The Southerner is a general-interest magazine online with a regional cultural thematic backdrop and a global audience. We cover everything from Southern politics to culture, science, health and the environment, commerce, and of course, food and travel.

The Idea

The idea for a general-interest magazine for the South is not new. At least three magazines have flown under the Southern Magazine banner during the past 100 years. We take our inspiration from several sources, first and foremost the version put out by the Arkansas Writer's Project from 1986 to1989.

During the past few years, the potential of the Internet to break down publishing barriers, not to mention costs, has become obvious. We've designed what we are calling "a magazine online" so that you don't have to read it on the screen. You can print it out and carry it around with you just like any other magazine. And, perhaps best of all, it's absolutely free to readers anywhere on the planet with a computer and a modem.

The Name and Committment to Excellence

We chose the name The Southerner to honor one of our models, The New Yorker. We also draw from the adventure travel and environmental writing of Outside magazine, with a touch of Mother Jones. But we're insisting on the editorial scrutiny of the New York Times and striving for National Geographic's attention to detail.

Departments

In Southern Culture, we cover everything from the latest trends in folk art to the architecture of livable cities, to the latest Southern literature, music, etc. In Essays, we publish everything from humorous columns to serious policy arguments. In R & R, we take you deep into moral controversies such as legalized gambling, and to off-the-beaten-path phenomena such as: Hockey in the Deep South?

Southerners do play critical roles in science everywhere, from the NASA Space Flight Center staff in Huntsville, to Alabama native E.O. Wilson's leadership role in zoology, sociobiology and biodiversity science at Harvard. That and more is what we will cover in Lab & Field. Lest we forget, there's no place in the world to find better blues and barbecue than the Southland, so reserve your table in Bar and Grill. In Secret Vistas, we hope to tap into people's desire to travel to scenic places. We expect readers will want to reveal to us their own vistas in the Discourse department, a cross between a traditional letters section and a place for interactive dialogue.