Zenith Man: Death, Love, and Redemption in a Georgia Courtroom (Citadel Press, 2026) by McCracken Poston Jr. is a memoir from the perspective of a lawyer defending his client accused of killing his wife in 1997. This case is particularly interesting because his client, Alvin Ridley, would be diagnosed with autism in 2021, explaining many […]
Changes coming to Southern Literary Review
October 12, 2026 by Leave a Comment
Staff changes; mission remains the same As 2026 transitions to a new year, Southern Literary Review is also experiencing changes. For decades, SLR has prided itself on reviewing emerging authors and covering small presses ignored by major media like the NYT. As local newspapers have cut staff, it has become more difficult for these authors […]
“Tore All to Pieces” By Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr.
September 16, 2026 by Leave a Comment
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 […]