South Carolina writer George Singleton’s new short story collection Wounded Boarders (Dzanc Books 2026) introduces us to a motley crew of distinctly Southern characters. Eclectic, vulnerable, and often not entirely likable, they find themselves working unusual and sporadic jobs, in strange and sometimes absurd settings, and dealing with equally unusual interlocutors. Opening story “Horace Poor, […]
Frightful Fables Press presents Southern Monsters Anthology Launch Party
August 30, 2026 by Leave a Comment
Southern Gothic icon Flannery O’Connor once wrote, “Right now the whole world seems to be going through a dark night of the soul.” With this timeless observation in mind, sixteen deviously talented authors banded together to examine the monsters that lurk within the shadows of the U.S. South’s dark night. In this anthology, the definition […]
August Books of Note
August 27, 2026 by Leave a Comment
River of Silence (Mountain State Press) by M. Lynne Squires is a heartbreaking novel about a woman suffering from postpartum depression in the 1950s before the condition was understood by the medical community and humane treatments were developed. After Anastasia leaves her job to care for her newly adopted baby, she becomes severely depressed. She […]
“City of God” by Bill Lavender
August 23, 2026 by 1 Comment
I am tired of blurbs with their inflated claims of greatness. “Not since so and so have we seen such amazing thus and such” etc. Yet, in turning to the daunting task of reviewing Bill Lavender’s City of God (MadHat Press, 2026), his book, which, let me get it said sooner rather than later (in […]
Gwaltney to lead Pat Conroy Literary Center
August 21, 2026 by Leave a Comment
The Pat Conroy Literary Center is pleased to announce the appointment of Robert Gwaltney as its new Executive Director. A nonprofit executive and critically acclaimed author, Gwaltney brings more than 25 years of mission-driven leadership and community service, along with a deep personal connection to the work and legacy of Pat Conroy. A lifelong resident […]