“Tour of a Lifetime: Glenamaddy to Gomorrah” by Thomas Rabbitt

When Thomas Rabbitt’s first acclaimed book of poetry, Exile (1975), won the prestigious Pitt award, he was a relatively young man. At that time, he was charged with starting a Masters of Fine Arts in creative writing program at The University of Alabama, a program he led to national prominence before retiring in 1998. Rabbitt’s […]

Claire Hamner Matturro interviews poet Thomas Rabbitt

Introduction Claire Hamner Matturro When I was in graduate school at The University of Alabama, Thomas Rabbitt was one of my poetry professors. I took several workshops with him as well as an introduction to modern poetry class. Professor Rabbitt was both an excellent teacher and an excellent poet. I credit him with finally teaching […]

Claire Hamner Matturro interviews Julie E. Bloemeke and Dustin Brookshire Editors of “Let Me Say This, A Dolly Parton Anthology”

CHM: Thank you both for taking this time to discuss your wonderful new poetry anthology, Let Me Say This, A Dolly Parton Poetry Anthology (Madville Publishing 2023). The anthology contains poetry written by fifty-four contributors, including emerging and established poets. The jacket blurb notes in part that “These poems remind us to be better and […]

A Conversation on the April Read of the month: “The Bystanders” by Dawn Major

Southern Literary Review congratulates Associate Editor Dawn Major on the publication of her debut novel, The Bystanders (Mooncove Press, 2023). SLR’s Editor Donna Meredith and Associate Editor Claire Matturro discuss Dawn Major’s novel, The Bystanders.   DM: The first chapter begins with the archetype of a stranger coming to town. In this case, the strangers […]

“Night Letter: A Novel” by Sterling Watson

With Night Letter (2023), Florida author Sterling Watson proves once more that he is a master storyteller and an exemplary writer. Set in the Sixties in the Florida Panhandle, the novel’s focus is on its sole narrator, an eighteen-year-old youth just released from six years in a Nebraska reform school. This narrator, Travis Hollister, tells […]

“Scapegoat” by T. K. Lee

There’s something wonderfully fresh and energetic in T. K. Lee’s innovative second poetry collection, Scapegoat (2022). Intricately layered, these poems are like looking through a kaleidoscope so that with each new viewing, something different and intriguing emerges from the words, images, and structures. These poems vibrate with words that dance about on the visual page […]