Southern writers are at a bit of an advantage in that we have a powerful sense of place, but mostly we know characters. We ARE characters. We come from families, neighborhoods, churches, and kinfolk that are the stuff you think is made up, but only slightly. We love an embellished story. We are storytellers. To be southern is to be a good storyteller. Join us at the table as we discuss male southern authors.

We already did an episode on female southern authors. You can listen to that here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/steel-magnolias-podcast/id1442852139?i=1000554084762

Mentioned in this episode: 

• William Faulkner - https://rowanoak.com/
• Mark Twain 
• William Percy
• Walker Percy
• Shelby Foote
• Tennessee Williams
• Richard Wright
• Pat Conroy
• Thomas Wolfe
• Peter Taylor 
• Robert Penn Warren 
• Edgar Allen Poe
• Wendell Berry 
• James Agee
• Lewis Grizzard
• Sean Dietrich - subscribe to daily column - https://seandietrich.com/
• O. Henry
• Rick Bragg
• Roy Blount Jr.
• Nicholas Sparks
• John Grisham - we did an entire episode on him: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/steel-magnolias-podcast/id1442852139?i=1000645984372
• Ernest Hemingway
• Charles Portis
• Charles Frasier
• Alfred Uhry 
• Winston Groom
• Cormac McCarthy
• John Kennedy Toole

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Sacred Harp singing is a tradition of sacred choral music sung a capella that did not originate in the South but has been kept alive in the South. The 4-tone scale, fa-sol-la-mi, is sung by reading notes shaped in a triangle, circle, square or diamond. Join us at the table as we discuss this unique tradition!

• Intro Music: “St. Thomas” - https://sacredharpbremen.org/34b-st-thomas/
• If you want to see how Nicole Kidman and Jude Law would look singing shape notes. Check out the movie COLD MOUNTAIN (or link below): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcNxruJ3Tuk
• ‘Fa-sol-la’ example, “Child of Grace” by Charles Wesley, 1759
• "Encyclopedia of Southern Culture” https://amzn.to/46VzBL2
• Find a gathering near you:
• ChristianHarmony.org - http://www.christianharmony.org/
• Fa So La - https://fasola.org/
• “Traveling”by Samuel Crossman, 1664

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Leiper's Fork, Tennessee is a place of tranquility, charm, green rolling hills, art and music. With a population of just under 1,000 people this unincorporated area formerly known as Hillsboro, TN covers 1,100 acres 30 miles southwest of Nashville.

"If Sunday morning had a hometown, the charming village of Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee might very well be it."

Join us at the table as we discuss one of our absolute favorite places in TN.

Mentioned in this episode:

• The Land Trust of Tennessee: https://www.landtrusttn.org/
• The Natchez Trace Parkway episode (Leiper's Fork is milepost 428): https://steelmagnoliaspodcast.com/episode/the-natchez-trace
• Visit Franklin episode: https://steelmagnoliaspodcast.com/episode/visit-franklin-tn
• Grayline Bus Tour: https://graylinetn.com/leipers-fork-shuttle
• Modern Day Hospitality episode: https://steelmagnoliaspodcast.com/episode/modern-day-hospitality-airbnb
• Fork and Field Cottages: (We stayed at Picker's Cottage): https://www.forkandfield.com/
• The Country Boy Restaurant: https://www.instagram.com/thecountryboyrestaurant/?hl=en
• Davis General: https://thedavisgeneral.com/
• Leiper's Fork Market: https://www.instagram.com/leipersforkmarket/
• Hank's Coffee Station: https://www.hankscoffeestation.com/
• RedByrd Coffee: https://www.theredbyrd.com/
• Dinner IN or BESIDE the Creek: https://www.bamfoodscatering.com/
• Fox & Locke: https://www.foxandlocke.com/
• Leiper's Fork Distillery: https://leipersforkdistillery.com/
• Leiper's Creek Gallery: https://leiperscreekgallery.com/
• David Arms Gallery/Shop - Lainie’s ‘happy place': https://davidarms.com/
• Patina Home and Garden: https://patinahomeandgardenshop.com/
• The Copper Fox: https://www.thecopperfoxgallery.com/
• Southall: https://southalltn.com/
• Props Shop: https://www.propsleipersfork.com/
• Tennessee Turquoise: https://www.tennesseeturquoisecompany.com/
• Creekside Trading: https://www.creeksidetradingcompany.com/
• “Charting Your Own Vision: Lessons From Leiper’s Fork," a guidebook lovingly created to help other communities chart their own course toward success. https://irp.cdn-website.com/2c253136/files/uploaded/Charting_Your_Own_Vision_Booklet.pdf

Steel Magnolias Podcast is an independent show funded solely on support from listeners like you and a few advertisers from time to time.

