ADS has got new wheels.

A big announcement from the ADS garage.

I know it’s been a bit since I last dropped in, and a lot has happened in the meantime. During the summer break, ADS was in the shop for a serious upgrade—chassis lift, new rims, and major rebuild under the hood. We are now ready to roll out a brand new set of wheels and a new destination.

Not the actual new ride, but a dope ride nonetheless. (That’s at Poole’s BBQ in Elijay, GA.)

Summer Break at The Detourist ends today, because today marks 250 days until the launch of my next book, A Deeper South, which will be published in May 2024 by the University of South Carolina Press. So we’ve got 250 days between now and launch day. In that time, I want to take you on a road trip across the South. We’re going to be starting October 2nd in the Mississippi Delta and wandering our way through the Southeast, ending up in Atlanta close to the time of the book launch in May.

Watch me break it down, or keep reading:

(You can also watch this on YouTube.)

Along the way, we’re going to be experiencing some places you’ve probably heard about—maybe you’ve even lived there—and I’m hoping to give you a different angle than you may be familiar with on places like Memphis, Montgomery, Charleston, and Atlanta. I also want to introduce you to some places that maybe you’ve never heard about, places that I hadn’t even heard about until I happened upon them myself. I also want us to experience places together that neither of us know about at this point. That’s what The Detourist is all about—experiencing the beauty, the mystery, the sorrow of this region. Doing it on the fly, too.

Don’t get me wrong; we have a plan. We’re going to go from A to B. How we get there, we have a rough idea. We’re going to figure it out as we go, and a lot is going to be new while we’re on the way. It’s going to involve an all-new podcast and a new YouTube presence, along with coordinated material on Instagram.

We’re going to kick it all off on October 2nd at 6. 30pm at The Grail Movie House here in Asheville, North Carolina, with a special one night only screening of seven Deeper South Shorts that I have made since 2018, including one that I made as recently as two weeks ago in the Mississippi Delta. Read more about it here. Come on out to The Grail on Monday October 2nd at 6. 30pm. Seating is limited, so click the button to reserve a seat:

So starting October 2nd, pay attention to this space. In the meantime, sign up for the ADS website. Subscribe to the ADS YouTube page. Subscribe to this Substack if you haven’t already. It’s as easy as clicking one or more of these buttons:

I would love to have you on board for this journey for the next 250 or so days. We will be starting at the southern tip of the Mississippi Delta on Monday, October 2nd, and heading north toward Memphis. Along the way, we’re going to be seeing some pretty cool stuff, and sometimes some disturbing stuff. But it’s not going to be boring—I can promise you that.

I hope you will join me for this journey.

I will be rolling out more details about the new ride between now and 10/2. So stay tuned!