CHILLY GRITS

Rev. Manikka Bowman & Aisha Francis, Ph.D
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Our podcast exposes Southern sayings that have shaped the hosts' personal and professional lives. Chilly Grits is where southern wisdom meets northern culture.

  1. Trouble Don't Last Always

    11/18/2025

    Trouble Don't Last Always

    Rev. Bowman and Dr. Francis dissect this phrase from the vantage point of grappling with today's disturbing political times. This discussion weaves in and out of past and present examples of how to process the inevitable troubles and storms of life whether the catastrophes are unnecessarily created by humans or acts of nature. This phrase--steeped in a scriptural tradition–is both realistic and somewhat comforting as a coping mechanism in overwhelming times.

    36 min
  2. I Might Have Been Born At Night, But Not Last Night

    11/18/2025

    I Might Have Been Born At Night, But Not Last Night

    This idiom seems to be newer than some discussed by the hosts in the past. Popularized as a folksy way of saying “I'm not naive,” this is an important way of maintaining individual agency in a world that often discounts those considered the other. The hosts discuss times they've been dismissed and how they clawed back with dignity rooted in their confidence that they are nobody's fool.

    28 min

  3. 05/02/2025

    Cussin’ and Fussin the Southern Way

    Episode Notes This episode considers “bad words” Southern style. How did you learn to express frustration?  What expletives did you hear as a child, if any?  Did your folks say “cuss” or “curse”? Yes, there's a big difference! This lively conversation delves into the relationship between foul language or colorful expressions deployed on the home front today and when the hosts were growing up.

    26 min

  4. 05/01/2025

    Thoughts of Harlem and the Great Migrations

    Episode Notes What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore-- And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over-- like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode? Published in 1951, Langston Hughes often recited the poem, Harlem asks what happens to a dream deferred, as grandchildren of those who chose not to leave the South when upwards of six million of their generational counterparts did. Our hosts consider their Northern migrations many decades later within the context of the Great Migration. Perhaps being among this remnant is what has kept the sayings and ways of the South ever present and alive in their households.

    28 min

  5. 03/11/2024

    Don't Take Any Wooden Nickels

    The advice of our grandparent’s generation often included this nostalgic saying as a parting phrase of caution and care. Tune in to learn how Depression Era banking practices gave rise to this saying, which then became a reminder to stay watchful and keep one’s wits about them. The conversation turns to insightfulninstances when the hosts unwittingly took wooden nickels in the workplace, and gave themselves space to gracefully recover.

    28 min

  6. 03/11/2024

    There's a Pot for Every Top

    This episode builds on a phrase that gives hope to those searching for an ideal romantic pairing. The conversation yields to the importance of bringing similar hopefulness and persistence to the inevitable search for solutions in the professional setting. Whoever you are, whatever your preferences and perceived imperfections may be, there's a leadership style and pathway to solutions for you. Our hosts share their experiences of rallying workplace colleagues to rise to the challenge of way making when the path forward isn’t clear.

    26 min

  7. 12/15/2023

    One Monkey Don't Stop No Show

    In this show, the hosts contemplate a saying that touches on one of the most taboo images of negative stereotypes associated with Black people--monkeys. Listen in to learn more about how this turn of phrase is used across Southern cultures to encourage folks not to let distractions thwart progress. It is also a refrain that often comes up in African-American cultural productions like R&B songs and poems during the 50s and 70s.

    28 min

  8. 12/15/2023

    If You Don't Have Nothing Good to Say, Don't Say Nothing at All

    If the South is known for anything, it's charm and making nice. In this episode, the hosts consider the pros and cons of being socialized to be polite at the expense of being transparent. The conversation also considers the nuances between being nice and being kind.

    24 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Our podcast exposes Southern sayings that have shaped the hosts' personal and professional lives. Chilly Grits is where southern wisdom meets northern culture.

Information

  • Creator
    Rev. Manikka Bowman & Aisha Francis, Ph.D
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    18
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026
  • Show Website
    CHILLY GRITS