I’m Hugh Hollowell, and I’m a writer, maker, and sometimes, a preacher. I’m a sixth-generation Mississippian trying to create a compelling vision of a better world.
I wrote Food Is Love, a collection of essays about how memory, food, and love are all intertwined. We are reminded that food is an expression of love, and sometimes the only way people who loved us were capable of showing it.
In it, I explore the old magic of turning simple ingredients and time into a physical manifestation of care, how feeding others can be an act of resistance against systemic neglect, and a spiritual practice that connects us to the people we love.
Current projects:
I’m the editor of a weekly newsletter called Life is So Beautiful that brings curated links to beautiful things from across the web, original essays, and a ray of hope to your inbox each week.
My work is supported by a team of folks whose patronage provides the funding to cover my publishing projects. In exchange, they get behind-the-scenes things, bonus essays, and discounts on things I make and books I write. You can learn about that here.
I’m the pastor of Open Door Mennonite Church, a progressive and inclusive faith community in Jackson, MS.
I have been blogging since 2003, mostly stories of hope and beauty.
AND my wife and I run a small-scale kitten rescue org, called Purr and Pounce—you can see high-quality cute kitten content on our Instagram page.
What I’ve been up to recently:
March 2026
Launched a podcast called, naturally, The Hughscast.
February 2026
Turned on subscriptions on my Facebook account.
Jason Kottke gave a shoutout to Food Is Love on his blog.
January 2026
I was quoted in the Ponoka, Canada newspaper article about food insecurity and a local church’s response. What’s cool is that the quote is from Food Is Love, and so is less than a month old in the public.
(see more here)
About Hugh
My family has lived in the North Mississippi hill country for over 200 years. I lived in Memphis, TN in my 20s, and then moved to Raleigh, NC, where I ran a faith-based nonprofit that focused on homelessness from a harm-reduction perspective. Eventually, I burned out, but here are some lessons I learned about how to take care of yourself when your world is on fire.
I then returned to Mississippi and currently live in the Fondren neighborhood of Jackson, MS, where my wife and I co-parent four chickens and five spoiled cats.
Disagree with me? That’s fine. I’m fighting for your liberation, too.
Khakis over jeans, sour over sweet, cats over dogs, and coffee over tea. I don’t have a plan.
If you want to get in touch, go to this page.