Encyclopedia of Southern Life and Change (1983)

This issue commemorates the tenth anniversary of the birth of Southern Exposure. You can tell what kind of magazine we've been by the collection of excerpts gathered here, in alphabetical Anniversary order, from the more than 700 articles we've published since May, 1973. Some of the selections are funny. Some are deadly serious. Some are filled with numbers. Others are the voices of the plain people who populate this region and who speak the plain truth.

In ten years, these articles have taught us a great deal about ourselves, our place on this planet, our past and future, our responsibilities as citizens and as human beings. Southern Exposure began quite simply as a means for progressive people across the South to share information so they could think better, act more effectively, and gain a richer sense of their collective identity and mission (see page 176). The lessons and emotions and creativity that people have shared with one another through these pages remain, even after a decade, both inspiring and instructive; and if you are not already a subscriber, we invite you to join us now in this ongoing learning-leading-listening exchange.