Award-winning author, James McBride, said to new writers, “The simple story is the best story,” and that is exactly what Chika Unigwe’s novel authored with her latest novel, The Middle Daughter. But Unigwe is not new to writing by any means. She writes essays, poetry, novels, and short stories. She has been published in numerous […]
“Magicicada and Other Marvels” by Kathleen Brewin Lewis
October 16, 2023 by Leave a Comment
The poems in Magicicada and other Marvels (Shanti Arts LLC 2022), a collection by Georgia poet Kathleen Brewin Lewis, are filled with the magic of Southern flora and fauna as the title suggests, yet they are much more than nature poems. Written with an abiding sense of grace and understated wisdom, these are poems meant […]
“Dreams of Arcadia” by Brian Porter
October 15, 2023 by Leave a Comment
In Dreams of Arcadia (Legacy Book Press 2023), Brian Porter transports readers inside the world of a rural veterinarian with spectacular descriptions of the Texas countryside and riveting details concerning the care of cattle and other animals. But the novel is also the story of Nate Holub’s family and the uncovering of long-held secrets. Think […]
“This is Where it Ends” by Cindy K. Sproles
October 15, 2023 by Leave a Comment
Fulfilling a promise not to tell anyone about the secret that her husband, Stately, entrusts to her, Minerva Jane Jenkins buries a mysterious box upon his death. When reporter Del Rankin shows up on her property and presses to know the story behind the reputed stolen gold, Minerva holds onto her secret, albeit with a […]
October Read of the Month: “The Stockwell Letters” by Jacqueline Friedland
October 4, 2023 by Leave a Comment
Dramatic conflicts caused by the Fugitive Slave Act are central to Jacqueline Friedland’s excellent, thoroughly researched historical novel, The Stockwell Letters. The Fugitive Slave Act put all Black citizens at risk of kidnapping, even if they had been born free, causing many to exit the United States: “Nearly three thousand Negroes had crossed the border […]