I first picked up Tore All to Pieces (University Press of Kentucky 2026) by Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr. at the Appalachian Studies Association Conference this past March. After hearing him speak on two panels, I was immediately taken by the sincerity in which he spoke about growing up in Appalachia and the challenges that […]
Welcome to new Associate Editor Jennifer Lewis
September 16, 2026 by Leave a Comment
Southern Literary Review welcomes Jennifer Lewis as its newest Associate Editor. Lewis is an English Instructor at Marshall University and an Editorial Assistant for Mountain State Press. As a student, she earned her BA in Theatre and MA in English at Marshall. She’s had her work published in the 2023 and 2024 issues of Et […]
Jennifer Lewis Interviews Cynthia Leal Massey, Author of “Well of Deception”
April 1, 2026 by Leave a Comment
A finalist for the 2026 Spur Award for Best Western Contemporary Novel, Well of Deception (Stoney Creek Publishing 2025), by Cynthia Leal Massey, is a historical fiction novel taking place in south central Texas in the late 1950s. Inspired by true events, this story is about the murder of Maggie Schneider at her turkey farm […]
“Well of Deception” by Cynthia Leal Massey
March 30, 2026 by Leave a Comment
Well of Deception (Stoney Creek Publishing 2025), by the multi-award-winning author Cynthia Leal Massey, is a new take on the classic small town murder mystery. A bullet shot in broad daylight seemingly out of nowhere kills turkey-breeder Maggie Schneider, and the prime suspect is missing. Everyone thinks they know who shot Maggie, but they can’t […]
“Death of the First Idea” by Rickey Laurentiis
March 10, 2026 by Leave a Comment
The poetry collection, Death of the First Idea (Alfred A. Knopf, 2025), written by award winning poet Rickey Laurentiis, is a stunning exploration into identity. She covers topics of transness and society’s perspectives on gender, race and what it means to be Black in America, sexuality, mental health, abuse, and religion with all the depths […]
“Fiend” by Alma Katsu
October 6, 2025 by Leave a Comment
What happens when an elite family has a demon to do their dirty work? Alma Katsu’s Fiend (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2025) explores what a rich and powerful family is willing to do to stay on top. All the while, a dark force looms over them in the shadows—always watching, waiting. This family, the Berishas, seems […]