Reckon Interview

If you scroll through the news or turn on the TV, you see endless stories of book bans, teachers on strike, school shootings, legislative wars over curriculum, and, of course, the insane rumors about school children using litter boxes to go to the bathroom. Some of these stories are just copypasta Facebook nonsense, but there's also a real fight at play here.  There's a fight over the future of public education and it's been going on for decades. On this episode, we hear from Cara Fitzpatrick, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and editor with the national education outlet, Chalkbeat, and the author of "The Death of Public School: How Conservatives Won the War Over Education in America.” That's a provocative title and we unpack that, but Cara helps us understand the origins of education reform movements like school choice vouchers, charter schools and more. We also examine what may be on the horizon in the fight over public schools. And we also discuss why it's so hard to get everyone on the same page about what role schools should be playing in our lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Will the state of Alabama execute a man for a crime he didn't commit? That's a question that's been raised far too many times in the last decade, but right now it's being raised for Toforest Johnson. And, shockingly, it's a question being raised by the former attorney who prosecuted Johnson and put him on death row. Birmingham's current district attorney, a former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, and a former Attorney General of Alabama have all called Johnson's conviction into question. Three jurors from the original trial have also now said they feel duped. So what happened? In 1995, William Hardy, a Jefferson County sheriff's deputy was killed while working off duty as a security guard at a hotel in Birmingham. There were no witnesses to the murder. Meanwhile ten witnesses can confirm Toforest Johnson was at a club four miles away in downtown Birmingham. How did he become accused and then convicted of the murder of Hardy? That's the story that Beth Shelburne unravels in her hit podcast Earwitness. She brings to life the stories of investigators and prosecutors desperate to close the case, the witnesses whose testimony seems to change by the minute, the judicial system that may have covered up a $5,000 payment to a witness, and the stories of the people working to get Johnson free. It's an important story and one that's now grabbed the attention of high profile celebrities like Kim Kardashian. But it hasn't yet persuaded Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall. Shelburne also examines why the state of Alabama continues to be marching toward Johnson's execution despite the evidence of his innocence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You may think you know the story of the Tulsa race massacre. Maybe you've picked it up in pieces from HBO's Watchmen or Lovecraft Country. Maybe you saw the documentaries that dropped a couple of years ago to commemorate the 100th anniversary of that horrific moment in 1921 when white Tulsans killed hundreds of people and destroyed the neighborhood known as Black Wall Street.  But no one has ever documented the story in such vivid, heartbreaking detail as Victor Luckerson in his 2023 book “Built from the Fire.” Victor, a journalist whose work has appeared in the New Yorker, The Ringer, New York Times, Wired and New York Magazine, painstakingly details what – and who – was lost in the fire that day. He charts the migration of people like the Goodwin family from places like Mississippi and Alabama, heading north and west to Tulsa, searching for a better life. He writes about how Tulsa became a mecca for Black businesses and Black culture. And he captures, through deeply researched storytelling, how it was all destroyed. But, importantly, he also tells us about what was rebuilt.  And then he describes the second “slow burning” of Greenwood that was carried out through decades of government policies that hollowed out America's Black communities over the course of the 20th century. Buy the book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/625438/built-from-the-fire-by-victor-luckerson/ Subscribe to Victor's newsletter here: https://runitback.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Frederick Joseph joins the Reckon Interview to discuss his new bestseller “Patriarchy Blues: Reflections on Manhood.” You may know Frederick as the force behind the Black Panther project, the effort that raised over one million dollars to help young Black children see Black Panther in theaters. He led a similar effort for young girls to see Captain Marvel. He raised funds to help people pay their rent during the early days of the pandemic shutdown. He's poured a lot into the community. His first book The Black Friend has become one of those books about race that's getting banned in school districts across the country. Frederick's not afraid to confront big issues. And he's not afraid to confront his own demons either. Patriarchy Blues is filled with essays that breakdown his ideas on what it means to be a man in America. The false binaries that we choose to accept between masculine and feminine traits. And the ways in which we're all liberated if embrace womanist philosophies to move past some of these tropes. We're all human beings who should get to experience the full depths of our humanity including chances to cry, laugh, get angry, get hurt, show love, show pain, sing and dance. There's something in this conversation for everyone. So I hope you'll give it a listen and then pick up a copy of Patriarchy Blues. