Author: Stepheny Forgue Houghtlin

Stepheny Forgue Houghtlin grew up in Evanston, IL. and is a graduate of the University of Kentucky. She is an author of two novels: The Greening of a Heart and Facing East. She lives, writes and gardens in NC. Visit her: Stephenyhoughtlin.com

Everyone KNOWS the Councilmen Who Run The Show

This is not about party politics, race, or personality. It’s about the structure of trust in a city and what happens when it is hollowed out. This isn’t a rant. It’s not gossip. It’s not vengeance. It’s a sober assessment of the cost of silence and the weight of complicity. We have two local elected … Continue reading Everyone KNOWS the Councilmen Who Run The Show →

Here Ye, here Ye: This is the case of The People vs. the Councilmen Who Beat the System.

We stand before you today, not with rumor, not with idle talk, but with the plain truth of a long-running scheme. The defendants sit at that table, smug in the belief that the system is theirs to work, twist, and own. This is not a case about bad luck or tough times. This is a … Continue reading Here Ye, here Ye: This is the case of The People vs. the Councilmen Who Beat the System. →

Here Ye, here Ye: This is the case of The People vs. the Councilmen Who Beat the System.

We stand before you today, not with rumor, not with idle talk, but with the plain truth of a long-running scheme. The defendants sit at that table, smug in the belief that the system is theirs to work, twist, and own. This is not a case about bad luck or tough times. This is a … Continue reading Here Ye, here Ye: This is the case of The People vs. the Councilmen Who Beat the System. →

A ‘Raggedy Ass’ Friday In Rocky Mount, NC

Friday afternoon, August 8 in Rocky Mount. I was downtown to photograph the building at 112 NW Main Street. In the stretch of street where I stood, I counted six cars. Six. The building I came to photograph, and the ones reflected in the glass across the tracks, looked like a patchwork quilt stitched by … Continue reading A ‘Raggedy Ass’ Friday In Rocky Mount, NC →

When Real Life Reads Like a Southern Novel

Some days, it feels like we’re living inside a Southern novel. Not the kind with porch swings and sweet tea, but the darker kind, where power and corruption hides in plain sight, and self-preservation outweighs public service. The longer I write about Rocky Mount, the clearer it becomes. We are not just observers in this … Continue reading When Real Life Reads Like a Southern Novel →