Dawn Major interviews Robert Gwaltney, Author of “The Cicada Tree”

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 […]

Claire Hamner Matturo interviews John Davis Jr., Author of “The Places That Hold”

CHM: John, thank you for taking the time to share some of your insights and thoughts with our readers. Let’s start by talking about your Southern heritage and agrarian ties. You are an eighth-generation Floridian, which must be increasingly rare. References to this legacy appear in your poetry in The Places That Hold, including “Letter […]

Virginia Pye Interviews Caitlin Hamilton Summie, Author of “Geographies of the Heart”

In Caitlin Hamilton Summie’s beautiful debut novel, the heart of a family is peeled away, layer by layer, until we know each member intimately and with profound results. Sarah Macmillan cares deeply about the bonds that tie together the generations of her family. She’s a loving and attentive granddaughter, and it pains her to witness […]

Donna Meredith Interviews Betsy Reeder

Donna Meredith interviews Betsy Reeder for Southern Literary Review. Reeder is the author of an historical trilogy: Madam’s Creek (2017), Broomstraw Ridge (2019), and her latest, Salt in Boiling Water (2022). These stories center around the lives and loves of characters caught up in vivid events of the Civil War and its aftermath in southern […]

SLR Interviews Janisse Ray, Author of “Wild Spectacle”

SLR interviews J. William Lewis, Author of “The Essence of Nathan Biddle”

SLR: How long did it take to write The Essence of Nathan Biddle? JWL: I began writing the story in the mid-1980s.  I wrote the first draft (which was largely biographical) fairly quickly and then put it aside for gestation.  I also put it aside because I had a large and demanding law practice and […]