Reviewed by Amy Susan Wilson Entering William Bernhardt’s debut poetry collection, The White Bird, is entering into the heart of human community. Always rich, often humorous, and at times poignant, these poems, which are diverse in style, guide us through the maze of parenting, longing, loss, working, traveling, and, among other things, falling in and […]
November Read of the Month: “The White Bird,” by William Bernhardt
November 4, 2014 by Leave a Comment
October Read of the Month: “Memories of Holly Woode,” by Richard Wickliffe
October 7, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Anastasia Wickham “If at the end of our lives we’re nothing more than a collection of our memories, then I know John has had a very good life.” Richard Wickliffe’s 2013 novel is 265 pages of nostalgic summer enjoyment. Memories of Holly Woode is an easy read with short chapters rife with scenes […]
September Read of the Month: “The Holy Mark,” by Gregory Alexander
September 4, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Jessi Lewis The Holy Mark is the story of Joseph Broussard, or “Joe,” who later becomes Father Anthony Miggliore, a priest of the Catholic Church in New Orleans. Joe’s story involves distinct conflicts between Joe’s family and the Catholic community regarding sexual attraction, the Church’s public relations, and the hidden and overt lifestyle […]
August Read of the Month: “Hush Puppy,” by Lisa T. Cresswell
August 7, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Ana Reyes Corrine Lamb earns her nickname, “Hush Puppy,” in the opening pages of this young adult novel by giving away her lunch – a sack of hush puppies – to Jamie Armstrong, a poor boy who’s just moved to town. It’s a fitting introduction to her character, as later on, she will […]
July Read of the Month: “I Watched You Disappear,” by Anya Krugovoy Silver
July 8, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Sara Hughes When offering advice to writers, Henry James said, “Try to be one of those on whom nothing is lost.” In her second collection of poetry, I Watched You Disappear, Anya Silver demonstrates that she is a poet “on whom nothing is lost.” Constantly observing life through the lens of memory and […]
June Read of the Month: “Rough Beast,” by Tim Peeler
June 18, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Danilo Thomas Tim Peeler’s twelfth book, Rough Beast, issued by Future Cycle Press, concentrates on the life of Larry, a holler boy raised viciously. By utilizing narrative, anecdote, exemplar, and a perspective shift that attempts an objective glance at the subject matter, the four separate sections of poems that comprise Rough Beast parse […]