With thorough research, Mitzi Dorton brings the inspiring story of Chief Corn Tassel to life. Much of Chief Corn Tassel (Finishing Line Press, 2022) is told through the Cherokee chief’s own words and recorded speeches. An impressive section of illustrations appends the book. Known as “the best statesman” and “the greatest orator of the late […]
A Conversation on the April Read of the month: “The Bystanders” by Dawn Major
April 5, 2023 by 1 Comment
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 […]
“The Third Rainbow Girl: The Long Life of a Double Murder in Appalachia” by Emma Copley Eisenberg
April 4, 2023 by Leave a Comment
With elegant prose, Emma Copley Eisenberg pushes all the boundaries in her nonfiction book, The Third Rainbow Girl: The Long Life of a Double Murder in Appalachia (Hatchette, 2020). It is part true crime, but her lens focuses tighter on the people involved than the typical crime story. Eisenberg delivers the life stories of the […]
March Read of the Month: “Atomic Family” by Ciera Horton McElroy
March 1, 2023 by Leave a Comment
For a novel that begins by plunging right ahead to its grim ending—a little boy falling from a water tower—Atomic Family (Blair, 2023) still manages to build excruciating suspense by the time the story circles back to the fall. Why did the boy climb the tower? Will he survive the fall? Author Ciera Horton McElroy […]
“Lark Ascending” by Silas House
February 15, 2023 by 1 Comment
What with climate change and ineffective, unstable democracies, no wonder many novelists have penned apocalyptic stories in recent years. Renowned Southern author Silas House is the latest to try the genre, crafting a poignant tale, Lark Ascending (Algonquin Books, 2022). The title comes from a George Meredith poem of the same title. The novel’s final […]