In this episode of VarnVlog, host C. Derick Varn sits down with historian, writer, and independent scholar Dr. Keri Leigh Merritt (author of Masterless Men: Poor Whites and Slavery in the Antebellum South) to discuss her new book, "An Inconvenient Woman: The Extraordinary Life of Lillian Smith, The Southerner Who Defied Jim Crow America" (St. Martin's Press).

Together, they explore the life and legacy of Lillian Smith—a radical Southern white woman, educator, and writer who publicly called for complete integration long before it was widely accepted. From running the avant-garde Laurel Falls Camp in Appalachia alongside her lifelong partner Paula Snelling, to publishing Black writers in South Today, and writing the explosive, best-selling novel Strange Fruit and the psychological critique Killers of the Dream, Merritt and Varn unpack the rich, often erased history of Southern anti-racism, class solidarity, and radical dissent.

Featured Topics & Takeaways:
Rediscovering Lillian Smith: Why one of the earliest white Southern voices for integration was marginalized and erased from mainstream history.

Laurel Falls Camp: How Smith and Paula Snelling turned a girls' summer camp into a progressive space for free speech, critical inquiry, and racial tolerance.

The Intersections of Class & Race: Smith's groundbreaking analysis in essays like "Two Men and a Bargain" on how wealthy elites used racial division to stifle labor solidarity.

Censorship & Strange Fruit: The national backlash, banning, and massive success of Smith's 1944 novel addressing interracial love and lynching.

Psychology of White Supremacy: Smith’s use of trauma psychology and Freudian theory in Killers of the Dream to explain the psychological toll of racism on white Southerners.

Links & Support
Patreon: Support VarnVlog on Patreon to access exclusive classes, reading lists, and behind-the-scenes content: https://www.patreon.com/varnvlog


Order: Order my new mini-book with Daniel Tutt, "The People Are Not One," available now via Revol Press: https://www.revolpress.com/people-not-one


Guest Links: Check out Dr. Keri Leigh Merritt’s books and work at https://kerileighmerritt.com/

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Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake

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Crew:
Host: C. Derick Varn
Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.
Intro Video Design: Jason Myles
Art Design: Corn and C. Derick Varn

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