katielamarjackson

Three women–my sister, cousin and I–now co-own land that has been in our family for more than a century. Our fathers grew up on this land and, though he and his brother moved away decades ago, my father continued to manage it for more than 30 years after the death of their parents, always with […]

Barry Fleming is one of my favorite humans on the planet and this “Alabama People” feature, which came out in the September 2019 Alabama Living magazine, offers just a glimpse into the many reasons I adore this brilliant naturalist, artist and philosopher. You never know what Barry Fleming might be up to — spinning mud […]

This article ran in the June 2019 issue of Alabama Living magazine and sparked a great deal of conversation about protecting and enjoying fireflies. Turn off the outdoor lights and step into the dark this summer and you may find yourself in an enchanted landscape where hundreds, maybe even thousands, of fireflies—and perhaps a few […]

There’s nothing like a road trip, especially when you take it with friends who love books to visit an author whose writing and heart you adore. That’s the kind of trip members of my book group and I took to the Mississippi Gulf Coast earlier this month, an adventure hosted by our long-distance book group […]

It was early, that time of day before birds find their voices or vagrant dogs begin their morning rounds, when I rose from my childhood bed. I’d crawled into that bed the evening before, tired and looking forward to a rare sleepover at my parents’ house, but sleep had been elusive. Being in a place […]

It may not be obvious here since I am such a slacker about posting to this site, but I have been writing…writing furiously in fact. And it is glorious! The things I am writing? Some are articles–my beloved gardening column in Alabama Living magazine top among them–and some are books (I’ve published two in the last […]

Before my feet hit the floor this morning—the first day of 2019 AND the first day of January—I made sure to speak these three words aloud: “rabbit, rabbit, rabbit.” I heard about this monthly rite from the late Alabama storyteller, Katherine Tucker Windham, a woman who believed in ghosts, in the richness of tradition, and […]

A new year is approaching–rapidly! As in any day now…how did that happen? It’s true that the older one gets, the faster time seems to pass. And while I wish I could slow it down, I’m looking forward to a fresh start in 2019. I gave up making New Year’s resolutions years ago–they just seemed […]

I went out to my front porch last night just three minutes before midnight to listen to a rain storm move in. I had the house all to myself (if you don’t count the two dogs sleeping on the sofas inside) and, as always, that aloneness was freeing. There was no one here to care […]

     Back in June 2016 when my husband and I were making plans for a long weekend trip to the Mississippi Delta, we were trying to figure out just what to see and do on such a short visit. While it’s easy to find Delta tourist advice, we wanted authentic intelligence from someone who […]