FishyGrits

A welcoming Lowcountry porch at dusk, viewed from the yard. The porch ceiling is painted haint blue. Two wooden rocking chairs are visible, one with an open Bible resting on its seat. Warm lamp light glows softly from inside the house through a screen door. A small table on the porch holds a pitcher of sweet tea and two glasses. A live oak tree draped with Spanish moss frames the left side of the composition. A misty marsh or tidal creek is in the soft-focus background, all rendered with a painterly, golden hour glow.

Pull Up a Chair

A curated place where Southern Black life, church tradition, foodways, and spirit are gathered, honored, and made useful now.

FishyGrits is a purpose-built cultural space rooted in Southern Black life and church tradition. It began as an idea for a site featuring essays, but it has grown into something broader: a living place where memory, foodways, faith, houses, and voices are gathered, honored, and made useful now.

Where I'm from, a fish fry isn't just food—it's covenant. Haint blue isn't just paint—it's protection. The porch isn't just a place to sit—it's where the elders speak and the children learn to listen. This site curates the work that's already happening across the web: oral histories, recipes, sermons, music, scholarship, and practice.

I'm not performing. I'm witnessing and gathering. Come on in.

Collections

A church fellowship hall table setup viewed from above. A blue-rimmed enamel plate holds golden cornmeal-crusted fried whiting, creamy white grits, sliced white bread, and a lemon wedge. A mason jar of sweet tea and a bottle of Texas Pete hot sauce sit nearby. A hand-lettered wooden sign reads 'Fish Fry Friday.' Paper towels rest on the table. A haint blue painted door is visible in the soft-focus background. Warm overhead lighting creates an inviting, communal atmosphere.

Fish Fries and Fellowship

Gathering and food in churchy contexts; communal meals as culture-making.
An exterior corner of a historic Lowcountry house at dusk. A prominent haint blue painted porch ceiling is visible. A window with a delicate lace curtain adds a touch of interior warmth. A straw broom leans bristles-up beside a door, a traditional protective practice. A sweetgrass basket hangs near the door, and small, clear glass bottles are embedded in a nearby tree, illustrating the bottle tree tradition. Soft dusk light casts gentle shadows, and a large live oak tree is visible in the background, all rendered with a painterly quality.

Haint Blue and Protective Practices

Hoodoo tradition, protective home practices, cleansing, warding.
A painterly image of an empty wooden rocking chair on a Lowcountry porch, angled as if someone has just left or is about to return. A wooden cane rests against the arm of the chair. A small, vintage radio sits on the porch rail. An open Bible, with its pages gently rustling as if from a breeze, lies on the seat of the rocking chair. Warm afternoon light casts long, soft shadows across the porch, highlighting the haint blue painted ceiling. Palmetto plants and a live oak tree are in the soft-focus background. The scene evokes a sense of quiet presence and memory.

Voices from the Porch

Elder oral histories from Southern African American culture, especially Gullah Geechee regions.
An interior view evoking a rustic juke joint atmosphere, illuminated by a single, bare bulb. A vintage record player, with a spinning vinyl record, is prominently featured on a worn wooden table. A wisp of smoke rises from an incense burner nearby. A glass of water sits on the wooden floor. Through a window with haint blue trim, the silhouette of a live oak with Spanish moss is visible against the night sky, connecting to the Lowcountry.

Conjure Music

Secular songs born of sacred tradition; music useful in the spiritual realm.