Books
Southern Women: A New Book from Garden & Gun
A celebration of the dynamic women influencing the South and beyond

photo: Jacqueline Stofsick
Since Garden & Gun debuted more than twelve years ago, we have sought to tell the stories of strong Southern women in our pages, from the conservationist Laura Turner Seydel in that first issue to the underappreciated author Nancy Hale in our latest, and hundreds more, including the Oscar-winning actor Octavia Spencer and the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash, along the way. Our forthcoming book, Southern Women, allows us the chance to herald even more of these richly diverse women who make up today’s South.
Through interviews, essays, and photos, Southern Women features the voices and stories of more than 100 remarkable chefs, musicians, actors, writers, artists, entrepreneurs, designers, public servants, and others to offer a dynamic portrait of who the Southern woman is now—creative, brilliant, barrier-shattering powerhouses who have by turns embraced the South’s proud traditions and overcome its equally pervasive barriers and challenges. The voices of luminaries such as Sissy Spacek, Carla Hall, Natasha Trethewey, and Loretta Lynn join those whose stories for too long have been overlooked or underestimated, from the pioneering Texas rancher Minnie Lou Bradley to the Gee’s Bend, Alabama, quilter Mary Margaret Pettway. Some of the South’s best writers, too, pay homage to the Southern women who have inspired them, including Jessica B. Harris on Mahalia Jackson, Julia Reed on Tammy Wynette, and Allison Glock—who also writes the foreword—on Holly Hunter. Together, these visionaries have left their indelible mark not just on Southern culture, but on America itself.
By reading these stories of triumph, grit, and grace, the ties that bind the sisterhood of Southern women emerge: an unflinching resilience and resourcefulness, an inherent love of the land, a singular style and wit. And while the wisdom shared may be rooted in the Southern experience, the universal themes are sure to resonate beyond the Mason-Dixon Line.
The book is available now at the links below and at bookstores everywhere.
Fieldshop by Garden & Gun
Amazon
Bookshop
Barnes & Noble
Books-A-Million
Garden & Gun is proud to donate a portion of Southern Women proceeds to support Girls Inc.
Come see us on the Southern Women Book Tour. Click here for a list of all upcoming events and ticket information.
In honor of the debut of Southern Women, Holler Beach Productions—founded by Garden & Gun contributing editor Allison Glock and her husband, T Cooper—created a special film celebrating dynamic Southern women in the book and beyond. Watch now:
Related Stories:

Land & Conservation
Chasing the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker
The struggle to prove the majestic bird still exists has obsessed believers and exasperated doubters for a century. Now photographer Bobby Harrison is racing to document the species once and for all before the government declares it extinct

Arts & Culture
Step Into Nigel Parry’s Sensory-Rich Southern Landscapes
Mysterious, hazy, awash with color—Parry’s latest show, Portraits of Landscape, captures the momentary magic of South Carolina waterways on film

Home & Garden
Set the Stage for Stylish Mingling on the Porch
Get outside and refresh your outdoor space with new barware, furniture, and decor
Trending Stories:

Music
Song Premiere: Listen to Chapel Hart’s New Single, “If You Ain’t Wearing Boots”
New music from the Mississippi trio who rose to fame last year on America’s Got Talent

Arts & Culture
“The Outsiders” Turns Forty
See rare images of the stars—before they were big—around the Oklahoma set

Arts & Culture
A South Carolina Seafood Company Reveals a Piece of Forrest Gump History
How much shrimp is required to create a movie classic? About six thousand pounds, apparently