HeyJaredThe Last Free-Range Kid: Stories from the South™
I grew up in the South during the era of free-range children, where baseball, bikes, and Slurpees shaped most of my boyhood summers. These days, I write about memory, family, and the small Southern stories that still manage to say something big.
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 13
- Latest publication
- Sep 27, 2026
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- Earliest in this view
- Aug 9, 2026
Latest issues
Playlist of the Week: You Know His Brother (opens the original)
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This week’s playlist is built around a fairly simple idea:Artists who have more famous siblings.And, to be fair, some of these songs aren’t that great.Some of the bands you’ve never heard of before.But that’s part of the fun.Because every now and then, you run across a song you know — maybe even one you really like — and discover that the person who made it has a sibling you know much better.Take “Tuff Enuff” by The Fabulous Thunderbirds.The band was co-founded by Jimmie Vaughan, older brother o
Somehow, We Have Cats (opens the original)
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Playlist of the Week: Carry the Fire (opens the original)
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I’ve been thinking about The Road lately.Not in the dark, end-of-the-world way. I’m not walking around expecting civilization to collapse before supper.It’s something simpler than that.There’s a part of Cormac McCarthy’s story that has stuck with me — the idea that sometimes you keep moving without any guarantee that the road is going to get better. You carry the fire. You stay one of the good guys. You do what you can for the person walking beside you.That feels pretty close to life some days.I
I Can’t Hear Grandaddy’s Voice (opens the original)
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Playlist of the Week: I Bet They Wish They Could Take It Back (opens the original)
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Normally, my Playlist of the Week consists of songs I’ve actually been listening to over the past few days.This week, we’re doing something different.These are songs I probably won’t be listening to. In fact, when they come up in the stream, there’s a pretty good chance I’ll be reaching for the skip button.I’m calling this week’s playlist “I Bet They Wish They Could Take It Back.”These are songs that the artists probably wish they’d never made.And if they’re perfectly happy with the songs, well,
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