Southern Women: A New Book from Garden & Gun

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: