A conversation with Darren Shirah.
Interviews
Conversations with the shrimpers, chefs, scientists, artists, and advocates shaping coastal Alabama.
“Never Too Late To Fight” Talking with the Filmmaker of Sallie’s Ashes
Filmmaker Brennan Robideaux on “Sallie’s Ashes,” his Telluride-debuted documentary about Sallie Smith and the Coal Ash Grannies fighting to move 21 million tons of coal ash off the Mobile River.
A Different Kind Of Journey
Peter Frank is on an epic, 6,000-mile solo canoe journey around the Great Loop—one of America’s longest and most grueling water routes—paddling it clockwise against the current, a feat accomplished only once before. Inspired by legendary canoeist Verlen Kruger and driven by personal resilience following a near-fatal accident, Peter’s voyage is as much about inner exploration as physical endurance. Along the way, he’s formed deep human connections and philosophical insights, proving that truly living often means choosing the harder path.
They Call Him Droopy
For nearly sixty years, Droopy Williams has been a fixture of Mobile Bay’s shrimping life — a man whose devotion to the Delta tells the story of a changing coast and enduring spirit of the Gulf.
The Oldest Shrimp Boat in the Bay: A Visit with David Bryan and the Miss Caylee
David Bryan is captain of the Miss Caylee. Built in 1942, it is the oldest fishing boat in Alabama working today. Bryan’s wooden craft is a style of trawler known as a Biloxi Lugger. These boats came out of the Biloxi shipyards in the late 1800s and rose to popularity...
A New Book on the Kingston Coal-Ash Spill Sounds a Dire Warning
In Low in the Valley, author Jared Sullivan examines the TVA Kingston coal-ash spill — the largest industrial disaster in U.S. history. In this interview, he reveals the hidden truths about worker exposure, government inaction, and what the South can learn about accountability and reform.
The Oldest Shrimp Boat in the Bay: A Visit with David Bryan and the Miss Caylee
Captain David Bryan’s Miss Caylee—a 1942 Biloxi Lugger—is the oldest working shrimp boat in Alabama. From Hollinger’s Island to Deer River, Bryan has seen the shrimping industry evolve from local prosperity to battling cheap imports. He and his wife Debra now sell fresh, wild-caught Gulf shrimp straight from their dock.
The Oyster Gospel: A Q&A with Bama Bay Oyster Farm’s Jackie Wilson
Bama Bay may be “boutique,” but nothing about its work is small. Jackie Wilson shares how a woman-led oyster farm balances science, storms, loss, and love of place—growing clean, beautiful oysters and preaching the “Oyster Gospel” to protect Mobile Bay.
A Talk with Naturalist and Eco-Tour Guide Jimbo Meador
Master Naturalist Jimbo Meador reflects on a lifetime on Mobile Bay—clear water and thick seagrass beds then, muddy runoff and algal blooms now. In this conversation, he demystifies jubilees vs. red tides, traces how development fuels turbidity, and makes the case for buffers and nursery habitats to sustain the Delta’s future.
It’s All Connected: A Q&A With Marine Scientist John Lehrter
From the Dauphin Island Sea Lab to the University of South Alabama, Dr. John Lehrter studies the Mobile Bay Watershed’s changing health. In this interview, he shares what’s threatening local waters—from low oxygen to pollution—and why protecting this natural treasure is essential for Alabama’s coastal communities.