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In the Spring 2011 issue of Southern Cultures — The Irish Issue — Front Porch by Harry L. Watson“The authors in this special issue on Ireland and the South argue that the Irish left an outsized imprint on the cultures of the American South and forged a persistent affinity between Ireland and the South.”“A lengthening chain in the shape of memories”The Irish and Southern Culture by William R. Ferris“Irish rockers U2 are committed fans of B.B. King and wrote the song ‘When Love Comes to Town'' at his request. The song introduced King to important new rock audiences.”Tara, the O''Haras, and the Irish Gone With the Wind by Geraldine Higgins“Into the debate about place, race, and the second-best-selling book of all time, we can also bring Irishness.”Another “Lost Cause”The Irish in the South Remember the Confederacy by David Gleeson“As there had been only two prominent Irish generals, and only one, Cleburne, had had a very distinguished record, the story of the common soldier was the story of the Irish Confederate.”Blacks and Irish on the Riverine FrontiersThe Roots of American Popular Music by Christopher J. Smith“One of the realities of American life is that certain features of African American performance style will remain strange and alluring to those outside the culture. Not least among such features is the making of hard social commentary on recurring problems of life, often through cutting and breaking techniques-contentious interactions continually calling for a change of direction.”Smoke ''n'' GunsA Preface to a Poem about Marginal Souths, and then the Poem by Conor O''Callaghan“Addressing a jubilant crowd in Belfast shortly after the declaration of the original ceasefire in 1993, Gerry Adams reminded his audience that ‘they haven’t gone away, you know.'' He meant that even as ‘the cause'' was dwindling, its upholders-‘the boys''-were still among us. He might just as easily have been talking about the Klan.”

The Cruel Radiance of the Obvious, The 2011 Photography IssueTom Rankin, Guest EditorOur second Photography issue features full-color photographs by William Eggleston, William Christenberry, and much more.CONTENTSFront Porchby Harry L. Watson“It requires very special talent to make great photographs, and those who have it are among our finest artists.”The Cruel Radiance of the Obviousby Tom Rankin“Photography in its finest and most decisive moments is about those tired or ignored or unseen parts of our lives, the mundane and worn paths that sit before us so firmly that we cease to notice. It is, we might say, about rebuilding our sight in the face of blindness, of recovering our collective vision.”American Studiesby Michael Carlebach“Many years ago I concluded that for me truth and beauty, and perhaps wit and wisdom as well, are more likely to reside in what is ordinary and seemingly insignificant. This is, perhaps, a sideways look at America and American culture, but it is one that can produce moments that describe us all, but without makeup and bereft of a spokesperson.”Mapping The Democratic ForestThe Postsouthern Spaces of William Egglestonby Ben Child“When the color photographs of William Eggleston first appeared at the Museum of Modern Art in 1976, the boldness of Eggleston’s palette and his disregard for the conventions of black-and-white photography were shocking; nearly all the major critics were scornful, and Ansel Adams wrote a scathing letter of protest.”Stereo Propagandaby Lynn Marshall-Linnemeier“In this examination, magic and myth-two of my favorite vehicles-act as buffers to the dominant power structure. It brings together two bodies of collectibles, one personal and one commercial, with the intent of shifting stereotypes about race and southern culture.”Interview“Those little color snapshots”: William Christenberryinterviewed by William R. Ferris“Santa Claus had brought me and my sister a small Brownie camera in the late 1940s, and I just loaded it with color film and went out to that Alabama landscape and began to photograph what caught my eye.”Heroes of Hell Hole SwampPhotographs of South Carolina Midwives by Hansel Mieth and W. Eugene Smithby Dolores Flamiano“Mieth and Smith shared a belief that photography could bring social change. They viewed Pat Clark and Maude Callen as heroic healers whose stories would inspire racial understanding. Both photographers shot powerful images of the most visceral human experiences: birth, death, sexuality, and disease.”Women Workingby Susan Harbage Page“‘Rough. It is rough being a female.''”Not ForgottenThe Day Is Past and GoneFamily Photographs from Eastern North CarolinaBy Scott Matthews“‘It is in fact hard to get the camera to tell the truth; yet it can be made to, in many ways and on many levels. Some of the best photographs we are ever likely to see are innocent domestic snapshots.''”All eight articles from this issue of Southern Cultures are also available individually as stand-alone ebooks.

