John Sledge
The Mississippian Period
Long before Europeans first trod these shores, Native Americans were here. In the beginning, they were simple hunter-gatherers, subsisting on...
Grit Lit
Tom Franklin burst upon the literary scene in 1999 with the publication of his award-winning short story collection “Poachers.” He followed up that...
History Repeats Itself
Charles McNair calls me on a rainy Saturday afternoon after I’ve left him several messages. He’s in Miami on a job, and...
The Canoe Fight
This month marks the 200th anniversary of one of the most storied incidents in Alabama history, the Canoe Fight. It took place...
A Strong Voice
Jesmyn Ward is a fighter. You wouldn’t know it to look at her. Elegant and graceful with a beautiful smile, she is...
An Author's Calling
The last time I interviewed Michael Knight, he was a 20-something winner of the Playboy college fiction contest with both a short...
Tinseltown Storyteller
Fannie Flagg calls me in Flagstaff, Ariz., from Santa Barbara, Calif., two of the most un-Southern places imaginable, ...
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The Test Dive
The H.L. Hunley is famous as the first submarine in history to successfully sink an enemy warship. The attack took place off Charleston...
Winning the Writer’s Race
In the constellation of writers with Mobile connections, Zoe Fishman is probably one of the least known in her hometown. But, ...
A Penman for All Seasons
Sonny Brewer arrives for our interview perched atop a long, black-seated gray scooter with two boxes of books duct-taped behind him. Settled...