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Southern Review of Books Exploring contemporary literature of the American South and beyond. Published by .

“Memoir and childhood trauma are expertly woven into panels, paper dolls, board games and other experiments in a way tha...
17/09/2025

“Memoir and childhood trauma are expertly woven into panels, paper dolls, board games and other experiments in a way that is gut-wrenching and emotionally impactful. It is a brilliant and innovative use of the comic form, one that will stay with you long after you read.”

Lean more about Kayla E’s PRECIOUS RUBBISH in this interview!

An interview with author Kayla E. on her debut graphic novel memoir.

Looking for a new book this month? Check out these new Southern releases!
15/09/2025

Looking for a new book this month? Check out these new Southern releases!

A collection of some of the best Southern poetry, fiction, and nonfiction of September 2025.

“As the first Black poet laureate of Alabama, Jones often confronts her mixed feelings toward her home state. In ‘I Thin...
13/09/2025

“As the first Black poet laureate of Alabama, Jones often confronts her mixed feelings toward her home state. In ‘I Think of You, Alabama,’ she does not shy away from ‘our history [which] can embolden us / and move us forward.’ Still, ‘When I think of love / I think of you, Alabama — .’”

New review of LULLABY FOR THE GRIEVING by Ashley M. Jones. Hub City Bookshop

A review of Ashley M. Jones’ new poetry collection, “Lullaby for the Grieving.”

SRB editor Chaney Hill rounds up some of the books about the South that have captured her imagination over the years.
10/09/2025

SRB editor Chaney Hill rounds up some of the books about the South that have captured her imagination over the years.

SRB editor Chaney Hill rounds up some of the books about the South that have captured her imagination over the years.

"A feat of embodied poetry, which is to say, folklore, emotions, and trauma take on corporeal form."New review of SHEDDI...
09/09/2025

"A feat of embodied poetry, which is to say, folklore, emotions, and trauma take on corporeal form."

New review of SHEDDING SEASON by Jane Morton. Black Lawrence Press

In their poems, Jane Morton finds incredible strength and beauty in being cracked open, shedding what no longer serves in order to become something new.

"In Hothouse Bloom, the author precisely portrays the tension between utopian immersion in nature and the relentless enc...
07/09/2025

"In Hothouse Bloom, the author precisely portrays the tension between utopian immersion in nature and the relentless encroachment of money-mindedness. The novel delves into the consequences of commodification — reflected in the natural world and the self."

New review of HOTHOUSE BLOOM by Austyn Wohlers. Hub City Writers Project

In her debut novel Hothouse Bloom, Austyn Wohlers explores a millennial pastoral through the story of Anna, a former painter in her late twenties who flees home in search of paradise, only to witne…

"Seated across from Georgia, Mandy doesn’t buy her sister’s performance. 'She’s lying. I just saw proof … as her eyes fi...
04/09/2025

"Seated across from Georgia, Mandy doesn’t buy her sister’s performance. 'She’s lying. I just saw proof … as her eyes fixed on mine, I saw complete awareness in them.'

It’s these twists and turns, this back-and-forth between twin sisters, that make The Locked Ward engaging, that make us feel delightfully off-kilter as we read."

New review of THE LOCKED WARD by Sarah Pekkanen. St. Martin's Press

A review of Sarah Pekkanen’s new novel, “The Locked Ward.”

"The dogged, acute poet Alicia Wright, hailing from Rome, Georgia, uses her family’s archive and her town’s recorded his...
03/09/2025

"The dogged, acute poet Alicia Wright, hailing from Rome, Georgia, uses her family’s archive and her town’s recorded history as a fount for her debut poetry collection, You’re Called by the Same Sound, which excavates and reanimates long-gone centuries. Through persona and personal recollection, Wright brings old life back into the firelight—sometimes with a nudge, sometimes at knifepoint."

YOU'RE CALLED BY THE SAME SOUND by Alicia Wright.

A review of Alicia Wright’s August 2025 poetry collection “You’re Called by the Same Sound.”

"Overall, this is not a tale for the faint-hearted—from snake bites to a sinister cult leader, Forget Me Not plunges str...
02/09/2025

"Overall, this is not a tale for the faint-hearted—from snake bites to a sinister cult leader, Forget Me Not plunges straight into the thorns of Southern life, no gloves necessary."

New review of Stacy Willingham's FORGET ME NOT. Minotaur Books

A review of Stacy Willingham’s “Forget Me Not.”

"Like Junah, I was caught between two conflicting narratives — the apocalyptic anxiety of my mother and the pragmatic di...
31/08/2025

"Like Junah, I was caught between two conflicting narratives — the apocalyptic anxiety of my mother and the pragmatic dismissiveness of my father. I remember being deeply unsettled by this dichotomy — half the adults in my life presenting December as the end of the world, and the other half passing it off as a hoax. That kind of messes with a kid, you know? You’re just trying to talk to your crush or pass pre-algebra with a C, and here comes this possibility that none of it matters because everyone’s about to be dead."

New interview with Bradley Sides and Dan Leach on JUNAH AT THE END OF THE WORLD to wrap up our very first Southern Summer Book Club. Hub City Writers Project

“More than anything, I just wanted to show that, when you think the world is ending, you try to save the ones you love, and you save them with the language that has gained purchase in your mi…

We couldn't let August end without celebrating all the great new books that came out this month!
30/08/2025

We couldn't let August end without celebrating all the great new books that came out this month!

A roundup of the best new Southern releases in August 2025.

"Grodstein’s novel spans continents and emotional planes. Through Amy’s determination and self-reflection, the novel exp...
26/08/2025

"Grodstein’s novel spans continents and emotional planes. Through Amy’s determination and self-reflection, the novel explores American wealth, materialism, privilege, and freedom’s true meaning."

New review of A DOG IN GEORGIA by Lauren Grodstein. Algonquin Books

A review of Laura Grodstein’s “A Dog in Georgia.”

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