An Antebellum Oz (Choice Press 2025) by Joseph Eldredge is a boldly reimagined The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in which six friends—three free siblings, three enslaved youths—on a Mississippi farm at the beginning of the Civil War find themselves uplifted in a hurricane and set down in Oz. The story is inventive, thought-provoking, and engrossing […]
“Lullaby for the Grieving” by Ashley M. Jones
November 12, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Heralded as her most personal collection of poetry yet, Ashley M. Jones’s Lullaby for the Grieving (Hub City Press, 2025) dazzles with its power and beauty. With innovative forms, profound themes, and a fierceness tempered by sensitivity, Jones addresses many topics. Given the title, it is no surprise that poems about grief dominate the collection, […]
Nobody writes quite like Sean Dietrich.
November 10, 2025 by Leave a Comment
He is the master of storytelling, no question, and he writes with rich, lyrical phrases, generous sprinkles of similes, and deep insight into the human psyche. Notably, he writes with empathy and compassion—even for the bad guys. Redemption as a theme is often hovering or in full force in his works. He has always brought […]
“Orphans of the Living” by Kathy Watson
November 9, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Orphans of the Living (She Writes Press 2025) by Kathy Watson is a poignant, unflinching, and beautifully crafted novel rooted in the author’s family history. As Watson observes in her opening notes: “This book is a work of fiction. It’s also true.” Centered on the author’s maternal family, the Stovalls, the story, as Watson explains, […]
“Junie” by Erin Crosby Eckstine
October 14, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Junie (Ballantine 2025) by Erin Crosby Eckstine is a vividly drawn work of historical fiction, set in the antebellum South, which features a complex, fully realized 16-year-old enslaved teen named Junie. While the title character is the heart and soul of the novel, other characters—good, bad, and hovering in between—fill the pages in this haunting, […]