John T. Edge, a prominent Southern food writer and cultural historian, will deliver a lecture at Arkansas State University-Mountain Home (ASUMH) on Thursday, Nov. 19. The event is part of the university's Gaston Lecture Series and will take place at 6 p.m. in the Ed Coulter Performing Arts Center at The Sheid. Admission is free, but tickets are required and can be reserved at thesheid.com or by calling 870-508-6280.
Edge’s lecture coincides with the release of his memoir, *House of Smoke: A Southerner Goes Searching for Home*, published in September 2025 by Crown. The book explores his upbringing in rural Georgia and his evolving perspective on the myths surrounding Southern culture. Edge has described his childhood as one where he believed “the good guys wore gray,” reflecting the complexities he examines in his writing. Reviewers have noted the memoir as both personal and reflective, addressing the history and culture of the American South.
Edge is best known as the founding director of the Southern Foodways Alliance, based at the University of Mississippi, a role he held for over two decades. Under his leadership, the organization expanded to include more than 1,500 members and documented culinary traditions ranging from the Mississippi Delta's hot tamales to the cooks pivotal during the civil rights movement. The group’s annual budget grew to over $1.5 million during Edge's tenure.
Outside of his work with the Alliance, Edge is the writer and host of *TrueSouth*, an Emmy-winning series on the SEC Network and ESPN that explores the intersections of food and culture across the South. He also writes a regular restaurant column for *Garden & Gun* and is the author of *The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South*, which was Nashville’s citywide read in 2018. His accolades include multiple James Beard Foundation awards for his journalism.
Currently, he resides in Oxford, Mississippi, with his wife, artist Blair Hobbs. Edge leads an initiative at the University of Mississippi to establish a writers’ residency at Greenfield Farm, the former mule farm of author William Faulkner.
The Gaston Lecture Series, which brings notable speakers to ASUMH twice a year, was endowed by the late Jim Gaston, the owner of Gaston’s White River Resort in Lakeview. Previous speakers have included storm chaser Reed Timmer and author Sean Dietrich. The series is part of ASUMH's 15th Performing Arts Series season and receives support from the Mountain Home Advertising and Promotion Commission.