The Berry Behind the Brambles
Ackerman’s verses—rich in the landscapes of the Blue Ridge—bridge our generations, from a rickety shelf stacked with jelly jars to climate-anxious meadows.
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.