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Neema Avashia was born and raised in the bedroom suburban community of Cross Lanes, West Virginia. She's an Appalachian through and through. She can sing Take Me Home Country Roads by heart. She knows the state's mountains and waterways by heart. In her new collection of essays, “Another Appalachia: Coming Up Queer and Indian in a Mountain Place,” she describes feeling more hillbilly than hindu. She wrestles with big questions about identity in her book. Could she really call herself Appalachian if her family didn't go back several generations like her neighbors? What are the ways in which the ethics of community and kinship interact with an ethics of survival and assimilation? What does it mean to grow up in a business environment like chemicals or coal that extracts so much from its places and people? And what does it mean to see the people you love posting vile, hateful things about immigrants and people of color on Facebook?  Neema now lives in Boston as a teacher and advocate for her students and school.  On this episode of the Reckon Interview, she describes her Appalachian upbringing and how it feels to love and support a place from afar – even on days when it doesn't feel like it gives you the love you deserve in return. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his book, “All the White Friends I Could Not Keep,” Andre Henry describes what it's like to live through an apocalypse. And he's going back to the original roots of that word. A time of revelation. For Andre, the last few years in America have laid deep truths bare.  He grew up in Stone Mountain, Georgia. He had close white friends. People he even considered like a second family. He had a white church community. But as more and more Black people were killed by police. As Donald Trump encouraged more and more racism in the public square, Andre started to realize that he was spending so much of his time trying to convince people he thought were his friends to just see his humanity. It was draining him of his time and his art. Instead, he threw himself into activism, art and study. He studied global activist movements at the Harvard Kennedy School. He organized protests in Los Angeles. He wrote award-winning music. He started a podcast. And he wrote this book. Andre grew up in Georgia but can trace his activists roots back to his family's history in Jamaica. You'll hear a little bit about that on today's episode of the Reckon Interview. You'll hear about how to best use your time when fighting for change. And you'll, hopefully, find a little hope. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

They call Delbert McClinton the Godfather of Americana for a reason.  Across the span of a 60 year career, he's played with everyone. Little Richard and Jimmy Reed. Muddy Waters. Willy Nelson. Tom Petty. Mavis Staples. BB King. ​​He's written songs performed by Emmylou Harris, Etta James, Vince Gill, George Strait, Martina McBride. He even taught a young John Lennon the finer points of the harmonica.  His blend of country, soul and blues is a sound that has endured for 60 years. He's somehow found himself at the center of the Texas music scene, the California music scene, the Nashville music scene, even the Muscle Shoals music scene. He's a musician's musician, releasing more than 30 albums and winning four Grammys and the Americana Association's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. He's witnessed entire genres of music come and go and he's seen America change in the process. He's, quite simply, a legend. And now he's released his latest album, "Outdated Emotion," which is a tribute to the artists that first inspired him. Across 16 tracks, he's recorded songs by Hank Williams, Jimmy Reed, Little Richard, Ray Charles, Lloyd Price and others. These are some of the songs and artists from which all of modern American music sprang. They're songs that endure and ones that Delbert still loves. Today on the Reckon Interview, Delbert McClinton joins us to discuss what these songs meant to him, stories from six decades on the road, how the music industry has changed and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you want to know the truth about Appalachia, you won't find it in a certain elegy. You'll find it from people like Chuck Corra and Appodlachia, a podcast committed to examining the region in all its complexity. Corra joins the Reckon Interview to discuss JD Vance, Sen. Joe Manchin, and all the people that have been putting in work to make Appalachia a better place for generations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some of you may not know his story but David J. Dennis Sr. was a titan of the civil rights movement. Born in Louisiana, he joined the movement while at Dillard University in New Orleans. Like many people, he got pulled into the movement reluctantly at first. But by the time he was in his early 20s he was the field director for the Congress of Racial Equality  in Louisiana and Mississippi. He was working with Bob Moses to organize voter registration and turnout. And he was risking his life as a Freedom Rider.  