Arts & Culture

Arts & Culture
The Bold and Generous Spirit of Lee Smith
No one has tapped into Southern truths quite like the Virginia-raised author, whose fifteen novels span Appalachia to the Florida Keys. Just ask the legion of writers who praise Smith for guiding their own stories

Arts & Culture
An Artist Finds Peace Underwater
Painter Calida Rawles finds power in the pool

collections
A Sneakerhead in the Kitchen: 450 Air Jordans and Counting
Virginia chef Travis Milton serves up a mouthwatering batch of Air Jordans

Arts & Culture
Laughing All the Way with Writer R. Eric Thomas
The Baltimore-raised essayist, novelist, playwright, and screenwriter on being funny, a plague of frogs, and his new book about returning to his roots

Arts & Culture
How an Arkansas Bookstore Preserves What Gets Left Behind in Used Books
At Dickson Street Bookshop, time capsules capture misplaced, lost, and discarded treasures

Books
Around the World in Five Southern Cookbooks
New blue-ribbon reads worth a spot in the kitchen

Arts & Culture
Southern Streaming: Pat Conroy, a Royal Romcom, and Those Soul-Crushing Florida Gators
SEC football documentaries lead August’s top series, movies, and podcasts with Southern ties

Arts & Culture
A Dream Realized at a New Art Gallery in Durham
Ella West Gallery brings back beauty and energy to the historically rich Black Wall Street—and creates an anchor for fine art in the South

Arts & Culture
Step into the World of the Carolina Shag
For almost a century, one dance has captured the spirit of the coast and beyond. Follow along with three generations of the Free family as they pivot, belly roll, and boogie walk to keep the tradition alive

Country Accent
Vivian Howard’s Lessons in Rural Manners
Finger waving, grocery greetings, and other essentials

Arts & Culture
Five-Word Stories About Stifling Southern Summers
Our readers sum up the South’s muggy months with brief tales of sunset swims, lightweight linen, icy imbibements, and more

interview
Dennis Quaid’s Gospel Truth
Silver screen, small screen, even your music stream—the Houston native has them covered

Arts & Culture
A Forgotten Kentucky Artist Gets Her Due
Alma Wallace Lesch’s textile artwork incorporated seed sacks, vintage clothing, and bags of chicken feed to stitch together a fascinating vision of rural life

Style
Kitsch No More: Shell Decor That Will Make You Swoon
A South Carolina artist nails how to come down on the side of chic

Arts & Culture
Flowers on Fabric
Sydni Gause captures cosmos, hibiscus, goldenrod, and more Florida botanicals on silk

Arts & Culture
How a Red Spruce from North Carolina Became a Real-Life Giving Tree
After bringing joy at the holidays, “Ruby” will go on to share the gift of music with future generations

Style
A Nashville Watchmaker Looks Back in Time
Cameron Weiss carries on the age-old craft in the Music City

Arts & Culture
Seven Cultural High Points of North Georgia
A poet’s homestead, a Smithsonian affiliate, and more thought-provoking stops in the Blue Ridge Mountains

Arts & Culture
Southern Streaming: the Sweet Magnolias Return—and So Does Raylan Givens
Chill out this July with Southern-inflected series, movies, and podcasts

Arts & Culture
The Big Summer Reading List
G&G staff and contributors pick their favorite new novels, bold memoirs, and beach reads, plus a few books to put on preorder