New Shimmer Onto the Music Scene
Yasmin Williams’ amazing guitar techniques have created a new genre that critics (well, at least one critic, ours) is calling shimmer
By Rob Rushin-Knopf with photos by Zach Pigg /
On Generosity
Jennifer Crossley Howard recounts her journey from the country club to food stamps — and how she found the grace to make a comeback.
By Jennifer Crossley Howard /
Sewing Lessons
Shelley Johansson shares the story of how sewing has sustained the women of her family for almost a century — from bandages during World War II to masks for the current pandemic.
By Shelley Johansson /
Making Sense
Jordan Blumetti reflects on “Indigo,” the latest book from one of the South’s greatest living writers, Padgett Powell.
By Jordan Blumetti with photoillustrations by Stacy Reece /
The Vieux Carre Cocktail
Clair Mclafferty is an expert on Southern cocktails, so we’ve asked her to give us a series of recipes: classic Southern drinks that you and your guests will doubtless enjoy.
By Clair McLafferty /
Word of South Returns to Tallahassee
Tallahassee’s dizzying mashup of the literary festival and the music festival is set to return in April. Salvation South will host a stage.
By Rob Rushin-Knopf /
The Redemption of Franklin McCallie
McCallie’s father and mother were prominent Christian leaders but strong racists in the mid-20th century. Today, Franklin is trying to redeem himself with a program of reconciliation called Chattanooga Connected.
By Charles Moss /
Reconciliation and Culture
We report on serious reconciliation work happening in Chattanooga and cultual melding happening in Tallahassee.