Finding vision everywhere: Zaire Love earns M.F.A. degree

Written By Rebecca Lauck Cleary How can someone you’ve never met be an inspiration? Just ask Zaire Love, who defended her thesis April 29 for her M.F.A. in Documentary Expression degree. For her, the death of a musician in California influenced her work on a personal level in Mississippi Rapper, entrepreneur, and activist Nipsey Hussle

Hilary Word tackles post-soul supernatural and futuristic worlds

Second M.A. student defends her thesis remotely Written By Rebecca Lauck Cleary Southern Studies master’s student Hilary Word has been considering the supernatural and futuristic worlds through the lens of literature for years. Word’s thesis “Post-Soul Speculation: An Exploration of Afro-Southern Speculative Fiction,” looks at the genre of fiction that encompasses works where the setting

Olivia Terenzio Provides Transnational Perspective on the Relationships between Food, Nation, and Racial Formation

Congratulations to the first remote thesis defender  Written by Rebecca Lauck Cleary Rice and beans are staple foods for many cultures around the world. The combination makes up a complete protein, and is delicious and nutritious. Olivia Terenzio became interested in the subject of rice and beans after spending a few months in Brazil in

Reflections from the Field: Discovering International Memphis

Written by Simone Delerme “When I want to feel better, I drive down Summer Avenue. There I can see the past, present and future diversity and humanity of Memphis.” 1 I discovered Summer Avenue—a commercial district in Memphis, Tennessee—while working on an oral history project in 2016. I was interviewing Latino restaurant owners, workers, and

Film about Gaspar Yanga now available online

In the mountains of Veracruz from 1570 to 1609, a young African-born Gaspar Yanga led resistance against the Spanish and forced recognition of his group’s freedom, self-governance, and rights to the land. In the film “Imagine Freedom: Sounding Yanga’s Cry across Gulf Shores” Dolores Flores-Silva and Keith Cartwright address the legacy of this Maroon community

Living Blues magazine turns 50!

Today, Living Blues #266 (April/May 2020) publishes their special 50th Anniversary issue, and the largest issue in nearly a decade. For this issue they revisit 21 of the past cover artists to see where life and the blues have led them. The artists featured include Bobby Rush, Irma Thomas, Jimmy Johnson, Robert Cray, Lil’ Ed