mmmarilyn TUMBLS

February 27, 2012

"When people ask me to explain the South, I usually don’t have an answer beyond saying it’s too big, complex, and varied to pin down easily—or at all. If I’m asked about our editorial mission, I say it is to “explore the South,” which is meant to convey a few things, including that we don’t expect or claim to know everything about the South. Who can know everything about it? The South keeps changing and surprising even as it’s studied. … If Garden & Gun just stuck to its, well, Pistils & Pistols, and merely revealed, with freshened-up accuracy, which elite group it is that they serve (versus claiming that they speak for all), even my snarkiness would dissipate. Such directness on their part wouldn’t even have to be costly—or sweeping. It could be achieved with a tweaking of the motto that appears on every G&G cover. This motto debuted in 2007 as “21st Century Southern America.” Then it was changed to: “Soul of the New South.” Then it was changed to: “Soul of the South.” Change it one last time and the truth shall set us free. Change it to: “The Soul of the Old South."

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Oxford American editor Marc Smirnoff’s dismantling of Garden & Gun is totally cutting, totally smart and totally overdue. It makes me proud to be a Southerner as well as an OA contributor. (via rachael-maddux)

My favorite part:

We are hopeful that The Oxford American contributes to this discussion, to attempts to understand facets of the South. If it does, it does so by passing along “truthful glimpses”—or so I believe. If we do more at times, I’m glad. If we don’t, I’m not surprised. The effort of exploration, of trying to understand, is challenging and fascinating—and sufficiently rewarding.

(via brookehatfield)

2:34pm | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZcMDPyH85-mB

(Notes: 38)