David Dennis Sr. helped organize the Mississippi Freedom Summer. He challenged the Democratic Party at virtually every level to become more integrated. He put his life on the line time and time and time again. And he lost friends. Friends like Medgar Evers who was gunned down outside of his home. Friends like James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner who were abducted and murdered because of their work in Mississippi. David survived but he lived with the guilt of that. For years, he couldn't talk about the movement until one day Bob Moses brought him back into the fold. And David found a new purpose leading the Southern Initiative Algebra Project in Mississippi. And traveling across the country talking about the movement. David Dennis Jr. grew up in that. And he's become a titan in his own right, an award winning journalist that has chronicled the ongoing freedom struggle embodied through the work of Black Lives Matter. He won the 2021 American Mosaic Journalism Prize for his incredible coverage of the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. Now, the father and son duo have a new book out chronicling the way that the movement shaped their lives. Today on the Reckon Interview, David Dennis Jr. joins discusses that book, “The Movement Made Us” and what it was like growing up in a civil rights household. He also discusses the ways in which movements are shaped by people in their twenties and the ongoing trauma of surviving a fight that never ends. As David Jr. asks can you call something post traumatic stress disorder if the trauma is ongoing? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the horses take their place in the upcoming Kentucky Derby, thousands of people around the country will join in singing “Our Old Kentucky Home,” the state song of Kentucky and one that also has its roots in minstrel shows. The song was written by Stephen Foster a couple of decades before the Civil War. Foster is sometimes called the father of American popular music. And this song along with others that he wrote became a global sensation. Today it's usually associated with the Derby, America's longest running sporting event.  On this episode of the Reckon Interview, we hear from Emily Bingham who grew up just a few miles from the iconic Churchill Downs. In her new book, “My Old Kentucky Home: The Astonishing Life and Reckoning of an Iconic American Song,” she charts a surprising and fascinating history. This song has evolved and adapted over the course of nearly 200 years, changing to better fit the culture mores of the time.

In the middle of making her newest record, Michaela Anne's life went through a series of life altering changes. She became pregnant with and gave birth to her first child and her mother experienced a major hemorrhagic stroke. She spent the second half of her pregnancy, sitting by her mom's bedside in Michigan, playing these new songs for her. They became a source of comfort, introspection and healing during a moment fraught with anxiety and unknowing.As fate would have it, Michaela Anne's new album, “Oh To Be That Free,” is filled with songs that examine the things that make us human. The flaws that we learn to love in ourselves, the ways that we must learn to love others the way that they need to be loved. As she watched her mom recover and her daughter's first months in the world, Michaela had written the album she needed to hear. This week on the Reckon Interview, I sit down with the Nashville-based singer-songwriter to talk about her upcoming album. And we'll hear a sneak peek of an upcoming single, “Does It Ever Break Your Heart.” See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In his new collection of poetry “The Gleaming of the Blade,” Christian J. Collier examines his world through a cinematic lens. In one poem, he takes on the perspective of one of Jason's victims in Friday the 13th VIII. In another, he writes from the voice of The Candyman. They're engaging, subversive poems. But he's also revealing a deeper truth, the way that American society can turn Black men into villains. Into monsters. Throughout this collection, the Chattanooga-based poet examines the fine line between intimacy and violence, between love and hate, divisions wrought by skin color.This week on the Reckon Interview, we hear a few poems from Christian, learn about his life in Chattanooga and the artistic community he's helping to build there, and we discuss the deeper truths that he's unveiling in his work. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We are seeing wave after wave after wave of legislation in this country that targets LGBT youth and adults. Especially the trans community. In Texas, an order issued by the governor would allow the state to take children away from their homes if their parents are trans affirming. In Florida and Alabama, the so-called “Don't Say Gay” law could penalize teachers that displayed family photos with their same sex partners. Other laws and bills would require teachers to out gay students to their parents. Some politicians have tried to mask their intent with these bills as a way to “protect women's sports,” though as the governor of Utah pointed out when he vetoed one anti-trans bill, the number of trans athletes competing is an incredibly small number. It's a cynical effort to target a marginalized population in order to gain political power. It's an approach to governing that has real consequences for real people.This week on the Reckon Interview, we're talking with Sydney Duncan, an attorney with the Magic City Legal Center in Birmingham, Ala. She offers pro bono services to queer and trans youth in Alabama. Students that know exactly who they are and are forced to deal with a society that is going out of its way to attack them. Sydney is a trans woman herself, and she walks us through a lot of the myths and hysteria that politicians use to misinform a public that knows very little about trans people. