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Best of 2024 Commentaries (Part 2 of 2)
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As the year comes to a close, we bring you this special episode of Salvation South, where we take a look back on our most popular commentaries aired by GPB Radio in 2024. (Part 2 of 2).
I’m Chuck Reece, editor of SalvationSouth.com and host of the Salvation South podcast from Georgia Public Broadcasting. This is the 2nd part of a special two-part episode where we look back on our most popular commentaries aired by GPB radio in 2024.
To set up this next commentary, I need to ask a question.
Have you ever eaten leatherbritches? Some of you will know exactly what I’m talking about. And some will wonder if I’m asking if you’ve ever eaten a pair of pants. I am not. This next commentary will tell you exactly what I mean.
Commentary: Have You Ever Eaten Leatherbritches? (from February 2024)
That treatise on leatherbritches was from back in February.
In May of this year, we were marking the beginning of National Teacher Appreciation Week. During this annual celebration, we pay tribute to teachers who make a difference in our lives. And we remind those in power how important teachers are to the future of our nation. In this commentary, I share a memory of a teacher who helped me find magic in the written word.
Commentary: Teach Your Children (from May 2024)
We’re looking back on our most popular commentaries aired by GPB radio in 2024. This next one is called “How to Tell A Story”
Many of us could look back at our lives and be astonished at how much time we had spent reading. Hours. Weeks. Even years, for some of us. But fewer people set out to write a story that others might want to read. In this commentary, I give a few tips on how to give writing a try.
Commentary: How to Tell A Story (from May 2024)
This next commentary is one of the most important ones we did all year.
Much of today’s political news is filled with discussion and debate about immigration. Which people are coming to America? Which should be permitted to come? And how many should be permitted? The discussion goes on every day. I wondered, can immigration and Southern hospitality live in the same community? I happen to live in a place where it actually does.
Commentary: Taking Refuge in Clarkston (from July 2024)
We’re just about wrapped up on looking back at our most popular Salvation South commentaries from 2024.
This last one involves a truly iconic Southern food. Grits.
Back in April, thousands of people once again flocked to the tiny town of Warwick, Georgia for the annual National Grits Festival. The festival celebrates the importance of a food that has nourished millions of Southerners. At the festival, cooks compete for the best dish—savory or sweet—made with grits. But there is one more competition, and the entrants don’t even need to know how to boil water.
Commentary: A Truckload of Grits (from April 2024)
And that concludes our year end Salvation South commentary retrospective.
We sure are glad you chose to listen this year, and we are cooking up some great stories for 2025.
That includes monthly installments of Salvation South Deluxe, our series of longer episodes that tell deeper stories of the Southern experience through the unique voices of the people who live in this place — or who love it from afar. Be sure to listen and subscribe to Salvation South at gpb.org/podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts, and as always come visit us at SalvationSouth.com
I’m Chuck Reece. I appreciate you listening.
Salvation South editor Chuck Reece comments on Southern culture and values in a weekly segment that airs Fridays at 7:45 a.m. during Morning Edition and 4:44 p.m. during All Things Considered on GPB Radio. Salvation South Deluxe is a series of longer Salvation South episodes which tell deeper stories of the Southern experience through the unique voices that live it. You can also find them here at GPB.org/Salvation-South and wherever you get your podcasts.