Southword
Southword is a multimedia collaboration between Oxford American magazine and NPR, spotlighting the people, places and trends shaping the American South.
The Highwaymen: Segregation And Speed-Painting In The Sunshine State
()Today, their paintings hang in the White House. But in the 1960s, they sold them, often still wet, from the trunks of their cars.
The Newest Magazine Fad: The Mug Shot Tabloid
()But law enforcement says the papers showing who is arrested every week don't help solve crimes.
Mississippi Losing The War With Obesity
()The problem is most pronounced in Holmes County in the Delta, where 4 out of 10 people are obese.
Coming Home — And Out — In The South()
January 1, 2013 There's no way to really generalize what it's like to be gay in the South. But to get an idea, we spent a day with Chad Griffin — the newest president of a Washington-based gay rights group — as he spent his first day on the job in his hometown of Arkadelphia, Ark.
Meet Al Black: Florida's Prison Painter()
July 5, 2012 When the officials at a Florida prison realized who Al Black was, they gave him a paintbrush and the walls as a canvas.
Art, Race And Murder: Meet Florida's 'Highwaymen'()
July 4, 2012 They are credited with churning out some 200,000 landscape paintings in the area of Fort Pierce, Fla., since the 1960s. And a teenager named Alfred Hair was the mastermind behind the whole operation.
The Picture Show
The Visual South, Part V: Personal Portraits()
May 11, 2012 The last installment of a weeklong look at up-and-coming photographers in the South.
The Picture Show
The Visual South, Part IV: Getting Lost In Mississippi()
May 10, 2012 For an enclave of communities in western Mississippi, rich cultural roots don't always translate to prosperity. The history is storied, the times are tough, and life goes on.
The Picture Show
The Visual South, Part III: Tourist Towns()
May 9, 2012 Photographer Tammy Mercure has a humorous take on everything the Great Smoky Mountains have to offer — in case natural beauty isn't enough.
The Picture Show
The Visual South, Part II: Photography Is Like Chicken()
May 8, 2012 To extend the cooking analogy, Frank Hamrick's photos are like a long, slow roast.
The Picture Show
The Visual South, Part I: Unseen Scenes Of Guantanamo()
May 7, 2012 North Carolina photographer Christopher Sims has been to Guantanamo Bay twice to capture the things he thinks are overlooked.
The Picture Show
In The Delta, King Cotton Dethroned?()
January 18, 2012 Photographer Kathleen Robbins went back to her home in the Mississippi Delta to answer a question: Who's still farming cotton?
The Picture Show
Looking Back At Early Arkansas Mug Shots()
November 23, 2011 Mug shot newspapers might be a new fad. But before photos went digital, prisoner portraits were thrust into drawers, many to be forgotten.
