John has a wonderful voice and brings a compassionate and insightful perspective to his interviews. I’ve enjoyed each of the interviews I’ve listened to and look forward to exploring the whole catalog. My particular favorite was his interview with Michael Harriot, another writer I really enjoy. Thank you for your hard work on difficult topics, John. Keep on keeping on!

Happy Birthday, John. Your interviews are informative, insightful, and a pleasure to listen to.

This John guy asks the best questions. If you love the South but it makes you angry sometimes, listen to this podcast!

these interviews with incredible Southerners provides unbelievable insight into the heart of America’s most influential region

I recently moved to Alabama and Reckon South is one of the first platforms I came across that had important, informative and relatable content. The podcast is no different. I love everything about it from the subject matter to the guests. I give two thumbs up. It’s dope! Do yourself a favor and have a listen or a few!

Just listened to the interview with Cassidy Freeman this morning and wow! John does amazing work on a multitude of hard-hitting topics (the racial past of our region, the machine at the University of Alabama, etc.), but I LOVE the Righteous Gemstones and I was very psyched to listen to this episode first thing on a dreary Monday morning. I believe human beings are relational creatures and a by-product of that inherent characteristic is that story-telling is necessary for comprehension. It's the way we make sense of the world. This episode epitomizes that belief because prestige tv (thanks HBO) is probably the most ubiqutious form of storytelling today. Side-stepping the subject of television for a moment, I've admired Reckon and the lens that it usse to unflinchingly examine, question, and celebrate the South since I discovered John's work in undergrad. Reckon, and the stories it tells about the South make me proud of this oft misunderstood place I've chosen to call home. In summation, thank you for doing what you do and keep on keeping on!

The Reckon Interview is a gem, and every episode sheds light on the South. These conversations are as nuanced as the culture they describe. Host John Hammontree is a thoughtful, engaging interviewer, and it’s clear he does his homework. Each episode is well researched, and the guests reveal perspectives on this beautiful but often maligned region of the country. This is one of my favorite podcasts!

I wish there was another word for redefine, because I think what this podcast actually does is reveal the definition that is less known. I just recently moved back to the south and had a lot of reservations about it… I listened to the Reckon podcast religiously as I prepared (and still so!) and it made me feel not only so much relief but also joy into moving back to a South that looks and feels so much more “me” and authentic to my understanding of it (diverse, complex, etc) than what is typified in the media. I’m so grateful for the exposure this podcast has given me to the south I knew existed but hadn’t been in the forefront of my awareness.

John is out here doing the Lord’s work. Amen and roll tide.

I have listened to every episode and can say that if I ever lived outside of the South, this show would make me want to move back. John Hammontree is so good at getting to the heart of each guest. The interviewees are all amazingly accomplished individuals —some I had heard of and some I hadn’t. I leave every episode smarter and with a broader perspective on the work being done in the world. I almost always am left with a new person to follow and/or book to read. I am a fan of the Reckon brand and hold this podcast up as an example of their diverse body of work and current-day journalism. Thanks for making my commutes (and walks, and laundry folding) more interesting!

The intellectual diversity of this podcast and news organization is severely lacking. One doesn’t have to listen to the show or read any articles to guess what the predictable leftist take will be for the day. Think for yourself, and don’t let these guys propagandize you into more division and hate.

Great guests, great questions, great insights!

Big fan!

This here inner view progrum has caught its stride this year y’all! Hammontree brings the wisdom and experience of his 50 plus years as a journalist to bear in this tremendous progrum with a focus on Birmingham, Alabama, and the South. And in that order y’all! Roll tied

Thank you for this interview with Ms. Renkl, whom I discovered via her New York Times essays. I appreciate greatly her perceptive views on nature and the effects of global warming on nature. Her recent piece on the young women activists was moving and thought-provoking, as is everything she writes.

All Southern culture enthusiasts should listen to this podcast. John Hammontree is a compelling interviewer who asks his guests all the right questions. The guests’ insights on the South have been extremely valuable to me as I try to make sense of this beautiful, complicated, and sometimes frustrating place I love. I listen to this podcast on my way to work, but I think about the issues it presents long afterwards. A must-listen.

It’s not “okay to hate on Auburn,” John.

I love this podcast and its approach to southern culture and history. John is an exceptional interviewer, asking probing, fascinating, and necessary questions in an attempt to learn not only about his guests but how their stories fit into the context of southern life and culture. In an age when so many people tend to think of the South in reductive, monolithic terms, this is a vital show that reminds us how varied and interesting the stories of our community are.

I love this podcast. John Hammontree is a skilled interviewer and he interviews interesting people from the state. The interview with Peggy Wallace Kennedy blew me away. I’ve been so disgusted in the way that our country is acting and this interview gave me hope. We all need hope now a days.

I follow Reckon and AL.com regularly on all of their platforms for the coverage of Alabama news and Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalism and editorials on the South and Southern culture. This new podcast is that distilled down to its most basic and interesting components. By interviewing celebrities and other influential people from the South we not only get a glimpse into their lives as Southerners but into the culture of the South and how we can celebrate our roots while moving ourselves forward. As a huge Star Trek fan, I particularly enjoyed the interview just posted with Sonequa Martin-Green, the lead of Star Trek Discovery and hearing about the interplay of Southern upbrigning, issues of race, and science fiction as a genre. I cannot recommend this highly enough.

Each interview takes a thoughtful look at the guest while deconstructing the South and their role in it moving forward. John clearly cares deeply about the region, highlighting its virtues while having frank conversations on the ways it can and should improve. This is essential listening for those from the South and those interested in learning more what makes it tick from some of its most accomplished natives.

Loving the new podcast. The Roy Wood Jr interview is great! As an Alabamian currently living outside the state, I’m glad to find a podcast where I can catch up on who is doing cool projects and is shaping the South. Looking forward to checking out the next episode and to seeing where Hammontree takes the pod.

Great interview with Roy Wood Jr. comedic genius and a voice like butter.