The Southern Literary Review celebrates southern authors and their contributions to American literature.  We feature the classic writers who have defined southern literature, and we highlight emerging authors through interviews, profiles, and book reviews.

Ron Ellis is an accomplished nature writer with works including Cogan’s Woods, Brushes with Nature: The Art of Ron Van Gilder, and Of Woods & Waters: A Kentucky Outdoors Reader. His newest release, In That Sweet Country (Skyhorse Publishing),  is a collection of work by acclaimed nature writer, Harry Middleton.

Recently, Ellis took time to discuss his work with Southern Lit Review contributor, Philip K. Jason.

Can you tell us something about your selection process for In That Sweet Country?

Because all of Harry’s books have fly-fishing at their core, I knew I wanted to feature the uncollected work that speaks to his readers about that shared pleasure, along with a generous sampling of stories about hunting—“Gobblers in the Mist” and “Hard Winters and Crazy Birds” are two of my favorites. I also wanted readers to experience Harry’s writing about nature in general, which is always beautiful and informative. And since Harry’s self-acknowledged addictions were mountains and cold trout-water, they figured into the selection process, too. The cover painting, Boy Fishing by Winslow Homer, seemed the perfect visual representation, on so many levels, for Harry’s beloved “sweet country.”

Of the selections in this book, do you have any personal favorites?

I’m rather fond of “Downriver, Again,” “High-Country Trout,” and “A Hunting Dog’s Days Afield,” since these stories contain the “germs” of stories that Harry would build on for his first two books, The Earth Is Enough, his widely acknowledged masterpiece, and the superb On the Spine of Time. I also love “Buffalo River Sequence,” a rare poem from Harry, and his eloquent and magical nature essays, such as “Song of the Whippoorwill” and “Southern Lights.” 

What are the qualities of Harry Middleton’s writing that you most admire? (more…)

Reviewed by Philip K. Jason

When the celebrated nature writer, Harry Middleton, died in 1993, he left behind scores of uncollected periodical pieces published in such places as Field and Stream, the New York Times, Gray’s Sporting Journal, Sports Illustrated, and Southern Living – this latter magazine the home of Middleton’s “Outdoors South” column from 1984 until the beginning of 1991. Readers can applaud the dedication of Ron Ellis, who has brought together this generous selection of Middleton’s writings titled In That Sweet Country. If you enjoy hunting, fishing, and the great outdoors, you’ll want this book.

Harry Middleton knew the wild places and creatures of the American South with the intensity of a lover. As an outdoorsman, he was a patient observer, and his acute observations, transformed into a graceful and rhythmical poetic prose, bring us the full rush of his reverence for nature. For Middleton, man’s best self emerges from an intimacy with other living things and with the natural habitat.

(more…)

Thursday, July 29, 2010

7:00 p.m.

LSU’s Cox Communications Academic Center for Student Athletes

In the Sanctuary of Outcasts, by Neil White, was the 2010 One Book One Community selection for Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The OBOC program is sponsoring a free event for the Baton Rouge community. Meet Neil White and hear his personal tale of time spent incarcerated in the nation’s only remaining leprosarium which was located in Carville, La.

For a list of OBOC events and more information about the program, visit www.ReadOneBook.org.

You can also read SLR’s review of White’s book.

William Faulkner in a Cabell Hall classroom at the University of Virginia, probably February 1957. Photograph by Ralph Thompson.

In case you missed the recent Newsweek article about the newly released audio tapes of William Faulkner, take note.

Stephen Railton, in collaboration with the University of Virginia Library, has written and directed an audio archive called Faulkner at Virginia. It’s a fascinating online collection that features recordings of Faulkner during his two terms as Writer-in-Residence at UVA (1957 and 1958).  

During that time, Faulkner spoke at thirty-six different public events, gave two addresses, read a dozen times from eight of his works, and answered more than 1,400 questions from diverse audiences. Most of those sessions were recorded on a reel-to-reel tape recorder. Now, thanks to the UVA archive, listeners can hear more than 28 hours of those recordings.

Find tons of fascinating Faulkner information by visiting the online archive.

Matt Simmons was born and raised in Whiteville, NC.  He lived in Raleigh for eight years, where he went to college at North Carolina State University, roasted coffee for a living, and developed a taste for single-malt Scotch.  Currently a Ph.D. student in English at the University of South Carolina, Matt and his wife live in Columbia, SC, where he tries to garden and regularly rides his bicycle in coat and tie.

The 2010 Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Writers Conference will be held from July 23 to July 25 at the Hilton Dallas/Fort Worth Lakes Executive Conference Center in Grapevine, Texas.

The conference features panel discussions, lectures, readings, and workshops in creative nonfiction. Participating writers include Paula Butturini and Mary Karr. Tuition, including some meals, ranges from $225 to $295. The room rate is $120 per night.

 Visit the website for more information.

Deadline: August 27, 2010

Web: www.nypl.org/yl

E-mail address: carolyn_gan@nypl.org

Entry Fee: None

A prize of $10,000 is given annually to honor a novel or short story collection by a U.S. citizen who is 35 or younger. Publishers and agents may submit 10 copies of a book (or bound galleys) published in 2010, a nomination form, an author biography, and book reviews by August 27. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.