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Danté Stewart is the author of “Shoutin' in the Fire: An American Epistle.” Danté grew up in a Black Pentecostal community in South Carolina, but when he walked on to play football at Clemson University, he suddenly found himself in a very different faith environment. He kept getting drawn into white megachurch communities. The people he met were always nice and welcoming. They made him feel special. They assured him that Jesus didn't see Black and white, that it was just one big Christian family. But after a few years of immersing himself in his new faith, Danté had an awakening. While he was dealing with the emotional pain of seeing young Black men killed by police on TV and across his social media, his new church family were doing their best to ignore it altogether. Talking about his lived reality as a Black man made white congregants uneasy. He may have felt welcomed there, but they were the ones who always belonged. And so Danté threw himself into Black liberation theology, reading an entirely different interpretation of scripture. One that connected him to a long line of leaders like Martin Luther King and, his main source of inspiration, James Baldwin. This week on the Reckon Interview, Danté Stewart discusses his experiences moving among faiths, whether Black Southerners and white Southerners worship the same God, advice for people who are struggling with their faith, and a lot more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Where does the South end and the rest of America begin? Is the South being Americanized or are we watching Southern influence spread to the rest of the country? That's a topic tackled by Frye Gaillard and Cynthia Tucker in their new book: The Southernization of America: A Story of Democracy in Balance.Frye Gaillard is an Emmy award winning journalist and was the longtime Southern editor for the Charlotte Observer. He's a keen observer of Southern culture and history and has written more than 30 books on the subject. For this book, he was joined by Cynthia Tucker, a Pulitzer Prize winner as a columnist and editorial page editor for the Atlanta Journal Constitution.On this episode, we discuss the origins of Southern influence on American politics, the ways that politicians from other parts of the country have inflamed some of the worst impulses in southern voters, why we keep having the same fights on topics like education and history and how some Southerners offer a path of hope for the country while others offer a warning. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After his father died, Joe Garner found an old suit of his in the attic. His dad, Charlie had played bass at the Grand Ole Opry for decades and when Joe found the suit… he was struck with inspiration. He hadn't grown up wanting to play country music but when he picked up the suit, he knew there was unfinished business with his dad and that maybe he could figure it out through music.And thus, The Kernal was born. On his albums, he plays with conventions and standards and updates them with modern themes, like break up ballads that involve scrolling through Instagram. Listen to the Blood is the third album in a trilogy written in response to his father's passing. This week, on the Reckon Interview, we discuss that journey, which has carried him from a small town in East Tennessee all over the country. We chat about where he finds his inspiration. And we talk about whether this is the end of that red polyester suit. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In her new book of poetry, "White Bull," Elizabeth Hughey turns to an unlikely source: the language of notorious Birmingham police commissioner Eugene "Bull" Connor. Words are just building blocks. Tools. The same common language was used by Martin Luther King Jr. to liberate people as was used by Connor to enforce segregation and inspire violence. For a decade, Hughey sifted through his speeches, his private letters, even his receipts, to create a database of text from which she built something radically different. Turning the words of hatred into a language of poetry. This week on the Reckon Interview, she discusses what inspired her to take on this project and what she hopes readers gain from it. