An Invitation
Southern Writers Guild
Over the past several months, I’ve been trading pages with two writers—MJ Polk and primalbeet. We started reading each other’s words, talking things through, nudging one another toward better work. And it was good, the way real creative connection sometimes is.
Out of all that, the three of us have started something called the Southern Writers Guild.
This is where my fiction—especially my Southern-rooted work—will now live. The Guild is a place built around craft, voice, and Southern life as it actually is. Not as a stereotype or a caricature, but the South as a lens: the accent without apology, the food, the texture, and the way we tell stories on a porch when the sun goes down.
The Guild isn’t just a “vibe” to us. It’s geography and feeling.
It’s front-porch noisy. Quietly on fire. A home base, a jumping-off point for road trips, and somewhere to come back to when the words need sharpening.
My creative life right now feels… explosive, honestly. The words are coming whether I invite them or not. And being in community with other writers who take the work seriously—who finish things, who care about sentences—matters more than I could have known. As MJ put it, we’re not writing for notoriety or money—we’re writing because we have to. Because we must. It’s in our bones.
I like belonging. I like being nudged toward the page. I like finishing what I start.
For me, this is also a way to showcase a real part of myself—the Southerness that stuck. The part I once tried to smooth over or explain away, and now don’t feel the need to apologize for at all.
What this means for you:
The Mixtapes will stay put. The stories you already know and love aren’t going anywhere. Nothing is being taken away.
Because I want to share this new chapter with you, I’ve added my current subscribers to the Southern Writers Guild list so you don’t miss the first few pieces we launch.
I want to be very clear: If the Guild isn’t your cup of tea, I truly won’t have any hard feelings if you choose to unsubscribe from those specific emails. You’ll still be right here with me and you’re always welcome to visit.
But I do hope you’ll stay for the ride. I think it’s going to feel like home.
Keep an eye out for something huge hitting the Guild every Thursday at 7:00 PM EST.
With love,
Gray
I cannot express just how much I love this -- it absolutely warms my🤍. I am so happy that we've connected Grace!