Welcome to The Hidden South, a collection of intimate conversations with people throughout the Southeast U.S. My name is Brent Walker.
This is the first of what I hope to be many episodes of The Hidden South. Since this is the first episode, let me tell you a little about my project.
I’ve been a photographer for many years. In 2014 I began hitting the streets of Atlanta’s most impoverished neighborhoods and asking people to tell me a story about something that changed their lives. After we were finished talking, I’d take their picture and post their story and photo online.
In 2015, after a harrowing Kickstarter campaign, I took a trip around the Southeast U.S. and created my first book, The Hidden South - Come Home, which largely focuses on addiction in the South.
Since the book has come out, I’ve delved into other areas of interest. For the last year and a half, I’ve focused on Mental health in the U.S. and have a book completed that has not yet been released about that subject.
Now I’m in New Orleans and am gathering a collection of stories and portraits of people who have a meaningful connection to this very important place.
The episode that you’re about to listen to touches on all three, addiction, mental health, and New Orleans. I’ve known David in passing for a few years. He was a barista at a coffee shop I often went to on Lower Decatur in the French Quarter. He was also roommates with a friend of mine, Corey, who died from a fentanyl overdose last year.
I met David in the Marigny, a vibrant, beautiful neighborhood just outside the French Quarter. The children that you’ll hear in the background were selling cookies and lemonade close by.
A side note: I did not anticipate this being my first podcast episode so I wasn’t worried about the noise around us and I recorded directly onto my phone. In other words, the quality of the audio isn’t great. Expect modestly better in the future.
You can view hundreds of stories and portraits including David’s at thehiddensouth.com
