About South Today

South Today is an independent, English-language digital gazette about the modern American South. We are interested in the energy, rhythm, foodways and stories of a region that is too often flattened into a single accent or a single memory. The South we write about is a place of busy kitchens, crowded porches, loud rooms, quiet rivers, and cities that keep reinventing themselves while holding on to what matters.

This site is a launch edition. That is worth saying plainly: the stories you will find here are illustrative scenarios, written to show what South Today is meant to be. They are not reported news, and the people described in them are fictional or described only by role.

What we cover

Our coverage follows a handful of threads that run through the region.

• Food and culinary heritage, from home kitchens to the dishes that shaped a place.
• Music and culture, including the rooms, scenes and sounds that carry a city.
• Craft and design, from workshops to porches to the way a building catches light.
• Landscapes and the outdoors, from the Gulf coast to the Appalachian ridgelines.
• City life across seven dispatch desks: Atlanta, Charleston, Austin, Nashville, New Orleans, Savannah and Appalachia.

The dispatch desks are a planned way of organizing our coverage by place. They are not staffed offices, and we do not claim a physical presence in any of these cities.

How the site works

South Today is a static website. There is no login, no payment system and no advertising. You can browse every story freely, and a few conveniences are stored only in your own browser: stories you save, your light or dark theme choice, and, if you type one in, a newsletter address.

You can find stories through the category pages, or use the search page to look by keyword. RSS feeds are listed on the feeds page for readers who prefer to follow along in their own reader. Each story is meant to be readable in a few minutes, with key takeaways up top and a clear closing section.

What is not here yet

Several things you might expect from a news site do not exist yet, and we would rather say so than imply otherwise. South Today Radio audio has not been released. The newsletters are planned but not sending. There are no paid memberships and no comment sections. Our pages for fellowships, audio and newsletters describe these plans honestly.

Get in touch

Questions can go to [email protected]. Story pitches go to [email protected], and corrections to [email protected]. Our editorial standards page explains how we think about sourcing, labelling and respect for the communities we write about. We are glad you are here, and we hope the launch edition gives you a clear sense of where we are headed.