The Complicated & Inspiring Social Fabric of America's Third Coast

October 4, 2020

A surprisingly refreshing & intimate portrait of the Gulf.

On this special episode of the American Shoreline Podcast recorded live from the Social Coast Forum 2020 in Charleston, South Carolina, Peter Ravella and Tyler Buckingham are joined by a panel of authors of America's Third Coast a book series that offers important insights on Gulf Coast history, life, and culture. In particular, the Series is designed to highlight the economic activities and the environmental stewardship of the residents of this culturally diverse geographic region. Books explore major relevant topics in a format accessible to policy makers, residents desperate for information about their rapidly deteriorating environment, and an increasingly alarmed and, in many instances, outraged general public.

Joining the show are Criag Gill, the Director of the University Press of Mississippi, the publisher of the Series; Jessica Schexnayder, author of “Fragile Grounds: Louisiana’s Endangered Cemeteries” on how sea level rise and flooding affect Louisiana’s cemeteries; Matthew Bethel, who is working on a book about the native communities along the Louisiana Coast; and Don Davis and Carl Brasseaux, who together are working on a history of the Gulf shrimping industry.  

Check out this surprisingly fresh and intimate portrait of the people on the Gulf of Mexico shoreline.  It's a keeper.  America's Third Coast books are available for purchase wherever fine books are sold.

Show Transcription
This transcription was generated by a computer. Please excuse any errors.
Peter Ravella & Tyler Buckingham

Peter and Tyler joined forces in 2015 and from the first meeting began discussing a project that would become Coastal News Today and the American Shoreline Podcast Network. At the time, Peter and Tyler were coastal consultants for Pete’s firm, PAR Consulting, LLC. In that role, they worked with coastal communities in Texas, Florida, and North Carolina, engaged in grant writing, coastal project development, shoreline erosion and land use planning, permitting, and financial planning for communities undertaking big beach restoration projects. Between and among their consulting tasks, they kept talking and kept building the idea of CNT & ASPN. In almost every arena they worked, public engagement played a central role. They spent thousands of hours talking with coastal stakeholders, like business owners, hotel operators, condo managers, watermen, property owners, enviros, surfers, and fishermen. They dived deep into the value, meaning, and responsibility for the American shoreline, segment-by-segment. Common threads emerged, themes were revealed, differences uncovered. There was a big conversation going on along the American shoreline! But, no place to have it. That's where CNT and ASPN were born.