Steve Haruch

Nashville

Writer, Editor and Producer at Freelance

Writer | senior producer @nashvillebanner | 📚 Greetings From New Nashville + People Only Die of Love in Movies (@vanderbiltup)

Articles

Major Jackson: Poet and Teacher

1 week ago | nashvillebanner.com | Demetria Kalodimos |Steve Haruch

Major Jackson is the author of six poetry collections, including, most recently, Razzle Dazzle: New & Selected Poems. He is a professor at Vanderbilt University and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Coming to Nashville to teach was a homecoming of sorts β he spent many summers here as a child. For two years, spanning 443 episodes, Major was the host of the podcast The Slowdown, which gave him the space to introduce new poems and poets to a devoted audience on a daily basis.
Michael Shane Neal: Portrait Artist

2 weeks ago | nashvillebanner.com | Demetria Kalodimos |Steve Haruch

Michael Shane Neal knew from an early age he wanted to be an artist. But there were no artists in his family, so he wasn’t sure how he’d turn that into a career. After taking classes in the basement of a dormitory at Lipscomb University, he had a chance meeting with someone who knew the famed portrait artist Raymond Kinstler. And after a trip to New York, a mentorship was born. Shane credits Kinstler with showing him the way to an artist’s life.
Rev. Matt Steinhauer: Pastor and Advocate

3 weeks ago | nashvillebanner.com | Demetria Kalodimos |Steve Haruch

Rev. Matt Steinhauer was among the dozen or so clergy who interrupted a House committee meeting earlier this week by reciting the Lord’s Prayer. He was eventually escorted out by Tennessee State Troopers. What brought Matt to the Cordell Hull State Office Building that day was a belief that public education is for everyone, and that the bill under consideration β which would allow school districts to turn away or charge tuition to undocumented children β goes against the teachings of Jesus.
NEH funding termination's impact on Middle Tennessee

1 month ago | nashvillebanner.com | Steve Haruch

When Humanities Tennessee announced that its grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities had been terminated, it sent shockwaves through Nashville’s literary community. NEH funding, which amounts to about $1.2 million annually, supports programming that includes the Southern Festival of Books and the book review site Chapter 16. In the wake of the news, other NEH grantees around Middle Tennessee checked their inboxes and their spam folders, relieved to find no such termination notice.
Andrew Leeper and Will Minkoff of Nashville Severe Weather

1 month ago | nashvillebanner.com | Demetria Kalodimos |Steve Haruch

Middle Tennessee weather can be unpredictable — and dangerous. When things get iffy, a trio of “suburban dads” keeps the information flowing. But once the watches turn to warnings, they really get serious: That’s when they start livestreaming on YouTube, tracking storms in real time and letting their audience know when to shelter and when it’s safe to carry on. Nashville Severe Weather started as a Twitter account to keep locals informed of potential rainouts and worse.
Mo Sabri: Muslim Country Musician

1 month ago | nashvillebanner.com | Demetria Kalodimos |Steve Haruch

Growing up in Johnson City, Tenn., Mo Sabri could look out the window of his parents’ house and see cows. He grew up listening to Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers. He played baseball and football. It was an all-American childhood in many ways. Add a guitar, and all of this sounds like the perfect backstory for a country music singer — except for a detail or two. Mo’s parents immigrated from Pakistan, and he grew up Muslim.
A Mother’s Whisper

1 month ago | chapter16.org | Sara West |Steve Haruch |Ed Tarkington |Sarah Norris

Ask anyone what defines Southern literature, and the answer is likely to include the importance of place – the land from which our stories spring. But for years now, I’ve wrestled with how many stories have been excluded from this regional designation, how many people have lived just as fully off the land even as they were denied the right to call that land their own. Memphis native Dolen Perkins-Valdez knows this disconnect.
Linda Rose: Immigration Attorney, Musician and Black Belt

1 month ago | nashvillebanner.com | Demetria Kalodimos |Steve Haruch

Born to working-class parents in Massachusetts, Linda Rose came to Nashville in the 1990s — by way of Hawaii, where she first began working in immigration law. When she relocated to Tennessee for her then-husband’s career, she didn’t think there’d be much for her to do. But her practice took off. These days, Linda’s as busy as she’s ever been, and the political climate has her anxious for her clients.
Mike Bub: Bass Player and Bluegrass Stalwart

1 month ago | nashvillebanner.com | Demetria Kalodimos |Steve Haruch

The banjo was Mike Bub’s first love, but not long after arriving in Nashville he discovered he could find more work playing the bass. He found himself onstage at the Grand Ole Opry, on tour with the likes of Bill Monroe, and in studios across Nashville. He played in Del McCurry’s band for years. He’s got some stories.
President Trump's executive order impacts DEI efforts

2 months ago | nashvillebanner.com | Steve Haruch

Diversity, equity and inclusion efforts have been targeted by President Donald Trump, who issued an executive order in January ending government support for such programs. A judge has temporarily blocked part of the order, but the effects are already being felt. As previously reported by the Banner, Vanderbilt University scrubbed DEI language from its websites within a week of the executive order.

Journalists covering the same region

Dennis Seid

Business Editor at Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal

Dennis Seid primarily covers news in Tupelo, Mississippi, United States and surrounding areas.

Blake Alsup

Editor at Post and Courier York County

Blake Alsup primarily covers news in northern Mississippi, particularly around the area of Tupelo, Mississippi, United States and surrounding regions.