Going In-Depth on Southern Music, Food, Drink, and Hustle

/ The Bitter Southerner/

By Chuck Reece
Editor-in-chief

Howdy. The Bitter Southerner is happy this week to expand the number of stories we tell you. Starting today, we will publish columns that bring new expertise and sharp opinions from some great storytellers to you every Monday and Friday.

Our columnists will focus on four areas, all of which are damned important to Bitter Southerners.

Southern Hustle / Debuts Today

This column will come from Holly Beilin, Muriel Vega and other contributors to Hypepotamus, the feisty website that's been covering Atlanta’s innovative tech and creative communities for several years. They will help us look all over the South for answers to the big question: Do the dreams of entrepreneurs come to fruition only in New York or Silicon Valley? We think not, and we'll tell you why. Southern Hustle will bring you tales of the founders, technologists, investors, and startup champions who call the South home. 

Southern Music / Debuts Friday

I’ll be taking turns writing our Southern Music column with Dr. Joycelyn Wilson, one of the nation’s leading scholars on hip-hop culture. Joyce and I both believe in the power of Southern music, but we come at the subject from different perspectives. Joyce grew up in Atlanta on beats and rhymes; I grew up in Appalachia on twangs and whines. We believe that by having conversations with each other, we’re going to stake out even more of the common ground that black and white Southern music have always shared.  

Southern Food / Debuts March 27 

Nicole Taylor, author of “The Up South Cookbook: Chasing Dixie in a Brooklyn Kitchen” and creator of the “Hot Grease” podcast. Nicole grew up in Athens, Georgia, and now lives in Brooklyn. She tells brilliant stories about the South through its food. Bonus: Nicole will deliver many of her columns in audio form.

Southern Drinking / Debuts March 31

Of course, The Bitter Southerner will offer a distinctive and opinionated take on how we drink in the South. We've got two great writers set to take turns whetting your palates for new libations (and the best of the old ones, too). Birmingham's Clair McLafferty, author of "The Classic & Craft Cocktail Recipe Book: The Definitive Guide to Mixing Perfect Cocktails from Aviation to Zombie," will cover the cocktails-and-spirits side of the drinking world. Atlanta's Bob Townsend, editor of the longstanding Southern Brew News, will get you hip to everything that's going on among Southern breweries.