Personal. Public. Historical. This issue of Southern Cultures is devoted entirely to Memory. . .Front Porchby Harry L. Watson“As the Soviets used to joke about their own politically driven histories, ‘The present we know; the future is certain. Only the past is unpredictable.’”“Truth is mighty & will eventually prevail”Political Correctness, Neo-Confederates, and Robert E. Leeby Peter S. Carmichael“While northerners might appear comparatively apathetic about the memory of the Union cause, white southerners have been tenacious in searching for moral clarity in the past.”“Personal in My Memory”The South in Popular Filmby some of our favorite writers and filmmakers, with an introduction by Godfrey Cheshire“We have two imaginary kingdoms. One, ‘the South,’ exists primarily in song, oraltraditions and folkways, native art and literature. The other, ‘Hollywood,’ creates mass-produced audiovisual entertainments for American and world audiences, and develops its own mythology.”No SweatMemories of Southern Appalachiaby Danny Fulks“Cooney Simms, the grocer, had a big Philco floor-model radio with push buttons and short wave. Neighbors gathered around when Joe Lewis was fighting. And wasn’t he always this good giant who whipped Adolph Hitler’s man Max Schmeling? Static wasn’t too bad; one could hear Franklin Roosevelt’s fireside chats if they didn’t come on the same time as the Grand Ole Opry.”Mountain Feminist: Helen Matthews Lewis, Appalachian Studies, and the Long Women’s Movementfrom an interview by Jessica Wilkersoncompiled and introduced by Jessica Wilkerson and David P. ClineJudge Thomas Ruffin and the Shadows of Southern Historyby Sally GreeneHot Springs, Arkansasby Keith MaillardCatfish and Homeby Josh Eure“Big Bone Lick,” “Big Talk,” and “Flush”three poems by Robert Morgan

The Music Issue enhanced eBook include all the tracks on our special CD and:The tell-all letter from a teenage girl who kissed—and kissed—Elvis PresleyHow corruption and greed made the Jacksonville music sceneGretchen Wilson, country music’s “Redneck Woman”The invaluable social spaces of African American record storesBobby Rush, “bluesman-plus”Where Opryland resides in hearts, minds, and soulsBackstage with the Avett Brothers, Doc Watson, Tift Merritt, Southern Culture on the Skids, the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Johnny Cash, and more great artists.This enhanced eBook also contains Loving, Leaving, Liquor, and the Lord, which is packed with tracks from the Avett Brothers, Doc and Merle Watson, Archers of Loaf, and many more amazing Southern musicians — old and new.Southern Cultures is published quarterly (spring, summer, fall, winter) by the University of North Carolina Press. The journal is sponsored by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Center for the Study of the American South.

''Kickbacks from government vendors, jobs for cronies, sweetheart deals for contractors'' were commonplace—''It may have been the most corrupt city in America.''"What happened when greedy promoters ran radio stations and the local concert scene? They brought the Beatles to Jacksonville, but they also brought payola, greed, and corruption.This article appears in the 2011 Music issue of Southern Cultures.Southern Cultures is published quarterly (spring, summer, fall, winter) by the University of North Carolina Press. The journal is sponsored by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill''s Center for the Study of the American South.

The headlining band were nasty rogues, hitting on freakishly skinny underage chicks while I heard it all half asleep."Captured on film: Johnny Cash, Tift Merrit, the Avett Brothers, and many other artists. And some of them reveal their tales about the most celebrated and notorious space on any tour (aside from the stage itself).This article appears in the 2011 Music issue of Southern Cultures.Southern Cultures is published quarterly (spring, summer, fall, winter) by the University of North Carolina Press. The journal is sponsored by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill''s Center for the Study of the American South.

