My most recent essay, Once Upon a High Lonesome, is out now in the Oxford American’s 24th annual Music Issue. This issue celebrates the multi-hued roots of country music. In “Once Upon a High Lonesome,” I write about the origins of country, whippoorwill song, Hank Williams, Thoreau, my grandmother, and vinyl records.

I hope you’ll read it. You can order the magazine here (just click these words), or begin reading online here.