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 […]
“Pat Conroy’s Lowcountry” by Lynn Seldon
October 7, 2026 by Leave a Comment
Pat Conroy’s Lowcountry (History Press 2026) by Lynn Seldon offers a literary travel guide to the Lowcountry of South Carolina and a glimpse into the Lowcountry heart of the incomparable author of The Prince of Tides. As a longtime friend and sometime neighbor of Pat Conroy and his wife, fellow novelist Cassandra King, Seldon is perfectly […]
“A Priest Walks into a Waffle House” by Lauretta Hannon
September 9, 2026 by Leave a Comment
A Priest Walks into a Waffle House by Lauretta Hannon is a collection of ninety nonlinear short stories. So, let me just tell you right here and now, Lauretta is a hoot. Not only that but she makes a very good case for the proper use of punctuation in her first chapter when she writes, […]
“Summer State of Mind” by Kristy Woodson Harvey
July 1, 2026 by 2 Comments
In her newest novel, Summer State of Mind, Kristy Woodson Harvey does it yet again—she brings us into a story that we don’t want to leave. But before I go any further, I want to know something. Could this possibly be the beginning, or continuation, of a series? Please, say yes! I am so not […]
“The Perfect Rom-Com” by Melissa Ferguson
March 30, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This book is totally aptly named, because it is The Perfect Rom-Com. I read it within twenty-four hours, laughed myself silly, wanted to be Bryony’s best friend because of her quick wit, fell a bit in love with Jack myself, cried through chapter twenty-five, and lobbed imaginary spit balls at Amelia’s “Choppy yellow hair that […]
Mary Ellen Thompson interviews Bren McClain, author of “One Good Mama Bone”
March 17, 2026 by 3 Comments
I met Bren McClain in 2017 at an author’s luncheon and book signing for her new novel, One Good Mama Bone. At some point, when she was living away, I offered Bren a writing respite at MarshSong Cottage. She never did take me up on it, but we started emailing each other and because we […]