Michael Bertrand examines how rock ‘n’ roll united and divided Southerners across the color line
…Civil Rights Movement. I end the book with the phrase, “It’s complicated.” Chapter 16: Southern society sometimes appears paradoxical. On one hand, it has enforced racial separation. On the other,…
Poet Jane Hicks uncovers hidden worlds in The Safety of Small Things
…the body of the collection with an unforgettable image: “Ten days into a drug-induced coma, Mother plays cards with the unseen.” This poem, titled simply “The Unseen,” conjures a silent…
A writer explores her enduring ties to a seasonal classic by Dylan Thomas
…seasonal cheer. But “Child” gains its real power from Thomas’ narrative voice, which bursts with abundance, mystery, and spiritual suggestion. His lyrical prose taught me about the impossible task of…
Three new collections illuminate times of transformation
…bringing us along as willing participants, wherever Alva may take us. But McKee also presents Alva as an alter ego, of whom the speaker in “The Birth of Alva” says:…
Monic Ductan gathers stories of tangled small-town legacies in Daughters of Muscadine
Recurring characters and themes in Monic Ductan’s debut story collection, Daughters of Muscadine, recall the vines of their fictional setting’s namesake. These linked stories reveal the entangled historical and psychological…
Lisa Dordal reshapes her late mother’s letters into poetry
…text to let the parts I wanted to keep soar, and rearranging text when I wanted to bring out certain tensions between stories or images.” Dordal considers the final versions…
