o state the obvious, the American South is expansive. By the definition of , it spreads from South Florida—where I am from and live today—north to Maryland and West Virginia and stretches past the Mississippi river as far west as Arkansas and Louisiana. Though a small sample, the selection of works in this issue begins to give a sense of the immeasurable array of experiences, perspectives, and creative practices that makes up the South. While, broadly speaking, the works can be characterized by the classic and perennial
