I’d long been fascinated by the tale of Naomi Wise, murdered by her lover in a river near my hometown. In 2021, No Depression magazine gave me the opportunity to explore this legend that’s become an iconic American folk ballad, covered by artists ranging from Doc Watson to Bob Dylan.
‘Leaving Eden’: A Story of Music, Race, and Old Endings in an Old Southern Mill Town
Leaving Eden tells the story of countless small towns across the South since the days of slavery.
High school senior promotes free speech in Randolph County with a “Banned book read-off”
I’ve spent the past two days in my hometown of Asheboro, North Carolina, talking to residents in the small Randolph County community about books — […]
Critical Race Theory: School board reverses ‘Invisible Man’ ban, but education still threatened
If you don’t think race played a role in the banning of Invisible Man from a rural county school system in the Piedmont area of […]
Open Letter to the Randolph County Board of “Education”
Earlier this morning, I sent the following letter to the Randolph County Board of “Education.” For those who haven’t read the news, this board voted to ban […]