Queer South Rising

Queer South Rising: Voices of a Contested Place is a collection of essays about the South by people whoidentify as both Southern and queer. The collection's name hints at the provocative nature of its contents:placing Queer and South side-by-side challenges readers to think about each word differently. The idea thata queer South might rise undermines the Battle Cry of The South's Gonna rise Again! embedded in thecollective memory of a conservative South. This rising does not refer to a kind of Enlightenmenttranscendence where the region achieves some sort of distinctive prominence. It suggests instead ruptureslike furrows in a plowed field where seeds are sown. The rising Whitlock envisions is akin to breaking andturning over meanings of Southern place. The title further serves to remind readers of the complexities ofthe place as it calls into question notions of a universal homogenous LGBT queer identity. Queer SouthRising is the first truly interdisciplinary collection of essays on the South and queerness that deliberatelyaims for multiple approaches to the topics. This collection is intended for a wide audience of regularfolks. Essays explore multiple intersections of Southern place-religion politics sexuality raceeducation-that transcend regional boundaries. This book counters conventional scholarly texts; it invites all readers interested in the South and queerthemes to engage with the narratives it holds-and perhaps question their assumptions. Whitlock has sought in collecting these essays to seek out adiverse group of authors-across disciplines professions and interests-to shatter perceptions about a nostalgic romanticized Southern culture ingeneral.