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Stories

Watercolor painting of tree roots and rivers framed by delicate spring foliage, with sunlight filtering through leafy branches onto rippling blue-gray water.

Roots and Rivers

Kentucky poet David Cazden explores the intricate connections between memory, nature, and the passage of time in two vivid and evocative verses.

There Is a Middle Majority, and It’s Growing

From his perch in the mountains of Northeast Alabama, Stephen Smith sees hope for people who find themselves in the middle of today’s political debate.

Understanding the Codes

Mikala Jones discovers how a bruise on your shoulder can mean very different things in Massachusetts than it does in Georgia.

Returning to Civility

Veteran Bryan Jones plans to beat conservative firebrand Matt Gaetz by running as a Republian dedicated to civility. He writes about how he plans to make it work.

Coffee and a Blessing

There is one other guy in my COVID “bubble,” and he happens to be my priest.

Don’t Fight City Hall

If you want to get something done at city hall, a Florida city commissioner argues, fighting won’t help. Talking, on the other hand, builds your odds considerably.

The Casserole Mindset

What the world needs now, is casserole, gooey casserole.

The Weight on Jimmie Allen’s Shoulders

The biggest Black star in country music knows his success puts a lot of responsibility in his lap. But he was raised right. He can handle it.

Maud Newton’s Ancestor Trouble

Maud Newton’s upcoming book, “Ancestor Trouble,” explores the problems of family, how we define who we are, and how to truly reckon with our pasts.

“Charlie, Y’all Come Home”

Charles McNair and his siblings cared for their mother in her home as she neared death. Her memories had faded, but the lessons she taught them grew stronger.

Good Mountain People

Many lessons about the values of a South we want to live in come from Marianne Leek’s recent story.

The Tennessee Floods (Villanelle)

Poet Mel Buckingham from Nashville sets her memories of the 2010 Cumberland River floods to the strict rhyme scheme of the villanelle.

Hope Is a Place

Marianne Leek went to interview 87-year-old David Burch in North Carolina. She thought it would last an hour. But it lasted all day. And she learned a lot of lessons about hope.