At a talk at the Center for the Study of the American South last week, Chuck Reece, editor of The Bitter Southerner, put up a split-screen slide.
On one side was a picture of the cover of Southern Living, complete with an impeccably decorated grand front porch, top 10 perfect pie recipes, and tips for having the prettiest flower garden.
On the other was a picture of Honey Boo Boo.
Reece explained that he started The Bitter Southerner because the South is generally portrayed in one of two ways: The Polite South and The Pitiful South. The Bitter Southerner is a thoughtfully curated online magazine that strives to fill the great big expanse between these two stereotypes by publishing “One great story from the south every week.”
As storytellers, we’re loving The Bitter Southerner’s commitment to long-form storytelling that gives context to snapshots of the South. Check out Jenna Strucko’s banjo piece, for starters. It’s a cross between an introduction to the Carolina Chocolate Drops and an entertaining and smart music history lesson that will make you listen to Mumford and Sons a little differently.
The one-a-week model (new stories are released every Tuesday) makes The Bitter Southerner something to look forward to, instead of something to mindlessly check and scroll through. As someone who often finds herself overwhelmed and uninterested by the flood of content available on most online publications, I welcome and appreciate this model.