The Southern Literary Review celebrates Southern authors and their contributions to American literature. We feature classic writers who have defined Southern literature, and we highlight emerging authors with interviews, profiles, and book reviews. We support independent bookstores. If you subscribe to our newsletter, please add southernliteraryreview@comcast.net to your email contacts list so that the newsletter doesn’t […]
“The Burning Side” by Sarah Damoff
May 20, 2026 by Leave a Comment
Sarah Damoff’s second novel, The Burning Side, is just as rich in poignant moments and nuanced characters as her first, The Bright Years, which Southern Literary Review selected as its 2025 Book of the Year. The Burning Side explores two very different marriages, revealing both the best and the worst of committed love. One begins […]
“Perfect Unfolding: Seven Years of Life-Changing Solo Adventure, One Year that Broke me Open” by Kristy Halvorsen
May 19, 2026 by Leave a Comment
Suspend all expectations when you open Kristy Halvorsen’s memoir, Perfect Unfolding (Coddiwomple Now, LLC 2026). With raw candor, in fragmented “nomadic mosaic” style like Maggie Nelson’s Bluets, she unveils how she finds herself set loose after her boyfriend leaves. Yet her mom helps her realize her dreams are not crushed but parked in her driveway—if […]
“Far From Uncertain: One Woman’s Life of Crime & Other Righteous Deeds” by Teddy Jones
May 19, 2026 by 2 Comments
Selfless nurse, defender of the vulnerable, and murderous addict—can one be all of these? Far From Uncertain: One Woman’s Life of Crime and Other Righteous Deeds jumps right smack dab into the life of Margaret Kenyon and keeps you and cub reporter, Charles Bailey, running through her story at a breathless pace. The tale drags […]
Zanna Swann
May 18, 2026 by Leave a Comment
From as early as she could talk, getting to the who, what, when, where, why, and how were the goals of Zanna Swann – much to her family’s chagrin at times. Because was never an answer, in fact, it then became a challenge. As a distraction, her mom would flip the script and ask Zanna […]
“The Mediator” by Robert Bailey
May 15, 2026 by Leave a Comment
The stakes in a rogue divorce mediation couldn’t be higher—life and death for both the shaky mediator fresh out of rehab and the desperate husband who has never confronted an ethical line he will not cross. With that set-up, award-winning, best-selling Alabama attorney Robert Bailey is back with a new one, The Mediator (Max Ringo, […]
Read of the Month: “Kissing the Sky” by Lisa Patton
May 6, 2026 by Leave a Comment
Kissing the Sky (Lake Union Publishing 2026) by Lisa Patton is an engaging historical coming-of-age novel about finding and asserting one’s true self. Set during turbulent times, much of the story takes place at Woodstock—both the original 1969 famous music festival and the 50-year anniversary celebration. In her author’s notes, Patton admits she was too […]