John Amen is the author of several collections of poetry, including Illusion of an Overwhelm, a finalist for the 2018 Brockman-Campbell Award. He founded and is managing editor of Pedestal Magazine. As a result of the COVID quarantine, he’s been wearing headphones so much that they are now part of his body.
Drive-By Truckers’ 2004 release The Dirty South blended political commentary and historical fiction, frequently referencing the now-mythologized 1977...