DM: I have a theory that every great novel begins with one strong emotional scene or character or idea that ignites the author’s passion. What spark initiated your desire to write The Orphan of Pitigliano? MB: Honestly, I think it was a series of experiences I had had in Pitigliano over the years that coalesced […]
Allen Mendenhall Interviews Kathleen M. Rodgers, Author of “The Flying Cutterbucks”
June 4, 2020 by 5 Comments
AM: I hope you are safe and well during this coronavirus pandemic, Kathleen. I just want to give our readers some context for this interview in light of the rapidly evolving circumstances. Right now it’s March 2020, and we’re locked down and confined in the home because of COVID-19. But by the time this interview […]
“Ishion Hutchinson, Lord of Reggae Poetry and the Cornell Commons,” by Patrick A. Howell
April 20, 2020 by Leave a Comment
Lord Ishion Hutchinson, Lord of Reggae Poetry and the Cornell Commons I can bring a halo into the night cave, quiet with music (do not ask the music), to her shaded there in the moon; her fine spectacles steam their pond rings From “Black Space” (Poetry, January 2017) by Ishion Hutchinson The scepter of […]
Allen Mendenhall Interviews Joanne Kukanza Easley, Author of “Sweet Jane”
March 25, 2020 by Leave a Comment
AM: I’m glad our mutual friend, Johnnie Bernhard, connected us, Joanne. Johnnie has written for Southern Literary Review, and we’ve reviewed her books. How did y’all meet? JKE: Thanks for your time, Allen. I attended a book signing for Johnnie’s second novel How We Came to Be at a local library in the Texas Hill […]
“John Michael Cummings: a Writer on a Mission,” Profile by John Riddle
March 12, 2020 by Leave a Comment
Profile by John Riddle Many people dream of becoming a writer, but very few take the leap of faith and make it happen. Make no mistake about it: writing is hard, and for many people, staring at a blank piece of paper or a blank computer screen is enough to scare you to death. But […]
Allen Mendenhall Interviews Melissa Fischer, Author of “The Advocacy”
February 26, 2020 by Leave a Comment
AM: I’m glad we have this opportunity, Melissa, to talk about your profound new book, The Advocacy, which is set in 1992 in Obuasi, Ghana, a mining town known for its gold. You lived in this town in 1992 and remained there for a few years while you worked for the Peace Corps. How did […]