Robert Gwaltney undoubtedly has one of the most stunning imaginations of any author now writing. In his award-winning debut, The Cicada Tree—which, among other honors, won the Georgia Writer of the Year Award for a First Novel—he proved he excels in lyrical prose, richly drawn characters, and confident storytelling. Now, with his second novel, Sing […]
“Leaving Edgefield” by Carolyn W. Hooker
March 16, 2026 by Leave a Comment
Leaving Edgefield (2025) by Carolyn W. Hooker is a compelling work of historical fiction centered on the life of Carrie Butler, a Black teen from Edgefield, South Carolina, who went to work as a domestic servant in the Thurmond house in 1924. The story is told through Carrie’s richly imagined voice as she lies on […]
Claire Matturro interviews Robert Gwaltney, author of “Sing Down the Moon”
March 16, 2026 by 2 Comments
Claire Hamner Matturro: Robert, first, thank you for sharing some time and your answers with Southern Literary Review. You have a very full schedule of book release events for Sing Down the Moon, plus you are the vice-president in Atlanta of the Easter Seals North Georgia, Inc, and serve as Fiction Editor for the Blue […]
“Death of the First Idea” by Rickey Laurentiis
March 10, 2026 by Leave a Comment
The poetry collection, Death of the First Idea (Alfred A. Knopf, 2025), written by award winning poet Rickey Laurentiis, is a stunning exploration into identity. She covers topics of transness and society’s perspectives on gender, race and what it means to be Black in America, sexuality, mental health, abuse, and religion with all the depths […]
“One Beautiful Year of Normal” by Sandra Griffith
March 4, 2026 by Leave a Comment
Largely set in Savannah, One Beautiful Year of Normal (She Writes Press 2026) by Sandra Griffith explores the effects of a mother’s severe mental illness on her child in a riveting psychological thriller. The narrative shifts between past and present as the adult August Caine attends the funeral of her Aunt Helen—a woman she believed […]
“What Were You Thinking: Essays 2006–2024” by Hank Lazer
March 3, 2026 by Leave a Comment
The deeply philosophical essays in What You Were Thinking: Essays 2006-2024 (Lavender Ink, 2025) by renowned poet Hank Lazer will appeal to poetry lovers and scholars. In addition to the essays, Lazer includes examples of his “shape” poems and a number of interviews that further illuminate his artistic and philosophical commitments. In April 2015, Lazer […]