A novel set in a Tuscan villa might seem like an odd choice for Southern Literary Review. Obviously, the setting completely misses our locale. Yet The Medici Curse (Scarlet Books 2025) hits the mark because it was penned by a talented Huntsville, Alabama, author Daco S. Auffenorde. The story contains a heavy dose of gothic horror and supernatural […]
“When the Earth Was a Comfort” by Victor Depta
July 1, 2025 by Leave a Comment
The Buddhist concept of emptiness appears frequently in Victor Depta’s latest collection of poetry, When the Earth Was a Comfort (Blair Mountain Press 2025). The collection is divided into four parts, corresponding to the seasons. I related strongly to the title poem, which is placed first in the book. Depta references the floods, the heat, […]
Effigies and Incantations at Johns Creek Books July 26, 2025
June 29, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Associate Editor, Dawn Major, will be appearing for the launch of the anthology, Effigies and Incantations, put out by D.C. Phillips on July 26th at John’s Creek in Georgia. Come meet her diabolical doll, Lil’ Softee, as well as other Southern authors ranging from traditional hauntings to the Southern Gothic.
2025 Pulitzer Prize in History–“Combee: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom During the Civil War” by Edda Fields-Black
June 18, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Congratulations to Edda Fields-Black, who won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for history with her book Combee: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom During the Civil War. Read Geri Lipshultz’s excellent review of this work. The Gibbes Museum of Art, a beacon for the arts in the American South since its establishment in […]
“‘Payne-Ful’ Business: Charleston’s Journey to Truth” by Margaret Seidler
June 17, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Margaret Seidler’s book, “Payne-Ful” Business: Charleston’s Journey To Truth, is going to be known in the future as a pivotal point in changing history. Margaret has not written “another” book about slavery, it is not a memoir where she feels sorry for her circumstances, it is a wake-up call to embrace the kind of knowledge […]