AM: Thanks, Lorna, for doing this interview. The title of your debut novel is Tobacco Sun. I want to ask you about that title, but first I want to quote from some opening lines of the book. “Tobacco,” you say, “a strangely fragile, yet willful crop, desperate for survivorship, proved it could somehow adapt to […]
“The Southern Philosopher: Collected Essays of John William Corrington,” Edited by Allen Mendenhall
August 3, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Jay Langdale Poet, attorney and film-writer John William Corrington was an enigmatic artist whose life (1932-1988) spanned a pivotal era in the history of Southern letters. Raised Catholic during the Great Depression, Corrington attended Centenary College and completed a graduate degree in Renaissance literature from Rice University as well as a D.Phil from […]
Allen Mendenhall Interviews Idabel Allen, Author of “Rooted”
July 18, 2017 by Leave a Comment
AM: The title of your book is Rooted. The first line signals that this word, rooted, will take on layers of meaning. “It all comes from the root,” your narrator says. “And Grover McQuiston was the root of it all.” What are you after here? IA: The opening line of Rooted serves a couple of purposes. As there are […]
Allen Mendenhall Interviews Jessica Hooten Wilson
June 22, 2017 by Leave a Comment
AM: You’ve written three books in quick succession that should appeal to readers of Southern Literary Review. The first involves Flannery O’Connor, and the second and third, Walker Percy. I’d like to start by asking about the second book, Walker Percy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and the Search for Influence, because I’m also interested in notions of influence. Read […]
Allen Mendenhall Interviews Amber D. Tran, Author of “Moon River”
June 14, 2017 by Leave a Comment
AM: So glad for the opportunity to talk to you about your debut novel, Moon River. Before we get into the book, I want to ask about your background. I noticed you’re a graduate of West Virginia University. I studied English for my master’s at WVU and graduated from law school at WVU. Did you […]
Managing Editor Allen Mendenhall Publishes “Of Bees and Boys,” A Collection of Essays
May 23, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Managing editor Allen Mendenhall has published his second book this year. Of Bees and Boys, a collection of essays, was released May 10th. From the publisher, Red Dirt Press: In this collection of essays, literary lawyer Allen Mendenhall examines ideas about place, literature, reading, family, and custom from the vanishing perspective of a traditional Southerner. […]