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Aunjanue Ellis is nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in the 2021 biopic King Richard. She's a two time Emmy nominee for her work in When They See Us and Lovecraft Country. Christine Swanson is a two time nominee for the NAACP Image Awards for her films For the Love of Ruth and The Clark Sisters: The First Ladies of Gospel, which also starred Ellis. They recently made a short film called Fannie as a proof of concept in an effort to get a full biopic made about Fannie Lou Hamer. On the Reckon Interview, they discuss Hamer's story and legacy, the hurdles for getting films like this made, and the relationship between art and advocacy. And of course we talk about Mississippi. Watch the short film, "Fannie" here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8cco0wR2UU See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In her new book, “South to America,” Imani Perry dives into the heart of the “changing same” of the American South. Her work fits into a long tradition like W.J. Cash's The Mind of the South, Albert Murray's South to a Very Old Place, VO Key's Southern Politics in State and Nation and WEB Du Bois's Black Reconstruction in America, as books that unlock a deeper understanding of America through an expansive analysis of the South. Perry's South is a big South – a place filled with multiple Souths – that stretches from West Virginia to the Bahamas and beyond. Something in this conversation and i this book, will change the way you think about Southern identity and culture.Buy a copy of the book here: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/south-to-america-imani-perry See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Cassidy Freeman stars as Amber Gemstone on the hit HBO comedy "The Righteous Gemstones." She joins the Reckon Interview to discuss the sources of inspiration for her character, how recent events reshaped the direction of the series, life on set in Charleston, her thoughts on the South and how she's carved a space for herself on such a crowded set.The Righteous Gemstones is now streaming on HBO and HBOMax. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Bourbon may be America's most popular spirit, but was that always the case? Clay Risen joins the Reckon Interview to discuss his new book: "Bourbon: The Story of Kentucky Whiskey," and offers tips about tasting, rare finds and the best affordable (and findable) bottles of bourbon to grab as last minute gifts.Learn more at www.clayrisen.comSign up for our newsletter, The Conversation at ReckonSouth.com/newsletters See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Adia Victoria's new album "A Southern Gothic" is one of the best records to emerge from the South in several years, deeply rooted in Southern sound and themes. Every song on the album feels like a short story, challenging and remaking the moonlight and magnolia staples of the Southern gothic. Victoria is also the host of the podcast Call & Response, which examines music through a Southern lens. She joins the Reckon Interview to discuss her work and the her thoughts on the unfinished business of the South.Learn more at: https://www.adiavictoria.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Why is the South so obsessed with college football? It's not a question most of us ever stop to think about. Football has just always been a constant. But this on the Reckon Interview, Ed Southern explains the roots of our football obsession.In a conversation about his new book “Fight Songs: A Story of Love and Sports in a Complicated South,” Ed outlines how the rules of football and Southern culture evolved in tandem with each other, whether there is any truth to the legend about football being a way for Southerners to re-fight the Civil War, and how 2020 may have reshaped the future of college football. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On June 7, 1992 Stacy McCall, Suzie Streeter and Sherrill Levitt went to bed in a small town in the Ozarks. By the next morning, they had vanished without a trace. 30 years later, the mystery remains unsolved. Anne Roderique-Jones is creator and host of "The Springfield Three," a popular podcast examining the case of the disappearance of those three women and how it affected the community as a whole. Anne grew up in Springfield, Missouri, and was just 12 years old when these disappearances rocked her small town. She discusses what led her to revisit the story, the perils of getting too invested in solving a case, what she learned in the process, areas where the case went wrong, why we are all so obsessed with stories like these.Subscribe to The Springfield Three here, or wherever you get your podcasts: https://apple.co/3nDbj3m See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In his new book, “Dear William,” David Magee shares a heartbreaking account of his son's addiction and eventual death of opioid overdose. In a period where deaths are calculated by the thousands, stories like David's show us how personal grief and loss is. In this bonus episode of the Reckon Interview, Magee is interviewed by Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, John Archibald. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The South has been hit hard over the last few decades by the opioid epidemic. 20 years ago, governments weren't prepared. Police focused on shutting down marijuana growth, not the rapid spread of prescription drugs. Ground Zero for the spread of drugs like oxycontin may have been coal country in Eastern Kentucky. In his new book "Twilight in Hazard: An Appalachian Reckoning," Alan Maimon chronicles the spread of the opipoid epidemic, as well as environmental and economic disasters. The country seems obsessed with figuring out what Appalachia means for the rest of America. Maimon's book may be the most authoritative examination of the subject out there.Learn more at www.AlanMaimon.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

