Salvation South

10/11/2025

Tape cassettes are back? Rock on, dude. If you remember making a mix tape for your sweetheart, then this little sticker will bring a smile to your heart.

10/10/2025

Meet Eleni Karelis, a rising star from Hazard, Kentucky, whose poems stitch together the everyday miracles and tough realities of the Appalachian hills. If you think you know Southern poetry, Karelis’s work is here to surprise and heal: every line carries the touch, taste, and sound of modern Kentucky. Find out how a new generation is writing home, heart, and survival.

https://www.salvationsouth.com/love-across-all-our-hands-kentucky-poetry

10/10/2025

Our editor grew up in Ellijay, the Apple Capital of Georgia, and he believes fall begins when the Stayman Winesap apples ripen. Learn the rich regional history of this cherry-red fruit, how it became a Southern classic, and discover Chuck’s personal recipe for a cobbler made from Stayman Winesaps—one that’s all about buttery batter, warming spices, and letting the apples shine. If you love food stories and Southern roots, click through for a taste and treasure.

https://www.salvationsouth.com/stayman-winesap-apple-cobbler-north-georgia/

10/08/2025

You need to grab a handful of these stickers for stocking stuffers. Hopefully your kids will get the hint.

Your kids need this sticker on everything they own. Order a dozen and stick them on your Christmas gifts. They'll get the hint.

10/06/2025

Banned Books Week 2025 is here! This year’s theme, “Censorship Is So 1984. Read for Your Rights,” calls out the rising tide of book bans across the country and urges everyone to defend the right to read freely.

From October 5–11, join readers, writers, and advocates nationwide in speaking out against censorship, participating in library and bookstore events, and amplifying stories that some want silenced.

The latest reports reveal a record number of bans—over 6,800 instances in schools and libraries, with the most targeted titles featuring LGBTQ+ and BIPOC voices or challenging subjects like race, gender, and identity. Books like George Orwell’s “1984,” Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye,” Sarah J. Maas’s “A Court of Thorns and Roses,” and George M. Johnson’s “All Boys Aren’t Blue” remain among those most frequently challenged or removed.

This week, stand together for curiosity, empathy, and intellectual freedom. Use your voice to support books, libraries, teachers, and students—because censorship is so 1984, and everyone deserves the right to read.

10/06/2025

We have new stickers in the store! Take a look and order some for your friends and neighbors.

10/05/2025

Step inside the chilling opening scene of House’s debut mystery. Esau Campbell finally found some peace, managing the Capability Fishing Camp. But it one night, that peace is shattered by a murder—and you’ll feel the tension rising with every line.

If you crave stories where trouble comes calling by the moonlight, don’t miss this exclusive excerpt.

https://www.salvationsouth.com/silas-house-dead-man-blues-exclusive-excerpt/

10/05/2025

What happens when Kentucky’s former Poet Laureate—a writer whose novels and verses have chronicled Appalachian heartbreak and hope—dives into the shadows of crime fiction? In Dead Man Blues, Silas House takes us out on a moonlit lake in a small Southern town, weaving loss, betrayal, and forbidden love into a tale that’s as haunting as it is satisfying. Chuck Reece’s exclusive interview with House reveals the secrets behind the book’s world—and its unforgettable characters. Dead Man Blues is more proof Southern noir is taking over the world of crime fiction.

https://www.salvationsouth.com/silas-house-dead-man-blues-interview/

10/04/2025

A.B. Coleman’s poems make constellations out of childhood’s mischief, the kitchen’s warmth, and the quiet heroism of ordinary moments. Her verses are cozy yet cosmic, grounded in Appalachia yet soaring skyward—finding high art in backyards and creekbeds.

https://www.salvationsouth.com/ab-coleman-kentucky-poems/

10/03/2025

Every summer, Southern families gather to clean and honor the graves of loved ones. In Amanda Ashworth’s warm essay, witness how faith, loss, and memory shimmer in the Walnut Grove graveyard. Ashworth blends the mystical and everyday, showing how belief is sometimes inherited and how Southern womanhood carries wisdom that “heals with onions and potato.” Click to read about a grandmother whose spirit literally lights the way—and see why belief is a family affair.

https://www.salvationsouth.com/southern-cemetery-traditions-amanda-ashworth-essay/

09/28/2025

Witness the wild, wise, and joyous world of Mississippi Delta storytelling. Fifty years ago, Ferris’s documentaries set a standard for how we honor everyday Southern lives. This week, discover I Ain’t Lying, a film filled with laughter, hardship, and the sacred-to-profane power of storytelling. Watch the film and Chuck Reece’s conversation with Ferris—an honest, lively look at tales that shielded communities from oppression and kept traditions alive for generations. Immerse yourself in the full spectrum of Black Southern storytelling, from trickster tales to the dozens and the blues.

https://www.salvationsouth.com/fifty-years-of-ferris-i-aint-lying/

09/28/2025

Travel through decades of radical empathy and academic innovation in the newest Salvation South Deluxe podcast. Combining interviews, rare recordings, and reflection, “The Blueprint” traces Ferris’s growth from a curious boy to founding director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture. Hear how his relentless quest to give dignity to ordinary Southerners changed Southern scholarship forever. This is the capstone audio experience—discover how Ferris’s methods, compassion, and creativity made Southern voices part of the region’s lasting legacy.

https://www.salvationsouth.com/bill-ferris-southern-folklore-podcast/