Contributors

SUSAN FRAMPTON Writer & Editor

Never dreaming that anyone would read her ramblings, Susan Frampton scribbled her way through two wildly different careers before accidently becoming a writer. These days, when away from the keyboard, she follows the antics of her accident-prone husband, nurses pine-cone-swallowing wiener dogs, reads late into the night, and counts her many blessings.

LILI HISER Writer

Lili Gresham Hiser was born in Charleston, SC and raised in both the Lowcountry and Central Florida. She invested more than ten years of service in the nonprofit/higher education sector and many years as Communication Studies adjunct faculty. She and her husband enjoy reexperiencing life in the South through the eyes of their young children.

JESSY DEVEREAUX MITCHAM Writer

Jessy is a writer and veterinary technician that was born and raised in Summerville. She enjoys spending her free time with her two children, Scarlett and Finn, exploring the outdoors, kayaking in the Lowcountry, and takes every opportunity to escape to the mountains with her family.

JESSICA MAIER Style Editor

Jessica Maier, a professional interior designer with a passion for elegantly simple spaces, lives in Summerville with her husband, new baby, and her trusty companion Rabbit the dog. She spends an inordinate amount of time preparing, eating, and talking about food. When she isn't up to her elbows in a new recipe—a daily occurrence—she's outside moving her body and enjoying the sunshine as she either hikes, runs, or paddle boards her way around the Lowcountry.

TARA BAILEY Writer

Tara Bailey lives in Summerville with her husband and three daughters, assuming the one in college comes home to visit. She has worked as a naturalist, a teacher, a writer, and an editor, balancing her love of the outdoors with her compulsion to alter sentences. She enjoys natural history, horror movies, and reads anything in print.

ELIZA CHAPMAN BAILEY Writer

A Lowcountry Native, Eliza grew up up in Summerville and Mt. Pleasant. She currently resides in Summerville with her husband, two children, three dogs and two cats. An Elementary School Media Specialist in N.Charleston, Eliza has a BS in political Science from the College of Charleston, and a Master's in Library and Information Science from the University of SC. In her spare time, she enjoys pretending to be an artist, jewelry maker and furniture refinisher.

A BRIEF LOOK at LOCAL CULTURE

The Pineapple

How this sweet fruit became the standard symbol of Southern hospitality

According to historical accounts, Christopher Columbus discovered the pineapple on his second trip to the Caribbean, Guadeloupe in 1493. Pineapples became all the rage in high-society Europe.

In 16th century Europe, one pineapple could cost as much at $8000 in today’s dollars.

In Colonial Charleston, sailors coming home from long voyages would spear a pineapple to symbolize they had arrived home safely. It was also an open invitation for neighbors to come and enjoy a meal or drink to exchange stories.

Served as a dessert, the pineapple symbolized a family's status as an affluent member of society, as well as a symbol of their care for their guests. For those who could not afford to purchase the fruit, shops and merchants would rent pineapples for the day to adorn dining tables.