![Detail from "The Severe Teacher," by Jan Steen.](https://theamericanmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/article_5147_1gezp0cx2Z.jpg)
With love, Mr. Carroll
A teacher, learning of the death of an admired former pupil, has some words to say.
![In 2005, the band recorded Chulahoma, a seven-track tribute to bluesman Junior Kimbrough.](https://theamericanmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/article_5112_tM2hUdNO6s.jpg)
Questions of authenticity
Determining what is culturally sensitive and appropriate can mean entering a minefield.
![Dorsey was a regular on Bowie's swings.](https://theamericanmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/article_5073_OFaxpG3DTA.jpg)
Oddities beware
After David Bowie's death, notes on how the American South and his legacy remain at odds.
![Here's someone who'll finally do the dirty work…](https://theamericanmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/article_5033_qamyj1dCcV.jpg)
Chickens n’ pigs
If you think Donald Trump's Muslim views are offensive, consider some Mississippi realities.
![The island is a nature wonderland, rich in bird and fish species.](https://theamericanmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/article_4991_K0vGUqmH3F.jpg)
Life on the Mississippi
A trip to Buck Island brings you face-to-face with the old Mississippi, and the words of Mark Twain.
![Daughter of a Sienese baker.](https://theamericanmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/article_4964_mPYyrMuA.jpg)
Body heat
Raphael's "La Fornarina" remains a lasting artistic testimonial to the power of erotic love.
![Water Valley, Mississippi folklore still includes the doings of the witch.](https://theamericanmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/article_4952_lgf6jpFP5Z.jpg)
The unmarked
An trip down memory lane on a Halloween night in Mississippi can lead to witches, and worse.
![Mississippi has unenviable census numbers.](https://theamericanmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/article_4916_ze.jpg)
A state of doubt
Living in Mississippi means getting used to raised eyebrows and friends who want you to leave.
![The Baedeker was synonymous with tour guide for two centuries.](https://theamericanmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/article_4917_sZWoV4qCeE.jpg)
Bologna, inside out
Two Italian authors take a crack at a city guide in the tradition of the 19th-century Baedeker.
![A sense of purpose and family, best expressed through food.](https://theamericanmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/article_4878_PkLpJIQlex.jpg)
The hunger
Grilling out in the American South has a greater purpose that extends well beyond food.
![Best friends and also rivals.](https://theamericanmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/article_4876_53TrbyOqPn.jpg)
Gore and the Glorious Bird
Gore Vidal and Tennessee Williams blossomed as friends when the two traveled in Italy.