Anna Kline has always been writing songs and stories of the Deep South. A self-professed Southern culture junkie, she grew up in North Mississippi, an area with a profound and complex history, that yielded a famously vibrant food and arts culture. 

You could say she was swept up in the undertow of Mississippi River Delta-land and shaped by the beats and streets of Soulsville, USA. 

Her writing captures the personality of place: the life and times of a community which creates its distinctive identity. It is that unique mixture of courageous, innovative people, life-changing works of art, and profound sense of community spirit that makes every town worth exploring.

She studied music business and film at the University of Memphis and in 2004, decided to focus on gaining real life experience when she moved to Jackson, Mississippi to work for Malaco Records. While at Malaco, Anna worked with their legendary soul, blues, and gospel song catalogs, drafting contracts for television and film. She also maintained their blog, full of everyday stories and news of the artists and songwriters walking the halls.

Her freelance writing journey began in 2006 with regular articles in the Jackson Free Press and DeSoto Magazine, focusing on local music and Southern culture topics, and she also wrote a monthly food and restaurant feature in Portico Jackson Magazine.

In 2009, Mississippi Development Authority, Division of Tourism hired Anna to research and write the Mississippi Culinary Trail, an online resource for visitors looking for the best local eats across the state of Mississippi. During her time at MDA, she worked on special projects, coordinating the first Mississippi music showcase at SXSW, was a location scout for the Mississippi Film Office, shot and edited a short documentary food film, and worked on numerous culture and heritage projects including the Mississippi Freedom Trail. 

In 2011, Anna had the opportunity to research story ideas for the Mississippi Public Broadcasting special television feature The Choctaw Journey, which profiled the history and preservation of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.

In 2012, she began a new path as a full-time musician and songwriter, with her partner, John Looney, and their band, Grits & Soul. They soon relocated to Asheville, North Carolina where the duo immersed themselves in local Appalachian culture and extensively toured the Southeast and also performed in Europe.

In 2015, they moved to John's native Kentucky, where they continue to play music and she continues to explore the facets of the Southern experience. The duo also recently appeared on an episode of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern that covered The Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail in Kentucky and Virginia.

Anna is currently a researcher and copywriter for Kentucky-based design group, Print & Pixel. And, as always, she continues to write about her beloved South.