You are so right that there's a lot about the South in general and Alabama in general to love. I first came here as a writer-in-residence at an arts center on the Gulf Coast with no intention of making more than a temporary visit.

It never occurred to me that I could enjoy living in a redder-than-red state as much as I do. In some ways that shocked me as much as my friends. And I give Alabama credit for trying to move forward in its way with things like the peace-and-justice museum in Montgomery.

Have you been there? If so, I'd love it if you could leave a comment about that because it's come up in a couple of the other comments.