At What Cost, Silence: The Texian Trilogy, Book 1 is the brilliant debut from author Karen Lynne Klink. The dramatic turns that affect the Villere family household over the course of more than a decade form the essence of the narrative while each chapter is seen through various characters’ perspectives. The accounts of Adrien and […]
“Spillway” by Kim Bradley
November 14, 2023 by Leave a Comment
The captivating tales in Kim Bradley’s award-winning Spillway (Stephen F. Austin State University Press 2022) are stunning, well-crafted pieces that display the power of short stories at their finest. Bradley writes with compassion and insight about a class of people no doubt considered outcasts, and her empathy and understanding of her characters form the back-bone […]
November Read of the Month: “The Curious Lives of Nonprofit Martyrs: Stories” by George Singleton
November 1, 2023 by 1 Comment
There are unwritten rules one must at least consider when attempting to mention an author’s place among the masters of the Southern literary canon. One of those is to include no less than two quotes from William Faulkner. So, let us begin. “A writer needs three things, experience, observation, and imagination, any two of which, […]
“Indigo Field” by Marjorie Hudson
October 31, 2023 by Leave a Comment
Indigo Field (Regal House, 2023) by Marjorie Hudson contains many strong elements, rather than one. She pulls off this feat with a full panoply of writing skills on display. First, Hudson creates a compelling story with three fully developed sets of racially diverse characters whose lives intersect in both harmony and conflict. The most important […]
“Heart’s Core” by Joann Gardner
October 30, 2023 by Leave a Comment
Prize-winning poet Joann Gardner, PhD, dives deep into Florida’s underground rivers and gathers gems and experiences too complex for simple surface tellings in Heart’s Core (Finishing Line Press 2023). This new poetry book is structured as a journey. Gardner’s book explores concepts of belonging and identity in her far-flung European and U.S. North-South immersions as […]
“The Middle Daughter” by Chika Unigwe
October 18, 2023 by Leave a Comment
Award-winning author, James McBride, said to new writers, “The simple story is the best story,” and that is exactly what Chika Unigwe’s novel authored with her latest novel, The Middle Daughter. But Unigwe is not new to writing by any means. She writes essays, poetry, novels, and short stories. She has been published in numerous […]