From their Kentucky homes, Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers have helped tens of thousands of people process the past few years of national news and politics. Their podcast "Pantsuit Politics" offers audiences information and grace. They join the Reckon Interview to discuss ways in which the South shaped their outlook and approach to politics and the role Southern politicians play. They also discuss why it's important to maintain compassion during disagreements, even when it's hard.Learn more about Pantsuit Politics at https://www.pantsuitpoliticsshow.com/. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Figuring out your identity is hard. Figuring it out while going through sorority rush? That's even harder. In her hilarious new memoir, "The One You Want to Marry (And Other Identities I've Had)" Sophie Santos offers a story of self-discovery and of coming out. On the Reckon Interview, she discusses growing up in a military family and remaking herself with each move, what rush is really like, the aftermath of a tornado and, of course, coming out. Her new book is the one you'll want to read.Learn more at www.sophiesantos.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In his new book "The State Must Provide," Adam Harris examines the systemic inequities baked into the American higher education system. In this episode, he joins the Reckon Interview to explain how America's colleges were created, the emotional toll on students trying to desegregate American colleges, the role of HBCUs, student loan debt and what the future may hold for colleges in the South.Find his book and learn more about his work as a New America Fellow and with The Atlantic at https://harrisadam.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Margaret Renkl's new book "Graceland, At Last" is a balm for anyone who has ever pushed back on Southern stereotypes. She has a true gift for finding unsung voices that push back on the stereotypes perpetuated by Southern politicians or national narratives. On the Reckon Interview, she offers lessons for making a better South day by day from your own backyard."Graceland, At Last" is available from Milkweed Editions at https://milkweed.org/.If you like this episode, check out our earlier discussion with Margaret Renkl in season one. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Most people probably wouldn't think to set a sitcom in Montgomery in Alabama in 1968, but when he was tasked with rebooting the "Wonder Years," Saladin K. Patterson drew on what he knew. He grew up in Alabama's capital city in the 1970s and 80s and knows how to find the comedy and drama in the lives of the people who lived outside of the spotlight during the years after integration. On the Reckon Interview, he discusses the new show and what it took to get the details right.The Wonder Years airs on ABC on Wednesday nights at 8:30/7:30 CT. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

"Reparations Now!" the latest collection of poetry from Ashley M. Jones is a stirring message from the heart of the Deep South. Jones was just named poet laureate of Alabama, the youngest person and first Black Alabamian to hold the title. On the Reckon Interview, she discusses hearing everyday poetry in Alabama, her works that confront that the South's past and present, the legacy of Black womanhood and more. She also reads three selections from her new collection."Reparations Now! is available from Hub City Press at hubcity.org. Learn more about Ashley M. Jones at https://ashleymjonespoetry.com/. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In his new book, “Where the Devil Don't Stay: Traveling the South with the Drive-By Truckers,” Stephen Deusner tells the story of the acclaimed band from either Muscle Shoals or Athens, depending on who you ask. The Truckers have, at various points, included some of the greatest songwriters in American music: Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley, Jason Isbell and Shonna Tucker. But he also tells a story about the making of Southern culture, exploring the history and mythology of places like Birmingham, Richmond and McNairy County, Tennessee. This is an episode for anyone who loves great music – or even anyone who just loves great Southern stories.You can find Deusner's book through the University of Texas Press. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Cedric Burnside started touring when he was just 13 years old. His grandfather, R.L. Burnside, helped create the unique sound of Mississippi Hill Country Blues and Cedric has embraced that legacy. He's been recognized as one of the best Blues musicians in America several times over. Mississippi is where American music was born, but many of its creators never reaped the financial rewards that others would find using their sound. On this episode of the Reckon Interview, Cedric discusses his latest album "I Be Trying," as well as what keeps him rooted in Mississippi and why he's so committed to carrying on the family tradition.All the music included in the episode is from "I Be Trying," produced by Single Lock Records. You can purchase the album and find Cedric Burnside's upcoming tour dates at www.cedricburnside.net.Sign up the The Conversation, our weekly newsletter at ReckonSouth.com/newsletters. