"It's so exciting to have a volume of stories from artists who live at the heart of southern culture. These are people with a deep understanding of how that culture lives, and what its history is. Every one of these writers is a legendary storyteller, so pull up a chair and listen."
— Linda Frye Burnham, cofounder of Highways Performance Space, cofounding editor of High Performance, and cofounder of the Community Arts Network

"This history brought to mind the small forest I see outside my window each morning. At first glance the trees seem separate, each reaching for light on its own. But they are nothing of the kind. Beneath the surface they are intertwined, sustaining one another through an unseen network of shared life. This is what these stories reveal about ROOTS. The organization, for sure, but much more—a living system of relationships, built over decades, where trust, risk, and persistence allow fragile connections to take hold, grow deep, and endure—an improbable, lasting sanctuary for generations of creative change agents."
— Bill Cleveland, founder of the Center for the Study of Art and Community.

"Truth to power is a phase we hear often, but the stories of doing it—what it looks like, the ways it shapes ethics, aesthetics, and Democracy is told in this enriching collection of voices. The voices of ROOTS co-travelers who enliven beauty, strengthen justice and feed the imagination embedded in the poetics and praxis of ‘rooting’ for our lives together, document an artistic and social movement of belonging to model."
— Roberto Bedoya, writer and cultural strategist.

"Stories from Alternate ROOTS: It’ll Take Some Tellin’ invites readers into the vibrant history and spirit of the Alternate ROOTS community. Through stories of Sublime Carrots, Rhizomes, Gorilla Theater, and unforgettable Annual Meetings, the book feels like stepping into a Story Circle surrounded by artists and organizers. Both historical record and living conversation, it celebrates a truly Beloved Community."
— Mario Garcia Durham, arts consultant and board member of the Sitar Arts Center and trustee of the American Craft Council

Kathie deNobriga (Editor)
Kathie deNobriga, raised in the Blue Ridge Mountains, founded two community theaters in North Carolina. After a full career as director, producer, consultant, and organizer, Kathie is now the chief wrangler of the annual community arts festival in Pine Lake, Georgia, where she served two terms on the city council and one as mayor.

Yvette Angelique (Editor)
Yvette Angelique is a poet and teaching artist whose work blends mindfulness education, storytelling, and leadership. Her work guides artists, activists, and communities toward healing and liberation.

Ashley Minner Jones (Editor)
Ashley Minner Jones is a community-based visual artist and folklorist from Baltimore, Maryland, where she has lived on the same block her entire life. Her interdisciplinary practice is deeply rooted in place and is focused on honoring and celebrating everyday people by lifting up their stories. She is an enrolled citizen of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina.

Ron Ragin (Editor)
Ron Ragin is a researcher, coach, strategist, organizer, and interdisciplinary artist. His creative practice is rooted in music of the African Diaspora, improvisation, liberation aesthetics, and the development and maintenance of spiritual technologies. Ron’s artistic work centers the role of the unamplified human voice in transforming our environment, our selves, and one another.

MK Wegmann (Editor)
MK Wegmann, a lifelong New Orleanian, advocates for social and racial justice. Over a fifty-year career, she has steered the Contemporary Arts Center, Junebug Productions, and the National Performance Network and continues her work as a consultant.