Review by Cameron Williams The concept of utopia—an ideal community composed of men and women living together in social and political harmony—has been a popular trope in literature since Plato first penned The Republic. Slant of Light (Blank Slate Press), Steve Wiegenstein’s first novel, breathes new life into this genre, (re)imagining the possibility of utopia […]
April Read of the Month: “The Not Yet,” by Moira Crone
April 16, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Review by Philip K. Jason University of New Orleans Press. 272 pages. $15.95 Imagining a Mississippi Delta area significantly transformed by decades of ferocious hurricanes, Moira Crone takes us to a realm of islands where immortals rule and the rest live lives of aspiration or rebellion in a caste-bound, static society. Who wouldn’t want to […]
March Read of the Month: “Into the Free,” by Julie Cantrell
March 1, 2012 by 1 Comment
Review by Adele Annesi Julie Cantrell’s debut novel, Into the Free, offers a poetic voice and compelling story for young adults and adults that engages readers in tales of segregation, challenges, secrets and hope in unexpected places. Set in Depression-era Mississippi, Into the Free is the story of Millie Reynolds, whose mixed Choctaw and white […]
February Read of the Month: “In the Time of the Feast of Flowers,” by Tina Egnoski
February 8, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Review by Bonnie Armstrong Tina Egnoski won the 2008 Black River Chapbook Contest with a collection of short stories, Perishables. Reviews of that work mention that she is a fine storyteller of the human condition whose fast-paced and dynamic prose generate an emotional intensity coupled with appropriate restraint. Egnoski continues this excellent writing with the publication of […]
January Read of the Month: “Wild Florida Waters,” by Doug Alderson
January 2, 2012 by 2 Comments
Review by Donna Meredith Doug Alderson’s Wild Florida Waters: Exploring the Sunshine State by Kayak and Canoe takes us on an amazing journey down miles of winding rivers. Alderson has a gift for making readers feel immersed in the scent of muddy bottoms, enthralled by the cries of limpkins, and calmed by paddles slurping […]
December Read of the Month: “Larry Brown: A Writer’s Life,” by Jean W. Cash
November 29, 2011 by 1 Comment
Reviewed by Philip K. Jason Professor Cash’s life story of Mississippi author Larry Brown sets a high standard for biographies of contemporary authors. Her study is a model of how to absorb abundant and varied research materials into a sturdy, accessible prose style. Cash neatly balances materials about Brown’s personal life, his progress as a […]