Dedicated to celebrating the beauty, character, culture and heritage of the American South, Southern Edition brings to you the sights, sounds, tastes and hospitality for which the region is known.
Pull up a chair and sit a spell . . . and visit often!
With departments devoted to general interest stories, interviews, travel, food, gardening, history, books and humor, Southern Edition is sure to offer something of interest to everyone. Take a few minutes to explore the site or check out one of the popular articles below:
"$700 for a Bird?"
Southern Edition editor Greg Freeman relates a funny pet shopping experience from his boyhood!
The Legacy of Rev. Cleavant Derricks
Includes conversations with Bill Gaither and Don Butler, a charter member of the Gospel Music Association and founder of the legendary Sons of Song!
Selected Videos from External Sources
Roger Ogden discusses Newcomb pottery and southern art
In this video, Roger Ogden, the founding collector of New Orleans' Ogden Museum of Southern Art, discusses the Crescent City, Newcomb College pottery and the allure of southern art. Some of you might recall reading in my
New Orleans travel piece about the Newcomb vase that sold for $108,400 at auction in November 2006. The story behind Newcomb pottery is quite interesting, and the rarer pieces are coveted by collectors and art investors.
Greg Freeman
Southern Edition Audio
Now you can listen to some of my own songs. I have been privileged to co-write with some great gospel songwriters and share my music with both church and television audiences. Music lovers can also sample material from some of my friends in the music business (such as Tugalo Holler) as well as enjoy folk, blues and gospel recordings of yesterday. As you take this trip down memory lane, you are sure to enjoy the selection that includes folklorist and novelist Zora Neale Hurston (of Their Eyes Were Watching God fame), blues guitarist Johnny Brown and Florida's Antioch Junior Choir.
Greg Freeman
(To browse the catalogue of songs, click onto the box or downward-pointing arrow to the right of "Choose a category" and use the up and down arrows to find songs you wish to click onto.)
Georgia Traveler Visits the Wren's Nest
In this video, Georgia Public Broadcasting's
Georgia Traveler visits Wren's Nest, the home of Joel Chandler Harris (1845-1908), the author who brought us the Uncle Remus folktales. I discuss Harris's "Free Joe and the Rest of the World" in my seemingly obscure article, "Treasure Amid the Dusty Covers and Musty Pages" (see
Cotton States Archive). Numerous authors, ranging from Zora Neale Hurston and William Faulkner to Flannery O'Connor and Toni Morrison, have credited Harris as an influence.
Greg Freeman
The Latest from Greg Freeman
News
November 14, 2011 - I was privileged to speak to the Walhalla Rotary Club in my hometown about how mentors have impacted me and why we should invest in others.
September 28, 2011 - I was a guest on Atlanta Live, a two-hour long variety program at WATC TV 57 in Atlanta. The episode was hosted by Rick Goins. I sang six songs, including two self-penned numbers. George Allgood did an excellent job accompanying me on three songs. Atlanta Live is seen throughout the metro Atlanta area as well as nationally on the NRB network.
July 13, 2011 - I appeared on Nite Line, the live prime time variety show of WGGS TV 16 in Greenville, South Carolina. I was interviewed by hosts Rev. Bill and Evangelist Ann Critser, and performed six songs. My good friend, George Allgood, accompanied me on several selections.
May 24, 2011 - The African American National Biography published my biographies of blues legend Johnny Shines, Charleston blacksmith/metal artist Philip Simmons and professional football player/recording executive J. Mayo "Ink" Williams. The AANB is published by Harvard University's W.E.B. DuBois Institute and Oxford University Press, and is co-edited by Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham.
May 17, 2011 - Babbie Mason and I penned "See You At the House," a song we believe is a strong southern gospel pitch.
April 18, 2011 - Babbie Mason and I added the finishing touches to our composition, "Look At Me Now."
March 26, 2011 - At the American Daffodil Society Southeastern Regional Show in Knoxville on the beautiful University of Tennessee campus, my four entries won a first, two seconds and an Honorable Mention. I was very excited that my first place-winning 'Coobar' was a contender for Best in Show. Though it did not win the top award, I was thrilled to have two consecutive shows in which one of my daffodils was under consideration for Best Bloom.