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Joshua Burford and Maigen Sullivan, co-founders of the Invisible Histories Project, saw a gap in Southern history and the history of queer culture in America. There have always been Queer people in the South, and so many of them have been collecting and keeping their own stories in private for decades. In the Season 4 finale of the Reckon Interview, Josh and Maigen join the show to discuss their work and their favorite stories.Learn more about the Invisible Histories Project at: https://invisiblehistory.org/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Flipping through the pages of the new Dictionary of Southern Appalachian English, you'll find the stories of thousands of words and phrases unique to the American South. This week, the dictionary's co-author, Jennifer K. N. Heinmiller joins the Reckon Interview to discuss the early 20th century origin of this project, the process of gathering and investigating words to include in a collection such as this, the way Southern Appalachian English has changed with new technologies, and some of her favorite terms and phrases that are included in this edition.Jennifer is also the host of the Appalachian Words podcast which can be found here: https://apple.co/2UDfos1Purchase the Dictionary of Southern Appalachian English here: https://bit.ly/3qvd9D3 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

For three decades, Don Heflin has served his country abroad. Currently, he's the head of consul operations at the U.S. embassy in India. On the Reckon Interview, he discusses how the pandemic complicated that work, how the rest of the world perceives Southerners and how his time around the globe has changed his perspectives on the South. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Lawrence Wright was in a unique position to chronicle the Covid-19 pandemic. As the coronavirus was beginning to spread through the United States, Wright had just published his prescient novel, "The End of October," a story of a pandemic that upends the world. Wright joins the Reckon Interview to discuss what we know about the origins of Covid-19, what we got right and where we went wrong, as well as the differences between a pandemic novel and pandemic reporting. Find Lawrence Wright's work at: http://www.lawrencewright.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Are Americans having the wrong debate about guns? Professor Carol Anderson's new book "The Second: Race and Guns in a Fatally Unequal America" presents the case that the common story we all know about the Second Amendment preserving our rights to fight back against a tyrannical government is wrong. The debate about the Second Amendment at the time it was ratified was rooted in anti-Blackness. And its application has always been anti-Black. And she's got the documentation to back it up.Learn more about Carol Anderson and purchase her books at https://www.professorcarolanderson.org/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Right now, Kiese Laymon is revising and reclaiming his early work. After buying back the right to "How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America" and "Long Division," Laymon has updated those books to reflect the stories he originally wanted to tell and to better suit modern audiences. But how do you revise and update beloved works without isolating your longtime readers? How does Laymon's "religion" of revision apply to current conversations about history and society? And will Laymon be in Mississippi in 2022? All these questions, and more, are answered on this week's episode of the Reckon Interview. New York Magazine: Kiese Laymon on Black revision, repayment, and renewalLearn more or purchase Kiese Laymon's work: www.kieselaymon.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Anjali Enjeti is the author of two brilliant new Southern works, "Southbound," a collection of essays about identity, and "The Parted Earth," a novel multi-generational novel examining the impact of Indian partition on a woman living in Atlanta, Georgia. On the Reckon Interview, she describes her experiences as a Brown woman living in the Deep South, the whiteness of Southern literature, and the political impact of the AAPI community in 2020 and beyond. Discover her work at www.anjalienjeti.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sarah Jarosz is one of the most celebrated singer-songwriters in American music, first picking up a mandolin at age 9. She joins the Reckon Interview to discuss her albums, "Blue Heron Suite," and "World on the Ground," each of which were released during the Covid-19 pandemic. She also shares stories about saying goodbye to New York on "Live from Here," lessons learned from Steve Martin and why this new album is a tribute to her mother and Texas roots. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Barbecue was born out of the South. But it's hard to fine true masters of whole hog barbecue. Chef Rodney Scott is unmatched. The James Beard award-winning chef joins the Reckon Interview to share the secrets of his trade and why every day is a good day. He also offers his recommendations for the South's best BBQ joints.Buy Chef Rodney Scott's book and find his restaurant locations at https://www.rodneyscottsbbq.com/And sign up for the Conversation newsletter at: https://bit.ly/3dzfbfh See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Who do our stories about the South serve? Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson, co-executive director of the Highlander Research and Education Center, blows up many of America's misconceptions about the South and about Appalachia in the latest episode of the Reckon Interview. A self-described Affrilachian activist, Ash-Lee explains how the South has always been the center of the movement and discusses what comes after the Derek Chauvin conviction of the murder of George Floyd. Learn more about Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson and Highlander here: highlandercenter.orgSign up for our weekly newsletter, The Conversation, here: https://bit.ly/3dzfbfh See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In a live recording to celebrate the publication of John Archibald's new memoir "Shaking the Gates of Hell: A Search for Family and Truth in the Wake of the Civil Rights Revolution," we chat with Archibald, RL Nave and Dr. Wayne Flynt about the history of silence and complicity in the Southern church. Archibald's memoir asks the question: "What good is a pulpit if you don't use it for good?" The event was co-sponsored by Books-A-Million. Buy John Archibald's memoir here: https://bit.ly/3nisl53Sign up for The Conversation, our weekly newsletter: https://bit.ly/3dzfbfh See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Minnie Bruce Pratt is a queer and feminist icon, renowned for her activism and art. With another spike in anti-LGBT legislation around the South, Minnie Bruce discusses what it’s like to be targeted by these laws. When she came out in the 1970s, the state of North Carolina took custody of her children away from her. And when her spouse, Leslie Feinberg, grew ill, Minnie Bruce experienced directly how our healthcare system treats trans Americans.On the Reckon Interview, she discusses her history of turning personal pain into art and activism, how growing up in the crucible of the South shaped her career of activism and the importance of sharing the stories of queer Southerners.To support scholarships for LGBTQ students attending the University of Alabama and to hear more from Minnie Bruce, go here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ua-lgbtq-alumni-fireside-chat-with-minnie-bruce-pratt-joshua-burford-tickets-148276237217Sign up for The Conversation newsletter here: https://bit.ly/3dzfbfh See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Elizabeth Spiers helped establish how we read and write on the internet. Elizabeth was the founding editor of Gawker, a website that maybe didn’t introduce the snarky, blogger voice that took over media, but certainly took it mainstream. She helped define that voice and went on to work with New York Magazine, edit the New York Observer, and found and run several other media sites. And Elizabeth grew up in Wetumpka, Alabama. So how did a woman from small town Alabama become a key player in New York media? It’s part of a long tradition of Southern expats playing a role in shaping the national conversation.Sign up for our newsletter, The Conversation here: https://bit.ly/3dzfbfh See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Religion affects almost everything in the South. Even for nonbelievers. But so few people actually spend time understanding the stories they heard as children in Sunday School. Jason and Emily Kirk's podcast "Vacation Bible School," examines everything that was glossed over in the watered down versions we remember. They've set out to break down the Bible one book at a time, binge mode style. Jason joins the Reckon Interview to discuss how faith has shaped the South, the Southern influence on Christianity, the stories we get wrong, and how Star Wars Episode IX set him on a spiritual journey.Subscribe to their podcast here: https://apple.co/3mkF1rwAnd sign up for the new Reckon Interview newsletter "The Conversation" here: https://bit.ly/3dzfbfh See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Long before the Big Lie there was the Lost Cause, one of the most pervasive and damaging "stories" in American history. Connor Towne O'Neill is the author of "Down Along with That Devil's Bones" a book that examines the Lost Cause through the lens of Nathan Bedford Forrest statues. He is also a producer of critically-acclaimed podcast "White Lies." He joins the Reckon Interview to discuss Forrest, the Lost Cause and the parallels we see today with the Big Lie being pushed about the 2020 election. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dr. Regina Bradley, author of the new book "Chronicling Stankonia" explains how the South’s hip hop generation used their music to respond to, remix and interpret their parents’ and grandparents’ civil rights struggles as well as the whole of Southern history. In addition to the unique sound created by sampling Southern blues, soul and funk, this was a unique perspective for hip hop at the moment.Follow Dr. Regina Bradley on Twitter: @redclayscholarPurchase Chronicling Stankonia here. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What do the election results say about the state of the South? It’s a mixed bag. John Archibald and Roy S. Johnson join hosts, John Hammontree and R.L. Nave, to break down the 2020 election and what it means for the future of the South. Archibald and Johnson also discuss the upcoming season of Reckon Radio, “Unjustifiable,” a series perfect for this moment in America. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.