“A Gathering Place” by Vicki Salloum

Mississippi native and resident of New Orleans, Vicki Salloum has magically woven her Lebanese Catholic family’s colorful roots and traditions into a wonderful piece of literary fiction in her novel The Gathering Place (Silent Clamor Press 2025).

Ordered by the Mother of God to start a business—an actual gathering place in post-Katrina New Orleans where Lebanese, Latinos, and African Americans can celebrate their lives together—Aunt Blue overcomes unending obstacles to her plan. Purchasing a rundown Greek revival on a sketchy street in Central City, she hires several Latinos to do the renovation.

Blue’s story is told by her niece Jamila, who lives in New Orleans and supports 82-year-old Blue, even though she has concerns about her aunt’s possible dementia. There’s plenty of tension as Blue and Jamila deal with racism, the ongoing threat of violence, and resistance from their family, but that tension is offset by the myriad of beautiful descriptions of the language, music, and food of all three races.

The reader joins with all three groups as they learn from each other and face the future together. Filled with hope and redemption, A Gathering Place will capture your heart.

Vicki Salloum

Vicki Salloum was born and raised in Gulfport, Mississippi. Vicki was a staff writer for three newspapers, including The Miami Herald. Her four published novels are Waiting for You at Midnight, Candyland, Faulkner & Friends, and A Prayer to Saint Jude. Her short fiction has been included in several anthologies. Vicki currently lives in New Orleans. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.