In her debut novel, Behind the Waterline (Blair 2025), author Kionna Walker LeMalle tells a dual timeline story in two historically significant periods set apart by about four decades. First and foremost, Behind the Waterline is a coming-of-age story about teenage Eric and a courageous journey that he is seemingly forced to take in a […]
Read of the Month: “Leta Pearl’s Love Biscuits” by Arlon Jay Staggs
December 31, 2025 by Leave a Comment
First, you’re entranced by the title: Leta Pearl’s Love Biscuits (Koehler Books 2025). Then, buckle up. You’re about to enter three-hundred mischievous pages of 1982 small-town Alabama in this wildly entertaining romp by Arlon Jay Staggs. The protagonist, Trudy Abernathy, is a young woman with a past that continues to haunt her, largely because of […]
Winner of the 2025 Anhinga Prize: “dumb” by Betsy Johnson
December 31, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Winner of the 2025 Anhinga Prize: “dumb” by Betsy Johnson Betsy Johnson’s manuscripts have been finalists in the Graywolf Nonfiction Prize, the National Poetry Series Competition, and the University of Wisconsin Poetry Prizes. Her work has appeared in the Kenyon Review, the Iowa Review (online), Boulevard, Prairie Schooner, and Alaska Quarterly Review. She lives in Minnesota and […]
“Bees in June” by Elizabeth Bass Parman
December 30, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Sometimes a book sneaks up on you. I don’t normally read “light, easy” fiction, yet Elizabeth Bass Parman’s Bees in June grabbed me by the heart and didn’t let go. It’s a magical realism story set in the South that balances charm, emotional depth, and a touch of whimsy, much like the bees that hum […]
Stephanie Cornais
December 29, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Stephanie Cornais is a dedicated observer of the natural world, a secondary science teacher, a Certified Florida Master Naturalist, and an environmental consultant. She is known for creating outdoor classrooms and leading nature-based field trips. She also shares her passion for the healing power of nature through wellness retreats and her Substack newsletter, Natural and Wild […]
Southern Literary Review’s 2025 Books of the Year
December 17, 2025 by Leave a Comment
The editors of Southern Literary Review select several books each year to receive special recognition. (See criteria here.) Congratulations to the authors of these fine additions to Southern literature! Book of the Year – (Tie) The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff The Miniaturist’s Assistant by Katherine Scott Crawford Poetry Lullaby for […]