Southbound Story & Conversation Hour Presented by IACP

Because the best thing served at a food festival isn't always on the plate. Sometimes it's the story behind it.
About this Event

Southbound Story & Conversation Hour
Presented by IACP

Because the best thing served at a food festival isn't always on the plate. Sometimes it's the story behind it.

Between Southbound's two festival weekends, IACP presents Southbound Story & Conversation Hour—five evenings of cocktails, conversation, and unforgettable stories from some of the South's most compelling food voices.

Join us Monday–Friday in special Birmingham settings for one remarkable storyteller each evening. They'll share a story, then open the conversation. No panels. No PowerPoints. Just a drink, a great story, and a chance to hear—and talk with—people who have something wonderful to share.

Featuring: John Archibald
In conversation with Glenny Brock, Alabama Writers' Forum

5:00 p.m. Gathering + Story + Conversation
6:00 p.m. Goodbyes

One more reason to linger in Birmingham between Southbound's big festival weekends.

Come for the food. Stay for the stories.

About John Archibald

John Archibald has been a journalist in the South for more than 35 years. He is a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and a voice of the deep South and what that place means to America.

Archibald is the author of the critically acclaimed memoir Shaking the Gates of Hell: A Search for Family and Truth in the Wake of the Civil Rights Revolution, published by Alfred A. Knopf in 2021.

He was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University in 2020–2021, and was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. The Pulitzer jury described his columns as lyrical, courageous, and rooted in Alabama while carrying national resonance—scrutinizing corrupt politicians, championing the rights of women, and calling out hypocrisy.