Dawn Major met Ann Hite through a friend and fellow Southern author Raymond Adkins. She was seeking Southern authors to review for her blog, now called SouthernRead, and Adkins emailed her about Hite. Dawn loved Hite’s Appalachian settings and her infamous haints, but also her approach to writing, which is much like her own. Go […]
Flooding in Eastern Kentucky Devastates a Community and Hindman Settlement School
August 24, 2022 by Leave a Comment
If you’re wondering why these books are muddied and swimming in water, it’s because this is just a small example of the destruction force that hit Eastern Kentucky a few weeks ago. At the end of July 2022, incredibly destructive thunderstorms and rain and deadly flash flooding swept through Kentucky. The Hindman Settlement School was […]
Dawn Major interviews Michelle Dotter, editor-in-chief of Dzanc Books
August 3, 2022 by Leave a Comment
I became acquainted with Michelle Dotter, editor-in-chief of Dzanc Books, through the Team Gay—a group of scholars, artists, writers, and enthusiasts who have been working on publishing William Gay’s posthumous books. It was a real honor working with Michelle. The team absolutely bombarded her with emails debating what some might think to be trivial points—why […]
Dawn Major interviews Robert Gwaltney, Author of “The Cicada Tree”
February 24, 2022 by Leave a Comment
I finally met Robert Gwaltney—in person—at a local author’s book signing, but we had become virtual friends during this never-ending pandemic. Robert is a writer and book advocate like me, so it was only a matter of time before our paths crossed. Gwaltney is also the editor for Blue Mountain Review and is highly active […]
“The Cicada Tree,” by Robert Gwaltney
February 23, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Dawn Major In The Cicada Tree, Georgia author Robert Gwaltney’s debut novel, dark secrets lurk beneath the town of Providence, Georgia, secrets of obsessions and betrayal, secrets that must be unearthed. Donalbain, from Shakespeare’s MacBeth, said, “There’s daggers in men’s smiles. The near in the blood, The nearer bloody.” The Cicada Tree (Moonshine […]
“Southbound: Essays on Identity, Heritage, and Social Change,” by Anjali Enjeti
July 1, 2021 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Dawn Major Early into Southbound Enjeti says, “The problem with masks is that it’s very hard to see out of them.” The human mind attempts to find connections and these particular words connected the entire collection thematically. Enjeti was referring to the mask of silence here, specifically hiding behind a mask as a […]