Meeghan Kane:

Meeghan Kane teaches history at Benedict College, serves as Editor of Unsweetened Magazine, and chairs the board of Deckle Edge Literary Festival.

Unsweetened Magazine vision and Mission:

To grow up in the South is to grow up polite. Yes ma’am. No sir. Please and if you would and thank you kindly. In Southern driveways and grocery store parking lots, you ask how your neighbor is. Inquire after her mother, the kids, her azaleas, all before exchanging pleasantries about this most recent heat wave. And when she asks an obligatory, reciprocal “How are you?” know the appropriate response is to smile sweetly and say “Fine.”

Say fine, but know this: we are not fine. We are not fine, and we never have been. To live in the South is to every day contend with sordid past and complicated present. It is to see beyond the myth of moonlight and magnolias to the truth of a million lived experiences — some good, some bad, all unique by virtue of geography and a genteelness as real as it is illusory.

We are born into stormy history, raised in the shadow of violence and misogyny. To grow up here is to grow up in a creeping kind of discomfort. And yet, we choose to remain in this place where love and light splinter across our hometowns like shards of broken bottle-glass. We stay and we smile, all the while knowing we could do better.

At Unsweetened, we believe better starts with raw, unapologetic honesty. First with ourselves, then with each other. By sharing our stories — our sour reality stripped of its saccharine niceties — we can begin a radical dialogue that works toward a far more perfect union. Our magazine seeks out new, vital voices, each with a singular tone and progressive agenda.

This is a place to be heard, and a place to hear. This is a place where other is celebrated and y’all is the only pronoun we need.

This is the south, unsweetened.

Naida Rutherford:

Naida, the founder of Styled By Naid Foundation is a whimsical fashion curator, motivational speaker, visionary, designer, and entrepreneur. She has a unique ability to mix the old with the new, creating an intriguing, fresh style that is one-of-a-kind. Naida has a passion for helping women feel and look their best, regardless of budget.

The Styled By Naida Foundation  is dedicated to empowering and educating those from less fortunate communities about the importance of professional dress, self awareness, budgeting and professional etiquette.  We have been assisting the community for years with apparel and toiletry donations. Now, we are expanding that service to include informational seminars on professional appearance, etiquette, code switching, financial literacy and budgeting with minimal resources.

For those that wish to contribute to the community service that our company has been providing anonymously, please fill out the contact form below. We accept all clothing, shoe, jewelry and toiletry donations.  501 (c) 3 status approved. Naida Rutherford is a native of Bartow, Florida but resides in and now calls Columbia, South Carolina home. Naida is a proud alumnus of Benedict College and the University of South Carolina; where she earned her Bachelor of Science and Master of Nursing, respectively. While Naida holds multiple degrees and certifications in the healthcare field, her heart is in her philanthropic endeavors for the community.
Naida’s latest business venture was the launch of her boutique, Styled By Naida, in March 2018. The concept was birthed from Naida’s personal garage sales, in 2016, after she found herself in financial hardship. That one idea ignited a spark that has now evolved into an upscale online boutique and storefront located at 607 Lady Street, called Styled by Naida.
Naida uses her influence and to give back to the community with apparel donations, courses on professional etiquette, appearance and also resource management. Additionally, the Styled by Naida foundation awards a scholarship to a deserving single mother in college at her annual MIX IT UP Fashion show and Exhibit. Naida believes in helping women be the best version of themselves, and helping them to develop their own personal style. Naida’s personal moniker is “Dress how you want to be addressed!”
Naida has received numerous accolades, and has been showcased on several Television & Media outlets across the state of South Carolina such as: WACH Fox News, Hot 103.9, The Beat, WIS and WLTX. She was also named one of Columbia Fashion Week’s “25 Most Stylish People” in 2016 and 2017, and is a recipient of the Josh Ratcliff Award of Fashion Excellence.
In 2018 Naida received the University of South Carolina excellence in service award for her outstanding community service through the Styled by Naida Foundation.

Ansley Adams:

Ansley Adams seeks to embrace a positive awareness of self through honest exploration and expression. She explores perceptions of body image through large-scale figurative paintings and installations. Her first in this series, New Beginnings, was published in Studio Visit Magazine and was accepted into ArtFields 2018. She has also had work published in Jasper Magazine and Antioch University of Los Angeles’ journal Lunch Ticket.

Ansley Adams is a working artist, showing and selling her work internationally and nationally. In 2018 she was awarded a grant from the Arts Council of York County to fund her current project. Currently, she has a solo show and installation on exhibit at Tapp’s Art Center in Columbia.  She received her MFA from The University of South Carolina and her BA from Wingate University. Ansley Adams is the Director of Fine Arts at South Piedmont Community College.