The Bitter Southerner

“David Pratt Jr., along with many of his colleagues, has yet to see the extent of what he is owed. His youngest daughter was wrapped in his arms, still being bottle fed, as he and his family occupied the tracks in protest two years ago.”

“Miss Georgia Peach had the first taste of the “World’s Largest Peach Cobbler” — 75 gallons of peaches, 70 pounds of butter, 150 pounds of sugar, 150 pounds of flour, 32 gallons of milk  — baked in a brick oven lined with school bus floor panels next to the county courthouse during Fort Valley’s annual peach festival. The line for free cobbler wrapped around concession stands and down the block.”

“It’s things that people never consider about homeless people. Like not having a pillow. I cannot describe to you how it feels to lay down in my own bed with a pillow. I’m just so grateful for a pillow, because I went so long without one.”

“Fueled by the power of love, Black Voters Matter co-founder LaTosha Brown wants the next generation of activists to learn from the music and wisdom of the past and to press on to protect voting rights in the rural South and beyond.”

“We joke that by the time our son is a tween, he’ll be so sick of hearing about the year he was born that he’ll roll his eyes at any mention of the word “pandemic.” (Too bad, kid!) It is, in part, a story I wouldn’t necessarily have asked for, or even imagined, but it’s ours, and it’s also his. I’m grateful we decided to tell it.”

“For generations, a herd of wild horses has made their home on a long barrier island at the southern tip of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Mark Darrough camped among the Shackleford Horses and learned a thing or two about survival.”

“Earl King’s lyrical blues and electric stage presence set him apart. But he’s never been properly honored as a Louisiana writer who penned songs for Dr. John, the Neville Brothers, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Jimi Hendrix. New Orleans doesn’t have a poet laureate, may we suggest this posthumous honor for the King?”

“Southern winters have been getting warmer. Ten years ago, Joe Franklin started growing citrus on his farm in Statesboro, Georgia — a place where no one expected oranges to grow. Now, Franklin’s citrus groves teem with life and might actually help, in a very small way, to combat climate change.”

“Rachel Lord Elizondo shares something terrible in common with celebrated poet, professor, and author Natasha Trethewey — both of their mothers were murdered in Georgia by their former partners. Elizondo talks with Trethewey about her new book Memorial Drive: A Daughter’s Memoir — and the journey toward healing, education, and advocacy to end partner violence in Georgia and in every home.”

“Joy Priest creates a Southern rap soundtrack of the cars, songs, and forces that sculpted her sense of freedom and confinement coming of age in Louisville, Kentucky, in the early 2000s.”