I'm going to start actually by asking you a little bit about Tennessee.

Tell me about growing up there. What was that like?

Thank you for asking that. When I was beginning my career, I always identified as a Tennessee

writer. And place has always been super important for me. And the place I grew up was really

important for me. But Tennessee was a really complicated place to be black and gay. You know, I'm from a town

north of Nashville where my family was, you know, in the 90s, one of the first interracial

couples really to move there. It was one of the only mixed kids in my school. My parents are

black and white, so I identify as a mixed kid. And it's a pretty conservative place where I'm from.

It's deeply religious, but religious in that way that like Southerners are really good

at being religious.

It's like cultural.

You say, bless your heart.

You go to church, but you still gossip a lot.

Everyone drinks.

They party.

But they, you know, believe in Jesus because Jesus will clear them of all their sins if they just say a prayer. So it's a really funny place. It's not very like orthodox or really like stringent. It's, you know, conservative with like a little C. And of course they all vote red. So my family is deeply liberal, not very religious. And, and I was very much, you know much out of place while being in place there.

So, you know, I was dreamed of another place.

I'm Dylan Thuris, and this is Atlas of Skira, a celebration of the world's strange,

incredible, and wondrous places.

Today, I am talking with Zach Stafford.

Zach is a writer, producer, and a co-host of the News and Culture podcast Vibe Check.

And today, I'm asking Zach about his life as seen through place, five places in particular. Because Zach has this kind of crazy resume.

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