When surfing the Internet, treat yourself to a Southern delight by kicking off your shoes and wading in the Swampland.
Swampland.com is a Web site begun by Jim Markel, an Orlando, Fla., man with Athens connections. He is the great-grandson-in-law of the late Jim and Dewease Beasley, having married their granddaughter, SuSu Day.
So when Markel established Swampland as a Web site for all cultures of the South, he made sure the chunk of the South on which Athens and Limestone County sits was featured prominently.
In 2007, retired Athens State University professor of English Penne Laubenthal became a contributing writer for Swampland. Laubenthal writes under the “River Vue” heading.
“I concentrate on Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi and they have other writers to handle the other states,” said Laubenthal. “What I primarily want to do is promote the arts and tourism.”
However, other headings on the site cover sports — especially football — so large a part of Southern culture. There are also sections on the Southern roots of music, art and architecture.
“I’m getting ready to do a series on Johnny Mercer on the 100th anniversary of his birth,” she said. “I’m kind of stepping into Georgia’s territory by going to Savannah, but they said they didn’t care.”
Laubenthal has done several pieces on Paxton Mobley, a California artist with Athens roots whose works are available at Pablo’s on Market.
“I recently did a review of a collection of short stories by Anita Garner of UNA, ‘“Undeniable Truths,”’ she said.
She has also reviewed poet Jeanne Thompson’s collection of poems, “The Seasons Bear Us,” and News Courier Managing Editor Kelly Kazek’s collection of columns, “Fairly Odd Mother.”
Laubenthal has also reviewed the George Lindsey Film Festival at UNA, Athens’ first film festival, “Southern Shorts,” movies, restaurants, music, folk festivals and the Alabama Writers Forum. She also helped judge the four-week Pat Conroy essay contest, which gave as prizes 15 first editions of Conroy’s latest novel, “South of Broad.”
“The great thing about Swampland is you get to see works from not just one perspective,” she said.
Local News
November 10, 2009
Web site celebrates Southern culture
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