Wilson early identified himself as an intellectual heir of Richard Weaver and the Southern Agrarians. In 1980 he assisted Thomas Fleming in founding "Southern Partisan" magazine, and subsequently became a contributing editor of "Chronicles" when Fleming became editor of that journal. In 1981, Wilson brought together the book "Why the South Will Survive, by Fifteen Southerners", a restatement of the Agrarian message of "I'll Take My Stand" on its fiftieth anniversary. The volume included contributions by Cleanth Brooks, Andrew Lytle, George Garrett, and other well-known literati. In 1993 he was active in the formation of the League of the South and served on its board of directors for the first ten years. He has stated reasons for his role in creation of the League, alleging that it was necessary to preserve the unique features of southern culture and to promote devolution from an over-centralized U.S. government.