“I try to get the people in my hand, for them to love me, and once I get them in my hand, I can then tell them what I’ve come to tell them. And I come to tell them about the blues. It’s just like a preacher.”The consummate Chiltin’ Circuit performer talks women, finding his crossover audience, and masquerading as two different people on the same stage in one night.This article appears in the 2011 Music issue of Southern Cultures.Southern Cultures is published quarterly (spring, summer, fall, winter) by the University of North Carolina Press. The journal is sponsored by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Center for the Study of the American South.

“In 2004 Gretchen Wilson exploded onto the country music scene with ‘Redneck Woman.’ The blockbuster single led to the early release of her first CD and propelled it to triple platinum sales.”Gretchen Wilson celebrates a new kind Virile Woman on the country music scene—but this subtle gender analysis reveals much more than immediately meets the eye.This article appears in the 2011 Music issue of Southern Cultures.Southern Cultures is published quarterly (spring, summer, fall, winter) by the University of North Carolina Press. The journal is sponsored by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Center for the Study of the American South.

Record selling certainly had its glamorous moments; retailers could regale younger customers with stories of nightlife and even rubbing elbows with famous musicians and celebrities."African-American owned and operated record stores once provided vibrant venues for their communities, and close to 1000 of these shops operated in the South during their heyday.This article appears in the 2011 Music issue of Southern Cultures.Southern Cultures is published quarterly (spring, summer, fall, winter) by the University of North Carolina Press. The journal is sponsored by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill''s Center for the Study of the American South.

Nixon''s visit (only five months before his resignation) was seen by national journalists and politicos to be a trip to one of the few places where he would still receive a warm reception, and it was quite warm indeed. Nixon took the stage, played two songs on the piano, and bantered with Roy Acuff."When the Opry changed sites it wasn''t without a good deal of growing pains, angst, and rhetoric—but by taking old values to the new venue, not to mention a circle of the original old floor, country music survived the switch.This article appears in the 2011 Music issue of Southern Cultures.Southern Cultures is published quarterly (spring, summer, fall, winter) by the University of North Carolina Press. The journal is sponsored by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill''s Center for the Study of the American South.

The last time I kissed him he only had on half a shirt. He has a wonderful chest. I am really crazy about him now+have the funniest feeling in me, all over."After she saw the King in concert and met him backstage, she wrote this letter to her friends at camp. Here''s the original spicy note from the teenage girl who kissed—and kissed—Elvis Presley. This article appears in the 2011 Music issue of Southern Cultures.Southern Cultures is published quarterly (spring, summer, fall, winter) by the University of North Carolina Press. The journal is sponsored by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill''s Center for the Study of the American South.

This introductory essay uses William Eggleston as the point of entry to preview the entire photography issue and includes striking photographs from Ansel Adams, Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange, and Susan Harbage Page—as well as exploring the stunning work of Paul Kwilecki. “Photography in its finest and most decisive moments is about those tired or ignored or unseen parts of our lives, the mundane and worn paths that sit before us so firmly that we cease to notice. It is, we might say, about rebuilding our sight in the face of blindness, of recovering our collective vision.” This article appears in the Summer 2011 issue of Southern Cultures: The Photography Issue.

So often we see photographs of a humorless South, but Michael Carlebach reminds us to smile at ourselves.This article appears in the Summer 2011 issue of Southern Cultures:The Photography Issue.“Many years ago I concluded that for me truth and beauty, and perhaps wit and wisdom as well, are more likely to reside in what is ordinary and seemingly insignificant. This is, perhaps, a sideways look at America and American culture, but it is one that can produce moments that describe us all, but without makeup and bereft of a spokesperson.”

Eggleston, the iconoclastic and colorful groundbreaker, imbues the mundane with vibrancy.This article appears in the Summer 2011 issue of Southern Cultures:The Photography Issue. "When the color photographs of William Eggleston first appeared at the Museum of Modern Art in 1976, the boldness of Eggleston''s palette and his disregard for the conventions of black-and-white photography were shocking; nearly all the major critics were scornful, and Ansel Adams wrote a scathing letter of protest."

