What is The Blade ⚔
The Blade is a local media company rooted in Chattanooga.
It publishes writing about culture, identity, and the way people make sense of the world around them.The work is shaped by the South, its history, its language, and its relationship to meaning, but it is not limited to it.
The focus is simple: say things clearly and examine them honestly.
Randolph Miller, former slave and founder of the original Blade Weekly
Why The Blade Exists
The Blade exists because of a simple question: what happens to the stories that are never fully told?
It was shaped in part by the story of Randolph Miller and the kind of influence a single person can have when their words carry. Not just what was said, but what was remembered, what was passed down, and what was left out. Most stories are not documented in full. They are edited by time, by perspective, by who is allowed to speak and who is not.
If you have ever been moved by someone’s story and then realized how little of it was actually recorded, you understand the gap.
The Blade is a response to that gap. It is a modern effort to document more carefully, to recognize voices that are often reduced or overlooked, and to take ideas seriously enough to examine them in full. Not to preserve everything, but to pay attention to what deserves to be understood.
Marie Mott, Founder of The Blade
About Marie
Marie Mott
Chattanooga Native · Community Organizer · Founder
The Blade is led by Marie Mott. Her work is shaped by the relationship between oral tradition and public record. It draws from listening, remembering, and passing things on, alongside the responsibility to document them clearly.
That perspective comes from her work with Elders in Chattanooga, including efforts connected to local monuments honoring lynching victims and Negro Leagues baseball. Through that work, she has learned the importance of listening closely, asking questions, and taking documentation seriously, from archived records to photographs to personal accounts.Chattanooga is growing.
Like many growing cities, it risks losing the memories held in its neighborhoods, families, and institutions.
Her work reflects an attention to those details and a commitment to not letting them disappear.
What We Cover
The Blade covers Chattanooga through the stories that bring everyday life into focus.
Food that brings people together
The outdoors, from quiet trails to full days of adventure
Events that bring the city to life
Local history and the stories that still shape who we are
We focus on what helps you experience Chattanooga, not just live in it.
Our Mission
To build a local media company that documents Chattanooga with clarity and care.
To tell stories that feel true to the people who live here.
To create work that strengthens connection between the city and the people who call it home.
Join Us
The Blade is for people who pay attention.
If you care about Chattanooga, its culture, and the stories that define it, you are already part of what we are building.
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