Thank You Please Come Again
November 6, 5:30–7:00 PM
Center for the Study of the American South
410 E. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill

Join us for an exhibit reception with photojournalist Kate Medley, whose photographs from Thank You Please Come Again: How Gas Stations Feed & Fuel the American South are on view now through November 2025.

Thank You Please Come Again is the documentation of Kate Medley’s many road trips across the South photographing our service stations, convenience stores, and quick stops. Along the way, Medley pulls over for tamales, fried fish, and banh mi, but her images uncover the people and landmarks that supply far more than food and gas.

Medley has published many photographs in Southern Cultures, including a feature on gas station food in the Documentary Moment issue.

Kate Medley is a visual journalist based in North Carolina, whose work across the American South focuses on storytelling and environmental portraiture, often exploring issues of social justice and the shifting politics of this region. She is the author of Thank You Please Come Again, a photo book that explores gas stations and convenience stores as unexpected hubs of community, culture, and connection in the South. The book was a finalist for the James Beard Award, named a Best Book of the Year 2024 by NPR, and received the 2024 Mississippi Institute of Arts & Letters Prize.

Medley’s roots are in Mississippi, where she has investigated Civil Rights-era cold cases, covered the devastating impacts of Hurricane Katrina, and explored the cultural relevance of hot tamales and Koolicles in the Mississippi Delta. In addition to her editorial work, she spent ten years leading brand storytelling at Whole Foods Market and is the founder of Medley Media, a documentary and commercial production company.