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October 27-28, 2023
Southern Foodways Symposium ⟶
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October 27-28, 2023
Southern Foodways Symposium ⟶

Oral Histories

The SFA oral history program documents life stories from the American South. Collecting these stories, we honor the people whose labor defines the region. If you would like to contribute to SFA’s oral history collections, please send your ideas for oral history along with your CV or Resume and a portfolio of prior oral history work to info@southernfoodways.org.

< Back to Oral History project: The Saltwater South: Charleston

ORAL HISTORY

William Baldwin

William Baldwin is a poet and retired shrimper who grew up in McClellanville, South Carolina, a town known for its shrimping docks and rich fishing traditions. His grandfather Rut Leland was a boat captain. As a teenager William worked the fuel docks, and by the age of twenty-one, he was running the shrimp dock. He attended Clemson University and finished a master’s thesis on the Dada artists before returning to McClellanville to work on various shrimp boats. Though he stopped shrimping years ago, William continues to draw from the experiences of the docks and open water and the people he worked alongside as the inspiration for his poetry.

Interviewer:
Sara Wood

Photographer:
Sara Wood

Download Transcript

“

"I can remember as a boy laying in bed and hearing these boats go out. They were all gasoline engines. They would blow up at the dock fairly regularly." - William Baldwin

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The Southern Foodways Alliance drives a more progressive future by leading conversations that challenge existing constructs, shape perspectives, and foster meaningful discussions. We reconsider the past with research, scrutiny, and documentation.

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