Tara Massouleh McCay Title: Senior Travel and Culture Editor Education: The University of Alabama Location: Birmingham, Alabama Expertise: Culture, Travel, Food Tara Massouleh McCay is the Senior Travel and Culture Editor for Southern Living. She writes and edits print and digital stories about the big, beautiful, wonderfully diverse American South.HighlightsTara previously served as associate editor of Birmingham magazine, producing 47 issues over four years.She has worked for Southern publications for the past six years, covering a variety of topics ranging from food and homes to culture and travel.She co-founded The University of Alabama's first women's lifestyle magazine in 2015.She has more than 10 years of experience writing and editing for local, regional, and national publications.Her piece "The Universal Language of Chicken Salad" was a finalist in the Personal Essays/Memoir Writing category of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Digital Media Awards in 2024. Experience Tara Massouleh McCay began her career in journalism as the managing editor for The University of Alabama's award-winning student newspaper The Crimson White. In 2015, Tara co-founded and served as editor-in-chief of Alice, the university's first-ever women's lifestyle magazine. Tara gained experience as a community journalist before beginning her magazine career at Birmingham magazine in 2016. There, she served as associate editor and covered a variety of lifestyle topics including homes, travel, food, and culture. After a brief stint in corporate copywriting, she joined the Southern Living team as a digital new writer in 2021. In 2022, she became the magazine's travel and culture editor. She became a senior editor in 2024. Education Tara Massouleh McCay graduated summa cum laude from The University of Alabama with degrees in journalism and English. She was awarded the Buford Boone Journalism Award, the Carmage and Martha Ann Walls Journalism Award, and Hugh W. Sparrow Scholarship Junior Achievement Award for the College of Communication & Information Sciences. About Southern Living Southern Living, a Dotdash Meredith Brand, celebrates the food, homes, places, and culture of the South. We reach 7.2 million readers a month. Our content is written by experienced journalists and fact checked for accuracy. Learn more about us and our editorial guidelines.