In Issue No. 6 of The Bitter Magazine we’ve definitely turned up the volume.
In our biggest and best issue yet, music plays throughout, and we’re very happy about that. Headlining is the great Jason Isbell as our cover story, and Nashville queen Margo Price pens our “Letter from Home.” In “Jason Isbell is Walking Tall,” acclaimed novelist Taylor Brown interviews Jason, one of our very favorite artists and clearly one of the great writers of our time. Two writers talking about writing and empathy and life - it’s a gem of a story. Flipping through the pages, Wyatt Williams shares a beautiful meditation on Lucinda Williams (no relation). There’s the tale of Peter One, a former West African pop star who emigrated from the Ivory Coast 28 years ago, leaving music behind to become a nurse in the United States. Recently and miraculously, he was rediscovered and is now back onstage opening for artists like Jason Isbell. We share stories of electronic music pioneer Bob Moog and Atlanta’s lineage of Black composers. A roster of friends including Adeem the Artist, Shelby Lynne, Ruby Amanfu, BJ Barham, She Returns From War, and Lonnie Holley all share their favorite protest songs. In Issue No. 6 you’ll also find world-class poetry from Clint Smith, J. Drew Lanham, Reyes Ramirez, and Silas House. There are stories about Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, chefs on boats in Louisiana, lightning bugs in South Carolina, and kudzu, well, all over the damn place. We hope you love this issue as much as we do.
In Issue No. 5, New Orleanians Maurice Carlos Ruffin and Big Freedia talk about their hometown, the wisdom of mothers, and creating joy amid tough times. In our Letter From Home, Ann Patchett, author, bookstore owner, and National Humanities Medal recipient, gives powerful testimony to the importance of good books and good bookstores in our lives.
The writing of Michael Adno, Josina Guess, Cy Brown, and Gabrielle Calise brings the worlds of orchids, Valerie Boyd, Carolina dogs, and Cholitas Bravas to life. The incredible work of artists Celia D. Luna and Cedric Smith shines alongside the moving poetry of Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Kevin Young, and Maggie Smith.
When you become at least a Level 2 member, you’ll receive our 2023 annual magazine subscription — meaning you’ll receive this beautiful, Issue No. 5 as well as Issue No. 6 that publishes this fall.
Indie rockers at home, Vidalia onions in Georgia, birding in Alabama, paper maps in North Carolina, Katori Hall’s play-turned-television-show set in Mississippi — this lineup is wildly interesting.
Flip through these pages to find poetry from Anis Mojgani and Cole Schafer, stories from Shane Mitchell, Jennifer Kornegay, and Caroline Hatchett, and incredible photography from Virginia Hanusik, Audra Melton, Lynsey Weatherspoon, and the Do Good Fund. You’ll also hear from a resounding chorus of women in this issue: Liz Lambert, Wendy Davis, and Michelle Lanier, among others, issuing a call for us to support women, to fight the dangerous rollback of our rights, and to vote for equality in November. We believe these pieces are strong and important. Read them. Share them with your friends.Our cover? Oh, we’re big fans of Kevin Morby and Alabama native Katie Crutchfield. Team BS has followed them since the very beginnings of their careers. We’ve seen both Kevin and Katie — who performs as Waxahatchee — in the smallest of clubs, bought all their records, and loved watching them evolve and grow. Our newest member of the team, Hannah Hayes, flew to Kansas City to hang out with them in their new home for our story. We love Hannah’s inside look at how these artists have come together as a couple. This is a story about love and songwriting and making life work.
In our “Letter From Home,” Kentucky native Akilah Hughes pens a powerful address for the South to show up at the polls this November. A writer, comedian, podcaster, and actress living in Los Angeles, Akilah is the author of Obviously: Stories From My Timeline. As NPR once put it, Akilah “YouTubed her way out of a small town in Kentucky” to establish a national audience. She has since taken the world by storm, creating all kinds of content that often pays homage to her Southern upbringing and always makes us laugh and think.
Is that Killer Mike on our cover? Indeed, it is.
Inside Issue No. 3, writer Christina Lee and Michael “Killer Mike” Render go deep on generating from a place of love, mobilizing, music, and the sage advice he received from both his grandmother and the Dalai Lama. Photography duo Brinson + Banks shot this story, so it’s both gorgeous and a really great read. We learned a lot about Mike and think you will, too.
Our Letter From Home is written by one of our favorite fashion designers, Alabama’s own Natalie Chanin. We're honored to share her beautiful words and important reminder that “home is where you build it.” Rinne Allen’s images of Natalie under a glorious saucer magnolia tree are stunning.
Inside this magazine, you’ll find spectacular writing about insomnia, isolation, singer-songwriter S.G. Goodman’s articulation of longing, a very rare hibiscus grove, Polaroids, Houston hip-hop and Chinese chicken, and a very special buzzard. Also represented in Issue No. 3 are writers Jim Barger, Alana Dao, Silas House, Kelundra Smith, John Kessler, and rocker Chan Marshall (Cat Power). The work of artist Shanequa Gay brightens our pages and the poetry of Alabama's poet laureate Ashley Jones stirs our souls.
Issue No. 2 - Sold Out
Issue No. 1 - Sold Out