In the rural South of the 20th century, country stores were the centers of community. Salvation South Editor Chuck Reece visited many of them when he was a kid, riding along with his Uncle Bob, who supplied those stores for his livelihood. In this week's commentary, Chuck reflects on life lessons that experience taught him.
How well do you remember what you were like when you were only eight years old? Most of us would never dream of doing the things we did when we were kids. But have you ever wondered whether thinking like an eight-year-old could be a great thing? Salvation South editor Chuck Reece has a story about that in this week's commentary.
As we celebrate Mother’s Day on Sunday, many of us are thinking about the ones who brought us into this world. In this week’s episode, Salvation South editor Chuck Reece explains how he’s been thinking about his own mother, who left him too early but remains with him still.
After diving once again into the history of blues music — arguably the greatest Southern contribution to American culture — Salvation South Editor Chuck Reece has been thinking about music’s power to soothe even the deepest pain we feel. He shares his thoughts in this week's commentary.
April is National Poetry Month. In this week's commentary Salvation South editor Chuck Reece celebrates the occasion by looking at the richness of Southern speech — specifically at how the words we use tell the world who we are.
A new documentary from the Atlanta History Center about the history of Stone Mountain, and the memorial to the Confederacy carved into its flank, has prompted many Georgians to re-examine what they thought they knew about the carving and how it got there. It also prompted a story in Chuck Reece’s online magazine, Salvation South. Chuck has details in this week's commentary.
The South is beloved by people around the world for its literature. The names of great novelists like Eudora Welty and Alice Walker and William Faulkner are familiar everywhere. But we should not neglect the work of the South’s poets, who move us to empathy with just a few well-chosen words. Salvation South editor Chuck Reece has some thoughts on the subject in this week’s commentary.
Since Salvation South editor Chuck Reece began joining us every Friday, one of his most popular commentaries was about the great legacy of Southern soul music. This week, we’ve asked Chuck to treat us to some soul music that maybe we haven’theard. He’s got two songs about desire that he believes we all ought to add to our libraries.
February is Black History Month, when we take time to honor African Americans who have contributed to the cultural, political, societal and academic evolution of our nation. And sometimes, when we dig into that history, we unearth the stories of remarkable people whose names were largely forgotten.
Salvation South editor Chuck Reece has the story of one such extraordinary man in this week’s commentary.
Artificial intelligence — and the worry over how students might use it to cheat on their assignments — has become a dominant topic in the news of late.
In this week's commentary, Salvation South editor Chuck Reece spends some time with ChatGPT and discovers that when it comes to forming a truly insightful understanding of Southern culture and history, our teachers don’t have much to worry about.