Letter from the Editor

My fellow Tennesseans,

I was nervous when I published the first issue of State & Beale in September. What if it looked terrible? (I’m no designer!) What if I got something wrong — bad wrong — and looked like I didn’t know what I was talking about? What if no one loved Tennessee like me?

I highly doubted that last part. As for the rest, the response has been overwhelming, and overwhelmingly kind. Not only am I completely certain that so many of y’all love Tennessee just like me, I know you want to hear more about our great state.

State & Beale has also been a catalyst for new Tennessee adventures for me and my family. A few weeks ago, we traveled to Sewanee from Memphis with an overnight stay at a farmhouse in Savannah. For it, we drove straight east, instead of hopping up on 40 and going over that way. I had never really visited that part of the state. It’s incredible.

Hagy’s Catfish Hotel was on the way and it sounded like the full Tennessee ticket. It was. Golden-fried catfish, hushpuppies, and lemon pie for dessert is hard to beat. I found out why they call it a “hotel” and felt like we’d really discovered an amazing part of Tennessee thanks to State & Beale. (Read more about it on page 16.)

I grew up on the Cumberland Plateau but I’d never seen its profile cut so dramatically as we neared Sewanee. The plateau’s rugged awe also brought steep, white-knuckling, cutback turns for this driver now used to the Delta flatlands. But it was worth it to experience that stately, elegant town that impresses with an effortless charisma.

For all of this, I am having a blast creating State & Beale. But this magazine is also a startup business. So, I may ask subscribers to pay a small, annual subscription down the road, maybe $20. This will help me keep the lights on and illuminate more amazing corners of our beloved Tennessee.

Oh, and you’ll see my byline all over this issue. I don’t care about credit. I just want y’all to know this content is written by a real human being, not an AI chatbot. Also, you’ll know who to holler at if I do get something wrong.

Thanks so much for your support,

Toby Sells

Founder & Editor

State & Beale