SouthBound

This week on SouthBound, host Tommy Tomlinson talks to Alice Randall, who became the first Black woman with a writing credit on a #1 country song with Trisha Yearwood’s 1994 hit “XXXs and OOOs.” Randall has now written a memoir called “My Black Country” and it comes with a companion album of the same name.

This week on SouthBound, host Tommy Tomlinson talks to Kindred Motes, an Alabama native who works with nonprofits and small businesses to help them be more socially responsible. He also guides those companies to send money to places in the South that need it.

This week on SouthBound, host Tommy Tomlinson talks to Jason Kirk, whose novel “Hell Is a World Without You” draws from his experiences as a teenager in evangelical churches. We talk about how those churches shaped him, and what his beliefs are now.

Today's SouthBound podcast is a replay of host Tommy Tomlinson's conversation from summer 2023 with Tressie McMillan Cottom, a sociologist, author, columnist for the New York Times and recipient of the MacArthur “genius grant.” Their conversation ranges from the concept of whiteness in American life to the tragedy that shaped her life.

This week on SouthBound, host Tommy Tomlinson talks to Landon Bryant, the social media star known for his videos discussing the ways and words of the South. He used to be a Mississippi schoolteacher; now, he gets recognized at Disney World.

This week on SouthBound, host Tommy Tomlinson talks to author Rebecca Renner, whose new book is called “Gator Country.” It’s the amazing story of a Florida wildlife agent who went undercover to bust a ring of alligator poachers.

This week on SouthBound, host Tommy Tomlinson presents the Best of 2023 episode. We’re playing clips from favorite guests: Ben and Erin Napier, Robert Earl Keen, Bomani Jones, and many more. Come celebrate with us.

This week on SouthBound, host Tommy Tomlinson talks to Mississippi journalist Ellen Ann Fentress, who has two fascinating projects: her new memoir, called “The Steps We Take,” and her website documenting the history of segregation academies in the South.

This week on SouthBound, host Tommy Tomlinson talks to historian Johnny Smith, author of a new book called “Jumpman,” about Michael Jordan, and the dance he did regarding racial issues throughout his legendary NBA career and beyond.

This week on SouthBound, host Tommy Tomlinson talks to Max Marshall, author of the new book called “Among the Bros,” a wild and true story about a massive, multistate drug ring centered around fraternity members at the College of Charleston. The party felt like it would never end … until it did.

This week on SouthBound, host Tommy Tomlinson talks to Mike Chamberlain, a researcher at the University of Georgia who is an expert on wild turkeys. They talk about the changing landscape for wild turkeys, and how different they are from the Butterballs we have at Thanksgiving.

This week on SouthBound, we replay host Tommy Tomlinson's 2021 conversation with Ada Limón, who is a United States Poet Laureate and recent recipient of a MacArthur “genius grant.” They talk about a lot of things, but mostly about hope.

This week on SouthBound, host Tommy Tomlinson talks to Kate Medley, a photographer who spent years roaming the South to take pictures of gas station food, and the people and places that serve it. Her photos are collected in a new book called “Thank You Please Come Again.”

This week on SouthBound, host Tommy Tomlinson talks to Nat Glover, who in 1995 was elected sheriff of Jacksonville, Florida, becoming the first Black sheriff in Florida since Reconstruction. He’s written a new memoir about how he earned his way there, and about the terrifying moment that defined his childhood.

This week on SouthBound, host Tommy Tomlinson talks college football — and many other things — with Ryan Nanni, one of the hosts of the strange and wonderful podcast called the "Shutdown Fullcast." Among other things, they discuss whether Tommy owes any money to a basketball-playing dog.