Discussed: the state of the South, tapping into familial lineage, loving a place from afar, why it matters that you know your roots, and the importance of poetry in a divided world.

Discussed: Texas and the American South, decay of both the body and planet, the tensions of distance, responsibility to the places we inhabit, and the poet as witness bearer.

Discussed: environmental disaster, legal justice in rural spaces, going up against the Man, responsibility and community care, and the role of the storyteller in cultivating change.

Discussed: rural authenticity, democratic politics in red spaces, the necessity of the arts to re-imagine our political and social futures, and the Harris/Walz Realtree hat.