Welcome to Progressive Nashville!
This blog, here for progressive Nashvillians and anyone else with an interest, will publish most weekdays starting July 6. In it, you’ll find commentary on all manner of topics, presented from a peace-progressive point of view. Much of it will also speak to the experience of a northern pinko liberal who moved to the deep south with a goal of turning a red state purple (oh my lands, the guns!). There will be a primary focus on Tennessee-specific events, news, and activism, but we’ll visit regional, national, and global subjects as well. Some postings will be serious, some silly; it all depends on my mood. There will be the occasional recipe. I expect there will be a lot of music stuff too. This is Music City, after all, and this kid (and aspiring songwriter) is taking full advantage of the sonic riches here.
By the way, in case you’re wondering, my name is Natalie Davis. I’ve been a writer and professional journalist and broadcaster for more years than I care to admit. My family is split between Maryland and New Jersey; I’ve lived in both states, plus stints in New York City, Washington, DC, and Louisville, Ky. My family is multicultural (we treat miscegenation as if it were an Olympic sport), and I define myself as a Heinz 57 mutt, but mostly as a plain old human being. Many of us come from the Catholic social justice/King nonviolence tradition, so activism has been the center of my existence as far back as I can recall. More on all that later, because this is going too long, but I’ll add that conformity is not my thing. That gets me into trouble, more often than not, but being a student of Harvey Fierstein and Popeye, so it goes.
My primary objective for the blog is to share information in the hopes of inspiring folks to do their part to make a better Nashville, a better country, a better world, which includes promoting the arts and the idea of sustainable pro-planet living. Yes, I’m arrogant enough to base the meaning of “better” on my definition of the term. The fullness of that will become quite clear to you fairly quickly enough if you are kind enough to take the ride. I expect it’ll be an interesting journey, and with any luck, fun too.
I have a bit of experience in this: My late blog All Facts and Opinions, which lived from 1996 through 2010, garnered a good bit of praise, awards, and a loyal readership. Hopefully we can repeat that success now that we’ve left the north and taken up residence down south.
Again, the official launch will not be until July 6. Right now, Progressive Nashville is a work in progress as I put things in order and bend a new WordPress install to my will, so if you check in between now and then, you may see colors and formats change or find some glitches. Don’t be alarmed. And do come back. Be sure and tell your friends; it is, I think, important to have a specifically and unapologetically progressive spot for Tennessee libs to gather and find info and express themselves. Yay us.