It’s been about three weeks since America lost its truest sweetheart, Dolly Parton, our Queen of Country Music, on Aug. 25, 2026. Her death prompted tributes across the news and all over social media. Even the president ordered flags at half-mast until Sept. 1 to honor the Smoky Mountain Songbird.

We hear every day about how our country is divided beyond repair. We’re surrounded by outrageous news all the time. But something unique happened in the wake of Dolly’s death: people from across not only the United States but the world came together to mourn and remember a celebrity. Of course, Dolly was more than a celebrity; her fans felt like they really knew her. They were proud of her. They felt her love. She had extended the magic within her out to her family, and then to her hometown, and then to her home state, and then to her country and the world, like a rhinestone-encrusted force field.

While she had fans everywhere, Dolly’s brilliance and love had a particularly outsized impact on her home community of East Tennessee and Appalachia more generally.

Dolly and her 11 siblings grew up poor in a one-bedroom cabin in the small Appalachian community of Locust Ridge, where she learned to sing and play guitar, often attributing her musical talents to her mother. Her father was a sharecropper, and Dolly has said that he was the smartest man she ever knew, despite not knowing how to read. She attributed her Imagination Library, which has gifted more than 300 million books to children worldwide, to her father.

Over the course of her career, Dolly donated tens of millions of dollars to local hospitals, schools, and disaster relief in the area. She also brought the Dollywood theme park to Pigeon Forge, drawing several million visitors to the area every year.

Dolly was resilient, talented, loving, witty, successful, and a unifier. She was a real example of the American dream and of Southern hospitality. Does such a celebrity still exist?

On the latest episode of Southern Hospitality for Beginners, three female writers—Farahn Morgan of Southwest Virginia, Victoria Dougherty of Central Virginia, and Taylor Wyna Stewart of Alabama discuss that exact question. They also explain their appreciation for Dolly through strikingly similar themes: love of nature, family, and politeness. They share how memories of the women in their lives remind them of Dolly, and how they think Dolly was able to achieve her iconic reputation through the groundbreaking notion of kindness.

Pound cake, key lime pie, red velvet, oh my!

Kudzu Bakery co-founder Joey Rabon shares his experience starting a Southern-style bakery with his wife, Stacy, in Georgetown, South Carolina, in 1989 on the latest episode of SHFB. The bakery now has four locations across South and North Carolina, and they sell a lot more than pastries.

Joey, who was born in Georgia and grew up in South Carolina, says the Southern foods his bakery offers would be recognizable to anyone in attendance at his grandmother's after-church social. He discusses the importance of using real butter in most recipes, as well as fresh, local ingredients.

And, of course, Joey discusses the meaning of Southern hospitality and whether that concept still exists today—from the unique perspective of a local business owner.

This may be the sweetest episode to date on Southern Hospitality for Beginners.

I had the privilege of interviewing the viral granddaughter-grandma duo known on TikTok as Emma Grace and Memama, plus Emma Grace's mom, Sabrina Burke.

The three women discuss the importance of family, Southern traditions, accents that change over time, and what initially made Emma Grace and her Memama go viral on social media.

Memama, who is 85, also shares some of her secrets to living a healthy and fulfilling life after experiencing loss.

Hear how three generations of women became best friends on the latest episode of SHFB.

North Carolina State University Professor Robin Dodsworth, Ph.D., who has been studying linguistic change in Raleigh for years, says the Southern accent as we know it is definitely disappearing. Listen to the latest episode of SHFB to find out why she thinks that is.

When I think of coastal retreats, Mississippi does not come to mind. That's why Bay St. Louis surprised me when my sister- and brother-in-law introduced me to the charming Gulf Coast town in November. It was my first time in Mississippi, and I was pleasantly surprised by the slow, quiet vacation spot and all it had to offer, from seafood restaurants to coffee shops to locally owned boutiques and antique stores.

We only spent a day there, so I didn't get to take in all the town has to offer, but on this episode of Southern Hospitality for Beginners, Beverly Frater of the Hancock County Historical Society and Bay St. Louis-based interior designer Shannon Stage fill me in on the town's rich history and Southern charm that appeals to visitors from all ocer the country.

Hannah Brusven, founder and editor-in-chief of The Swish magazine, discusses her background as an eighth-generation Georgian. She is a relative of Coca-Cola founder Asa Candler and Gone with the Wind author Margaret Mitchell.

Hannah delves into her fascination with classical femininity, etiquette, and traditional Southern hospitality on the latest episode of SHFB.

On today’s podcast, we are stepping back in time to the 1930s, when the Sea View Inn—one of two remaining inns on Pawley’s Island—was first built. Hurricane Hazel destroyed the building, which sits on the beach, in the 1950s, but it was rebuilt to its original footprint in 1956. That structure remains standing today, and its interior is a reflection of what life was like at the inn nearly 70 years ago.

Visitors at the Sea View Inn feel like they’ve stepped back in time. There is no AC in the main building; guests are encouraged to open their windows to the sea breeze on warm nights. Guests are offered a glass of sweet or unsweet tea when they walk in the door. Local chefs prepare traditional Southern cooking each night, and staff ring a bell to inform guests when dinner is being served. The inn has a no-cell-phone policy and, while it does have WiFi, it only really works in one spot. But guests aren’t coming to the Sea View Inn for business or luxury; they’re coming to escape the outside world and sit in peace on the beautiful, white-sand beach where the hotel has stood since 1937.

Sassy Henry and her husband, Brian, took over ownership of the inn in 2002. On this very special episode of Southern Hospitality for Beginners, Sassy tells me about her family’s decision to drop everything and take over the inn more than two decades ago, whether Southern hospitality still exists today, and why it’s so important for the Sea View Inn to maintain its longstanding Southern roots.

Southern Hospitality Magazine feature writer Apryl Thomas discusses her 20-year experience traveling across the South and telling the region's stories. Hear about her favorite destinations and experiences on the latest episode of Southern Hospitality for Beginners.

Alabama native Elizabeth Conner discusses her upbringing in "the Heart of Dixie" and Tennessee, plus her college experience at Ole Miss. She shares some of her grandmother's favorite Southern idioms and remains optimistic that Southern hospitality will live on.

My good friend and North Carolina native Evie Solheim discusses all things Tarheel, from the famous Duke-Chapel Hill rivalry to The Outer Banks TV series to her childhood trips to see The Lost Colony in Roanoke County. Most importantly, Evie shares her thoughts on whether Southern hospitality still exists—and who is allowed to say "y'all."