Spoon Theory
Morgan DePue on how good memories, childhood trauma, and chronic pain can all rest in the hollow of that wooden spoon you hold in your hand.
Stories
A Eulogy for King Coal
In Appalachia, the relationship to coal is changing. An Oscar-nominated filmmaker and a Methodist preacher have created a eulogy for King Coal—a rite that reminds us how difficult, but necessary it is to say goodbye.
By Elaine McMillion Sheldon, Molly Born and Rev. Brad Davis /
An Overdue Reckoning
In South Carolina, a family with multiple generations of service will celebrate this Veterans Day, even as injustice against Black veterans remains unaddressed.
By Oliver Hartner and Photographs by Lynsey Weatherspoon /
Diving With Ghosts
A Marine vet from the South searches for memories of a grandfather who fought in the Pacific during WWII—and for meaning in the wars he and millions of others have fought.
By Russell Worth Parker /
Yes to the Work
Five poets on the complex undercurrents of military service.
By Laura Gunnells Miller, Paul Jones, Kae Chatman, JS Alexander and Will Maguire /
War Stories
This Veterans Day weekend, seven writers fill Salvation South with their uniquely Southern experiences of war—and their perspectives on how we treat those who come home alive.
By Chuck Reece /
The Presence of Absence
Benjamin Dimmitt has photographed Florida’s swamps and creeks for decades. His images deliver an unvarnished look at the ravages of climate change.
By Benjamin Dimmitt /
You Can’t Not Look
Earth is out of balance. This week, you can see it plainly through the eyes of photographers and the hearts of writers.
By Chuck Reece /
Unstuck in Pasaquan
A trip to St. EOM’s Pasaquan shrine is worth your time anytime. But on one Saturday this September, it was the hippest place in the cosmos.
By Rob Rushin-Knopf /
Ground Truth From the Climate Reckoning
Twenty-six writers from all over our region tell us how climate change has come home to them.
By Janisse Ray and Chuck Reece /
A Voice Like a Church Bell
Appalachian folk pop singer Dori Freeman’s voice is a stunner. And her songs, like that voice, rise from her deep roots in the Virginia mountains.
By Silas House /
By the Light of the Flower Moon
Every now and then, if the moon is just right, the old ones will assemble and take someone back with them.
By Jean K. Dowdy /
The Ghosts of Grandmas
Two Halloween stories, plus we welcome the great Silas House to the family of Salvation South contributors.