To give (one time or recurring), visit https://app.redcircle.com/shows/272163da-d825-415c-8092-bd907aba8ebd/donations

 

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"Any discussion about American music that doesn’t include Muscle Shoals, Alabama isn’t really a discussion at all.” That’s a direct quote from the website of FAME STUDIOS.

We had a chance to visit Muscle Shoals and the 2 studios that stayed undercover for most of the 60’s and 70’s while legends came to record with a producer and a rhythm section that should be household names. Join us at the table as we discuss the music of Muscle Shoals.

If you’re a big Lynyrd Skynyrd fan you may have caught the name Muscle Shoals in some lyrics, but you may have NEVER EVER heard of this place and that’s ok. But if you love music, you’re gonna wanna pack your backs and make the trek. WE promise. It’s worth it!

Mentioned in this episode: 

• Dockery Farms Episode (Blues) - https://steelmagnoliaspodcast.com/episode/dockery-farms
• Muscle Shoals Documentary - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2492916/
• FAME STUDIO - https://famestudios.com/
• MUSCLE SHOALS SOUND - https://muscleshoalssoundstudio.org/
• The Swampers interview (2008) with Musicians Hall of Fame —  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QueguLfL--Q
• Huge thanks to Linda Hall (wife to the late Rick Hall) for giving us time and to both FAME and Muscle Shoals Sound for the tours!

 

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Museums of Dallas

Dallas has a vibrant arts scene that keep someone busy for days on end. Museums offer so much to explore from classes, films, lectures, and it really helps expand your horizons. The Dallas Arts District is just 6 miles from Love Field Airport (Southwest’s hub)! So let’s discuss several of the museums that we’ve visited in the Big D.

Mentioned in this episode: 

• Visit Dallas is a GREAT resource for you to use when planning: https://www.visitdallas.com
• Dallas Museum of Art (The Crown Jewel): https://dma.org
• The City Pass: https://www.citypass.com/dallas
• The George W. Bush Presidential Center: https://www.bushcenter.org
• Presidential Libraries in the South: https://steelmagnoliaspodcast.com/episode/presidential-libraries-of-the-south
• Nasher Sculpture Center: https://www.nashersculpturecenter.org
• Haas Brothers (sculptors): http://www.thehaasbrothers.com/
• Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza: https://www.jfk.org
• Perot Museum of Nature of Science: https://www.perotmuseum.org
• Reunion Tower Geo Deck: https://reuniontower.com
• Dallas World Aquarium: https://dwazoo.com

Steel Magnolias Podcast is an independent show funded solely on support from listeners like you and a few advertisers from time to time.

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For many, Memorial Day is the official start of summer, kicked off with a large parade and a celebration of the men and women who gave their lives so we could have the freedom to enjoy our own. But up until 1971, this day was simply known as "Decoration Day.” Join us at the table as we discuss this important tradition.

Mentioned on this episode:

• Would you consider financially supporting this show? Here’s where you can do that: (select recurring or one time) https://shorturl.at/dFwmz
• Pole and hooks to keep your flag from the gutter or getting wrapped around your pole on the house - https://amzn.to/4bGhNV8
• "Decoration Day in the Mountains: Traditions of Cemetery Decoration in the Southern Appalachians” - https://amzn.to/4bOLpjr
• “Southerners Throw the Best Funerals” previous Steel Magnolias Podcast episode: https://steelmagnoliaspodcast.com/episode/southerners-throw-the-best-funerals
• Honor fallen veterans this Memorial Day: https://createthegood.aarp.org/volunteer-ideas/memorial-day-help-veterans.html

Steel Magnolias Podcast is an independent show funded solely on support from listeners like you and a few advertisers from time to time.

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Louisiana is known as a “Sportsman‘s Paradise”, but due to its location, it has also seen more than its share of natural disasters from hurricanes. Join us at the table, to hear about a grassroots effort for sportsman and sports women to join forces in an effort to help their neighbors when disaster strikes.

After Hurricane Katrina in 2005 Todd Terrell, Founded the United Cajun Navy. Katrina brought about not just a need for supplies, but also a need for BOATS.

The United Cajun Navy is a 501(c)3 registered nonprofit organization out of Baton Rouge, LA focused on helping make the world around us a better place. Primarily, they organize search and rescue teams during natural disasters. It’s a simple but necessary effort: People using their own boats and trained to help out in desperate times. 

Them’s good people!

When anyone at the United Cajun Navy says ‘Neighbors’ they mean YOU. 

Connect with them at https://unitedcajunnavy.org

Or FACEBOOK- https://www.facebook.com/UNITEDCAJUNNAVY

Steel Magnolias Podcast is an independent show funded solely on support from listeners like you and a few advertisers from time to time.