Old photographs meet new color, creating thoughtful new meanings. This article appears in the Summer 2011 issue of Southern Cultures: The Photography Issue. "In this examination, magic and myth-two of my favorite vehicles-act as buffers to the dominant power structure. It brings together two bodies of collectibles, one personal and one commercial, with the intent of shifting stereotypes about race and southern culture."

Follow the evolution of the vision and career of one of the South’s foremost photographers.“Santa Claus had brought me and my sister a small Brownie camera in the late 1940s, and I just loaded it with color film and went out to that Alabama landscape and began to photograph what caught my eye.” This article appears in the Summer 2011 issue of Southern Cultures:The Photography Issue.

Two mid-century Life photo essays reveal the power of editorial selection to lie—or reveal truth. This article appears in the Summer 2011 issue of Southern Cultures: The Photography Issue. “Mieth and Smith shared a belief that photography could bring social change. They viewed Pat Clark and Maude Callen as heroic healers whose stories would inspire racial understanding. Both photographers shot powerful images of the most visceral human experiences: birth, death, sexuality, and disease.” Note: Due to copyright restrictions, the original photos by Mieth and Smith are available in the print version only.

When Susan Harbage Page worked in the early seventies alongside the women in this photo essay, in addition to friendships she also made a poignant record. This article appears in the Summer 2011 issue of Southern Cultures: The Photography Issue. "''Rough. It is rough being a female.''"

Part essay, part memory—this piece finds the perfect form to explore the pictures that might rely most for meaning on the stories that accompany them: family photos. This article appears in the Summer 2011 issue of Southern Cultures: The Photography Issue."''It is in fact hard to get the camera to tell the truth; yet it can be made to, in many ways and on many levels. Some of the best photographs we are ever likely to see are innocent domestic snapshots.''"

Truth is mighty & will eventually prevail" Political Correctness, Neo-Confederates, and Robert E. Leeby Peter S. CarmichaelWhy do we argue—and argue—so much about Robert E. Lee?"While northerners might appear comparatively apathetic about the memory of the Union cause, white southerners have been tenacious in searching for moral clarity in the past."

Personal in My Memory"The South in Popular Filmby some of our favorite writers and filmmakers with an introduction by Godfrey CheshireAlice Walker, Allan Gurganus, Randall Kenan, Joe Flora, Kenneth Turan, Elizabeth Spencer, and Andrew Garrison tell how their favorite Southern films marked them indelibly."We have two imaginary kingdoms. One, ''the South,'' exists primarily in song, oral traditions and folkways, native art and literature. The other, ''Hollywood,'' creates mass-produced audiovisual entertainments for American and world audiences, and develops its own mythology."

No Sweat Memories of Southern Appalachiaby Danny FulksWhen his brother went off to fight, the author was left behind—and his recollections here reveal a wonderful snapshot of wartime Appalachian life."Cooney Simms, the grocer, had a big Philco floor-model radio with push buttons and short wave. Neighbors gathered around when Joe Lewis was fighting. And wasn''t he always this good giant who whipped Adolph Hitler''s man Max Schmeling? Static wasn''t too bad; one could hear Franklin Roosevelt''s fireside chats if they didn''t come on the same time as the Grand Ole Opry."

Voices from the Southern Oral History Program Mountain FeministHelen Matthews Lewis, Appalachian Studies, and the Long Women''s Movementfrom an interview by Jessica Wilkersoncompiled and introduced by Jessica Wilkerson and David P. ClineThe "Grandmother of Appalachian Studies" reveals the parallels between the Civil Rights and Women''s movements, as well as her highly ambivalent feelings about her own marriage—and much more."They didn''t take us to jail. They pulled us out individually, and the policeman said to me, ''What would your daddy think if he saw you dancing with a nigger?''"

Judge Thomas Ruffin and the Shadows of Southern Historyby Sally GreeneNorth Carolina''s State Capitol still houses a statue to one of southern history''s most notorious pro-slave-owner judges. Why?"Ruffin was ideologically sympathetic to the Confederate cause and remained so to his death. ''The power of the master must be absolute,'' Ruffin wrote in State v. Mann (1829), ''to render the submission of the slave perfect.'' State v. Mann became the most notorious opinion in the entire body of slavery law."

