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Stories

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.

Be Kind, Damn It

Chuck Reece says it’s time for kindness, damn it.

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.

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.

Making Sense

Jordan Blumetti reflects on “Indigo,” the latest book from one of the South’s greatest living writers, Padgett Powell.

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.

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.

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.

Reconciliation and Culture

We report on serious reconciliation work happening in Chattanooga and cultual melding happening in Tallahassee.

A Back Porch Chat

The editor’s old friend Rob Rushin-Knopf has a back porch chat with us. It’ll be the first of many, we hope.

The President’s Suite

You’d think that snagging an invite to your college football team’s president’s box would be fun. Not so much.

“Revelation”: Flannery O’Connor Goes Zoom

Can the tradition of reviewing works of art continue in the Zoom era? Salvation South says yes, even if the production is virtual.

Hope in the Metal

Harold Rittenberry Jr., an 85-year-old sculptor in Athens, Georgia, uses welding torches and saws to find the hope inside of scrap metal.