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Located on the sea islands of South Carolina and Georgia are communities of people who are descendants of enslaved Africans. They have a unique culture that is directly linked to West Africa. In South Carolina, this group of African-Americans and the language they speak are referred to as Gullah, and in Georgia they are called Geechee. Many historians believe the word Gullah comes from Angola a West African country from which many of the slaves came. Another idea is that Gullah is from the Gola, a tribe from the border of Liberia and Sierra Leone West Africa, although the exact origin of the word is not known most historians agree that the Gulla people and their language have African roots us at the table as we discussed this piece of southern culture

Mentioned in this episode:

• Our interview with Lynette White of the Plantation Singers can be found as part of our Charleston episode on “Have Love, Will Travel” https://www.accessmore.com/pd/Have-Love-Will-Travel-

• Try Benne Crackers!

• We recommend Marsh Hen Mill for Carolina Gold Rice (or Grits!) You can order them online - https://marshhenmill.com

• Gullah Geechee Home Cooking: Recipes from the Matriarch of Edisto Island - Emily Meggett- https://amzn.to/3Uy1fHU

• Listen to the Southern Fork interview with Gullah Matriarch Emily Meggett- https://www.thesouthernfork.com/episodes/2022/5/6/emily-meggett-gullah-geechie-home-cooking-edisto-island-sc

• If you are visiting the Charleston area, look up "The Plantation Singers" schedule. At the time of this episode, they regularly play the Gospel Bruch on Sundays at Hall’s Chophouse. http://lowcountrymusicservice.com/the-plantation-singers

Steel Magnolias Podcast is an independent show funded solely on support from listeners like you and a few advertisers from time to time.

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If walls could talk, the Steel Magnolia Bed & Breakfast in Natchitoches would have hundreds of stories to tell. The home is located in Natchitoches, Louisiana where the writer of the play, Robert Darling, originally grew up. The 1989 film was shot here in this very small town and today the central home to this story is run as a bed & breakfast. 

Can you imagine Sally Field, Shirley McLaine, Julia Roberts, Olympia Dukakis, Dolly Parton and Daryl Hannah all coming to your very small town? 

Today, Natchitoches has a population less than 20,000. 

Named after a Native American tribe, Natchitoches (pronounced Nack-a-tish ) is the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase Territory. Since 1927, they have been home to one of the oldest community-based holiday celebrations in the country, and today their annual Christmas festival lasts 6 weeks! For more info: https://www.natchitocheschristmas.com/

Connect with the Steel Magnolia Bed & Breakfast: https://steelmagnoliahouse.net/

For reservations call: (318) 238-2585

Address for the home: 320 Rue Jefferson, Natchitoches, Louisiana

Mentioned in this episode: 

• Steel Magnolias episode: https://steelmagnoliaspodcast.com/episode/re-visit-steel-magnolias
• Lasoynes Meat Pies: http://lasyones.com/
• Paddle Wheeler River Boat: https://www.caneriverqueen.org/
• Mariner’s Restaurant (great spot to catch a sunset): https://www.marinersrestaurant.com/
• Schedule for Christmas Festival (lasts 6 weeks): https://www.natchitocheschristmas.com/schedule
• Visit Baton Rouge episode: https://steelmagnoliaspodcast.com/episode/visit-baton-rouge

Steel Magnolias Podcast is an independent show funded solely on support from listeners like you and a few advertisers from time to time.

Are you enjoying the show? We hope you’ll text a friend or loved one to tell them about this podcast. 

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We’re discussing the show that made country music famous! The Grand Ole Opry is the longest running radio show; turning 100 next year! With an ever changing lineup of musicians, each performance is broadcast to a global audience via WSM radio, SiriusXM and Circle. We got to sit down with our dear friend, Sean Dietrich to discuss his debut Opry experience, so join us at the table as we discuss the gem that still makes Music City grand.

Places to listen:

Circle, Facebook, YouTube, WSM and more!

Resources:

• Check out Ken Burns’ documentary “Country Music”
• Roy Acuff introduction that Lainie read on this episode is from the book, Nashville's Grand Ole Opry: The First Fifty Years 1925-1975

Sean Dietrich’s blogs about the Opry:

• Father’s Day in Nashville - https://seandietrich.com/fathers-day-in-nashville/
• He Played Fiddle - https://seandietrich.com/he-played-fiddle/
• Kid Stuff - https://seandietrich.com/kid-stuff/
• Grand - https://seandietrich.com/grand-ole-time/
• Nashville - https://seandietrich.com/nashville/

Steel Magnolias Podcast is an independent show funded solely on support from listeners like you and a few advertisers from time to time.

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