Allen Mendenhall Interviews Amber D. Tran, Author of “Moon River”

AM: So glad for the opportunity to talk to you about your debut novel, Moon River. Before we get into the book, I want to ask about your background.  I noticed you’re a graduate of West Virginia University.  I studied English for my master’s at WVU and graduated from law school at WVU.  Did you […]

“The Promise of Jesse Woods,” by Chris Fabry

Reviewed by John S. Maguire Chris Fabry’s The Promise of Jesse Woods is a novel that deals with race, social inequality and the age-old story of star-crossed lovers. It is a complex read, weaving in and out of two time periods, but somehow Fabry makes it all work, twisting the usual response to these subjects […]

“Honey from the Lion” and “Allegheny Front,” by Matthew Neill Null

Reviewed by Donna Meredith The land itself and male characters dominate the early works of West Virginia author Matthew Neill Null. They include the literary novel Honey from the Lion (Lookout Books, 2015) and a short story collection, Allegheny Front (Sarabande Books, 2016), which won the Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction. If there is […]

“Life Through These Eyes,” by Michael S. Lambiotte

Reviewed by Donna Meredith Life Through These Eyes is a collection of over a hundred thoughtful, short personal essays by West Virginia native Michael S. Lambiotte. A few of these essays, first published as columns for a local newspaper, are specific to life in Clarksburg, but most would strike a chord of familiarity with people […]

Donna Meredith Interviews Glenn Taylor, Author of “A Hanging at Cinder Bottom”

DM: In the Acknowledgements you mention a Jackson Herald article covered the last public execution in the state. How was that article helpful in writing the first chapter? What details of that hanging are incorporated into your fiction? GT: I would say that article was immeasurably helpful, in that I had started the book and […]

November Read of the Month: “A Hanging at Cinder Bottom,” by Glenn Taylor

Reviewed by Donna Meredith Glenn Taylor’s new over-the-top caper sparkles with cinematic scenes begging to be transformed into film. A Hanging at Cinder Bottom: A Novel (Tin House Books) is primarily set in West Virginia coal country with occasional forays into Baltimore. The white-faced monkey depicted on the cover plays a role in a story […]