Laughlin: Romanticist Extraordinaire, A Memoir

By Louis Gallo Laughlin, Ghosts Along the Mississippi: An essay in the poetic interpretation of Louisiana’s plantation archictecture—One hundred photographs by the author (Bonanza Books, NY—1961) —Clarence John Laughlin, Aperture Monograph (1973) I. I’ve never believed that literature is an ideal conduit for surrealism other than in spurts such as the “Nighttown” episode in Joyce’s […]

“The Christ of New Orleans”: Everette Maddox, A Reminiscence

Essay by Louis Gallo What if I just caved in, gave out, pulled over to the side of the road of life, & expired like an old driver’s license? You might say He didn’t get far in 31 years. But I’d say That’s all right, it was the world’s longest trip on an empty tank. […]

“My Sunshine Away,” by M.O. Walsh

Reviewed by Michael Pitts In his debut novel, M.O. Walsh offers an exceptional mixture of adolescent exploration, intrigue, and violence. Weaving between the years of childhood, high school, and adulthood, the text is an exemplary addition to the Bildungsroman tradition with its central focus being the development of a young boy. This narrator must endure […]

“The Cottoncrest Curse,” by Michael H. Rubin

Reviewed by Donna Meredith It’s the history woven into the tale that grabbed me most in Michael H. Rubin’s debut novel, The Cottoncrest Curse. Thoroughly researched, this historical thriller captures the high drama of the Civil Rights Era’s Freedom Riders and Knights of the White Camellia and offers authentic details concerning the harvesting of sugarcane […]

“Lady of the House,” by Lynn Braxton

Reviewed by Donna Meredith Lynn Braxton’s debut novel, Lady of the House, is a sweeping period romance certain to sweep you off your feet. The story is set in the early 1800s in Charleston, South Carolina, and New Orleans—both cities known for their history, southern culture, and class consciousness. Braxton, the penname of Panhandle resident […]

“Many Rivers to Cross,” by Thomas Zigal

Reviewed by Sam Slaughter Is it too late for this? That was the first question that came to mind upon opening Thomas Zigal’s fifth novel Many Rivers to Cross. Is a novel set among the wreckage of post-Katrina New Orleans published in 2013 still relevant almost decade after the tragedy? MRTC follows various members of […]