March 19, 2011 - Among my fourteen entries at the Georgia Daffodil Society Show in Roswell (suburban Atlanta), I won three firsts, four seconds and a third. My winner, 'Hot Gossip', was also awarded the Gold Ribbon for Best in Show!
Projects in the Works
September 29, 2011 - Check back for some exciting articles coming up. As promised earlier in the year, I will be publishing some exciting interviews. Recently, actor Jesse James talked with Southern Edition about his role in The Last Ride, Benjy Gaither's film about Hank Williams' last three days. Additionally, I will be featuring a separate interview with Benjy. So be sure to drop by within the next two to three weeks for these stories. Better yet, connect with me or join the SouthernEdition.com Social Network on Facebook, and you will be the very first to know about the latest news at Southern Edition.
April 4, 2011 - In addition to gearing up for more positive changes to Southern Edition, I am planning to publish articles on topics as diverse as James Agee and antique roses. And I hope to secure several important interviews later this year to coincide with certain events.
Currently, I am writing a book proposal and working on some rather personal (and hopefully artful and well-crafted!) essays that I will be submitting to various literary magazines. And I plan to begin work on a recording project later this summer, if I can manage to raise the funds!
God has blessed me with all sorts of creativity, and He continues to amaze me with open doors I could have never envisioned. Through my singing, songwriting, articles, photographs and even my attempts at drawing, painting and sculpting, the Lord has allowed me to view creation.....humanity and my own frailty, in particular.....in a different light, and I have learned to see beauty all around me, find importance in the seemingly insignificant things and recognize the hand of God at work in my life each time He allows me to lift my voice to sing, pick up a pen to write a song, sit down at my keyboard to type an article or shape a piece of lifeless clay.
A word from Greg Freeman...
Thank you for visiting Southern Edition.
Comprised of departments devoted to general interests, travel, food, gardening, history, books and humor, this publication is easily navigated and capable of providing hours of reading pleasure.
Several factors prompted me to begin publishing Southern Edition in May 2006. First of all, I discovered that some of the topics about which I wished to write were of little or no interest to most so-called regional periodicals. Additionally, two Atlanta Journal-Constitution articles---"Blacks wear Southern label with pride" and "Old South's distinction melts away"---appeared on December 29, 2005, reminding me that change, both positive and negative, is inevitable and some desirable elements of the American South are fading fast.
Less prevalent are the South's distinctive accents and cultural nuances. Our major cities are increasingly occupied by transients. And many of our communities have experienced such an influx of outside influences that entire neighborhoods now merely resemble snapshots of the Hamptons or the Jersey shore. Nonetheless, a great deal of the region's character and intrigue remains intact, and there is much to preserve and share. Historically, the South has indelibly impacted American culture, and the region is not to be underestimated today.
As a writer who is passionate about the South, it is to my advantage that so many others possess my level of enthusiasm. I am aware that my readers have included best-selling authors, Grammy Award-winning recording artists, legislators, prominent businessmen, professors, radio personalities, television producers, ministers, teachers and, to my delight, inquisitive college, high school and middle school students. Could I have envisioned this reception years ago when other publications might have rejected what have become some of my most popular articles? Certainly not. Am I discovering my niche? Hopefully so. Only time will tell.
Meanwhile, I am grateful for your time spent poring over the pages of Southern Edition. The good word of my readers has been my greatest source of promotion, and today my monthly page views number well into the thousands. If you enjoy a story, by all means, please take advantage of the share buttons that accompany each article and conveniently recommend it to family and friends from your own e-mail, Facebook, MySpace or Twitter account. Lastly, your feedback and suggestions are always welcomed, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely yours,
Greg Freeman
Editor, Southern Edition
editor@southernedition.com
Greg Freeman's entry, 'Hot Gossip', winning the Gold Ribbon for Best in Show at the 2011 Georgia Daffodil Society Show
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