tidbits, fragments, and ephemera 17

tidbits, fragments, and ephemera is a usually weekly but not always, sometimes substantial but not making any promises glimpse at some information and news related to Generation X in the Deep South.


Angry but don’t know why? According to USF, we are.

This “Generational Differences Chart” compiled by the University of South Florida features a column each for four American generations: Traditionalists, born before World War II; Boomers, 1945 - 1964; Generation X, 1965 - 1980; and Millenials, 1981 - 2000. Some of the observations are astute, like the fact that we largely took care of ourselves growing up and that we are anti-authority, but others are harder to figure out, like why they decided we’re “angry but don’t know why.”

“13 Things You’ll Remember If You Grew Up In Mississippi In The ’80s”

Whoever compiled this has little idea what children pay attention to. Although it is a list of things that happened in the 1980s in Mississippi, they’re probably of greater interest to someone who was an adult at that time.

“Nashville Then, January 1980” from The Tennesseean

This look back offers seventy images of Nashville and surrounding areas at the end of the ’70s / beginning of the ’80s.

“Snow in Gainesville?” from the Independent Florida Alligator student newspaper, 1977

From the “File Story” section of the website, this image of a newspaper story shows and describes a rare snow event in the northern Florida capitol city in January 1977.


level:deepsouth is an online anthology about growing up Generation X in the Deep South during the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s. The anthology is open to submissions of creative nonfiction (essays, memoirs, and reviews) and images (photos and flyers), as well as to contributions for the lists.

Seeking submissions of… (festivals)

The editor is seeking submissions of writing and/or images on Southern music and cultural festivals, especially works about attending one of Deep Southern shows from Lollapalooza in the early ’90s or Lillith Fair in the late ’90s. Other large regional festivals would include:

City Stages in Birmingham, Alabama
June Jam in Fort Payne, Alabama
Georgia Music Festival in Atlanta, Georgia
Jazz & Heritage Festival in New Orleans, Louisiana

Some of these listed above went on after the year 2000, and some continue today, but for level:deepsouth, submissions should be about experiences from the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s. Smaller local festivals would include:

Possum Trot Festival in Pinewood, South Carolina
Forked Deer Festival in Jackson, Tennessee
Natchez Trace Festival in Kosciusko, Mississippi

If you have a firsthand story to tell or photos to share, check out the submission guidelines for how to go about sending them in.

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