Southern Exposure was an award-winning print journal published by the Institute for Southern Studies, publisher of Facing South, from 1973 until 2011. Southern Exposure earned a national reputation for its writing on a broad range of political and cultural issues in the South, with a special emphasis on investigative journalism and oral history.

On the 50th anniversary of Southern Exposure’s birth, Facing South and the Institute will be publishing a full digital archive of the journal over the course of the year. The initial installment of the archives available in March 2023 includes issues from the magazine’s launch in 1973 through 1981.

Vol. 19 No. 2 - Summer 1991
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Magazine cover showing Black family standing outside in front of a chicken house. Text reads "Punishing the Poor: Workfare programs penalize women like Linda Beard who rely on welfare to feed their families."

Punishing the Poor

  • Dateline: The South

    Compiled by Lane Windham

    2

  • Southern News Roundup

    4

  • The Lion Roars

    Is the nation's fastest growing supermarket chain feeding off its workers? By Eric Bates.

    8

  • The Numbers Game

    Shuttled into dead-end jobs, women forced to participate in the Florida workfare program wind up back on welfare. By Laura Udesky.

    14

  • Rural Roulette

    Arkansas workfare punishes more women than it employs. By Gordon Young.

    19

  • Red-Tape Blues

    Poor Texans ordered to work find themselves trapped in a bureaucratic maze that ignores the realities of poverty. By Brett Campbell.

    23

  • "Looks Like I Got Mad"

    Annie Smart has 13 children—and 40 years experience struggling against the injustices of the welfare system. Interview by Laurie Udesky.

    27

  • Fiction: Washaway Etowah

    By Lynn Pruett

    31

  • Southern Voices: In Different Boats

    By Anne Braden

    36

  • Southern Books

    39

  • Bailout Rock

    Bankers want a trillion-dollar handout. One grassroots coalition is singing a different tune. By Barry Yeoman.

    42

  • The Raider and the Coal Town

    How a hostile takeover on Wall Street polluted a West Virginia community—and how the town fought back. By Mark Reutter.

    48

  • Green Movies: The Bomb Squad

    Two Atlanta filmmakers working on a shoestring budget take on a nuclear bomb factory and earn an Academy Award nomination. By Steve Dollar.

    56

  • Green Movies: Speaking for Themselves

    A new film from Appalshop helps Appalachian residents document their own stories and struggles. By Anne and Graham Shelby.

    60

  • The Last Word

    64
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