Hot Springs, Arkansasby Keith MaillardWorld War II-era Hot Springs is the foundation for this author''s story, a tale about his family''s crumbling dynamics in troublesome times."''Well, of course I remember Pearl Harbor,'' my mother says, the tone of her voice adding,What do you think I am, an idiot? She and my grandmother were working in the shop when they heard on the radio that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor. She was five months pregnant with me. It was a Sunday. They''d never heard of Pearl Harbor."

Catfish and Homeby Josh EureAs a Little Leaguer, Josh Eure couldn''t hit a lick, but the presence of local hero Catfish Hunter at all the games made even minor victories at the plate worth savoring."Jimmy ''Catfish'' Hunter pitched for the Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees and in 1987 was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame—all the while maintaining his small-town farming roots. He played every game with the shotgun pellets from a childhood hunting accident lodged in his foot, and natives imagined he held a major piece of them in his cleats."

Mason-Dixon Lines "Big Bone Lick," "Big Talk," and "Flush" poetry by Robert MorganRobert Morgan drives home a similar message with three poems. They address "memory" on the grandest scale— not merely familial or communal but epochal and even geologic." . . . for ten millennia, the bonesseemed wreckage from a mighty dream . . . "

What does “redneck” mean? What’s going to happen to the southern accent? What makes black southerners laugh? What is “real” country music? These are the kinds of questions that pop up in this collection of notable essays from Southern Cultures, the journal of the Center for the Study of the American South at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Intentionally plural, Southern Cultures was founded in 1993 to present all sides of the American South, from sorority sisters to Pocahontas, from kudzu to the blues.This volume collects 27 essays from the journal’s first fifteen years, bringing together some of the most memorable and engaging essays as well as some of those most requested for use in courses. A stellar cast of contributors discusses themes of identity, pride, traditions, changes, conflicts, and stereotypes. Topics range from black migrants in Chicago to Mexican immigrants in North Carolina, from Tennessee wrestlers to Martin Luther King, from the Civil War to contemporary debates about the Confederate flag. Funny and serious, historical and contemporary, the collection offers something new for every South-watcher, with fresh perspectives on enduring debates about the people and cultures of America’s most complex region.Contributors:Derek H. Alderman, East Carolina UniversityDonna G''Segner Alderman, Greenville, North CarolinaS. Jonathan Bass, Samford UniversityDwight B. Billings, University of KentuckyCatherine W. Bishir, Preservation North CarolinaKathleen M. Blee, University of PittsburghElizabeth Boyd, Vanderbilt UniversityJames C. Cobb, University of GeorgiaPeter A. Coclanis, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillJoseph Crespino, Emory UniversityDrew Gilpin Faust, Harvard Universityfranklin forts, University of GeorgiaDavid Goldfield, University of North Carolina at CharlotteLarry J. Griffin, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillAdam Gussow, University of MississippiTrudier Harris, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillPatrick Huber, University of Missouri-RollaLouis M. Kyriakoudes, University of Southern MississippiMelton McLaurin, University of North Carolina at WilmingtonMichael Montgomery, University of South CarolinaSteve Oney, Los Angeles, CaliforniaTheda Perdue, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillDan Pierce, University of North Carolina at AshevilleJohn Shelton Reed, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillMart Stewart, Western Washington UniversityThomas A. Tweed, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillTimothy B. Tyson, Duke UniversityAnthony Walton, Bowdoin CollegeHarry L. Watson, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillCharles Reagan Wilson, University of MississippiC. Vann Woodward (1908–1999)

In the Spring 2010 issue of Southern Cultures, we float down the Redneck Riviera with Harvey H. Jackson III and along Roanoke Island with Bland Simpson, we cross the border with Susan Harbage Page, we examine gender and sexuality at the Citadel with Steve Estes, and we consider our sense of place with William W. Falk and Susan Webb.Southern Cultures is published quarterly (spring, summer, fall, winter) by the University of North Carolina Press. The journal is sponsored by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Center for the Study of the American South.