When it comes to bohemian art scenes and creative subcultures, the South has often been overshadowed – or sometimes even dismissed – in favor of metropolitan areas like New York or San Francisco. But a new book seeks to highlight the creative thinkers and diverse art scenes that influenced culture in the South, as well as those that permeated into the art, literary, and food scenes in northern states.
“The Bohemian South: Creating Countercultures, from Poe to Punk” (UNC Press/2017) is a collection of essays that delves into the world of these off-center cultures. The book also explores how these Southern subcultures are sometimes pitted against the mainstream for financial gain. Host Frank Stasio speaks with co-editors and contributors Shawn Chandler Bingham and Lindsey Freemen about the continued need to examine and promote nuanced stories from the South.
Chandler Bingham is Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs of the Honors College and professor of sociology at the University of South Florida. Freemen is a professor of sociology at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada.