North Carolina dog owner Shana Stamey was in for a shock when her white German shepherd, Gypsy, gave birth this month. Among the litter of eight, one pup stood out. He arrived a bit small—and bright green. Stamey named the little pooch “Hulk,” and as the Asheville Citizen-Times reported, Hulk’s hue isn’t indicative of a superpower, but rather caused by Meconium-stained liquid from within the puppy’s birth sac, which will fade with regular baths from Stamey and Gypsy. “He was very lime green at birth,” Stamey told the paper, “and now he looks bright yellow with a hint of the green.”

Congratulations to two Southern writers honored for their work this month, Chapel Hill native Devi S. Laskar and Houston writer Bryan Washington. Laskar was named the winner of the Crook’s Corner Book Prize, awarded to the best debut novel set in the American South, for The Atlas of Reds and Blues, which takes place in Atlanta and explores the complex struggle of growing up as a second-generation American. Cold Mountain author Charles Frazier served as this year’s judge for the beloved Chapel Hill restaurant’s annual award, which comes with a $5,000 prize and a free glass of wine at Crook’s every day for a year. Meanwhile, Washington will receive the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence in a ceremony on January 30 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for his first book, Lot, a collection of stories that largely center around a young narrator seeking selfhood and connection in Houston’s East End. The $15,000 award recognizes work by rising African-American fiction writers in honor of the Louisiana author Ernest J. Gaines, who died last November.

And speaking of honors, the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards are fast approaching, and Southern women stand to steal the show. Houston-raised Lizzo, who has already impressed with a whopping eight nominations, is set to deliver a hotly anticipated performance. And country legend Tanya Tucker may well have a big night, too, with four nominations, including Song of the Year for “Bring My Flowers Now” and Best Country Album for the Brandi Carlile-produced While I'm Livin', also featured on our list of the top albums of 2019. Be sure to check out the Best New Artist nominees, too, including Yola, the Nashville-by-way-of-Britain country-soul powerhouse; Maggie Rogers, the fast-rising folk-pop phenom from Maryland; and the nine-piece New Orleans band Tank and the Bangas. To see who takes home the trophies, tune into CBS this Sunday, January 26.

Following 2018’s lauded Crushed Coins, North Carolina singer-songwriter Caleb Caudle returns this spring with a new album, Better Hurry Up. Garden & Gun is proud to premiere the title track, an anthem about chasing dreams—even if they might sometimes seem out of reach. “This song became my hymn,” Caudle says. “It serves as a reminder that it’s my responsibility to create the life I have envisioned for myself.” 

We recently asked, “What’s the best bowl of grits you’ve ever eaten?” Some of your responses:

The last one. —Jim B.

My wife’s triple-cheese grits made with Anson Mills Coarse Pencil Cob Grits. And I’ve had a lotta grits in 71 years. —Dale S.

Had to be the wonderful bowl of garlic cheese grits fed to me by my then-boyfriend’s Mississippi-raised mom. It was my first bowl of grits, and no grits since have equaled hers. Unfortunately, I never did get her recipe. —Amy F.

Chef Cole Ellis of Delta Meat Market in Cleveland, Miss., serves the best grits I have ever had. Pair that with his own cured bacon and you’ll be in heaven. —Katrena E.

Best bowl was sitting at my grandmother’s table when she introduced me to red-eye gravy. I was amazed, as a 6-year-old would be, that someone actually thought it a good idea to pour strong hot black coffee into salt pork drippings. Best thing ever. —Jodie R.

At a small restaurant in Southern Pines, N.C., called Sizzlin’ Steak or Eggs. It is the owner’s mother’s recipe, and they are the best grits I have ever eaten since my first bowlful at the Texas A&M football training table in August 1970. —Tom S.

At Waffle House in 1979, a few days after Hurricane Frederic. Everyone’s power was out, and we were hot and tired and devastated by a horrific hurricane. There was something very comforting in that Waffle House bowl of hot, buttery, salty grits. I’ll never forget it. —Donna B.

From Emeril’s in NOLA. The smoked tomato grits from the Grilled Cheeserie in Nashville are a very close second. —Andrea B.

Years ago I had some amazing leek grits at Buckhead Diner in Atlanta. —Kirk S.

Cafe Thirty-A in none other than Seagrove, Florida. They are creamy and delicious without losing the true “grit” texture. —Jennifer R.

Arkansas Children’s Hospital’s cheesy grits with Cajun shrimp and sausage. Crazy, I know. —Jan C.

My grandmother was the greatest cook. Showed me how to mix grits, butter, eggs, and sausage in a bowl and how to finish by swirling your knuckle around the bottom to get it all. Still to this day I eat them like that, and to my wife’s dismay, I show my grandchildren. —Jim U.

Tickets are now on sale to join us at the G&G office in Charleston, South Carolina, during the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition (February 14–16). Editor in chief Dave DiBenedetto will host two talks over the weekend with outdoor writer T. Edward Nickens and Ducks Unlimited’s Jerry Holden. Bourbon cocktails included. Reserve your place here. 

The late pioneering soul singer and civil rights activist Sam Cooke would have turned 89 today. Revisit some of his top hits here.

Florida’s Mount Dora Storytelling Festival kicks off this Thursday, featuring events for tellers and listeners alike, from a slam contest to a front porch session. 

Clarksdale, Mississippi, hosts its Film and Music Festival, honoring Mississippi connected films and blues music with a host of screenings and live performances around town. 

Don your eye patch for Tampa, Florida’s, annual Gasparilla Pirate Festival, which kicks off with a pirate invasion of Tampa Bay followed by a parade and a day of pirate-themed revelry.