The women and girls who populate Floridian author Dantiel W. Moniz’s outstanding literary debut, “Milk Blood Heat,” are perched precariously on the razor thin edge of something big: adulthood, motherhood, infidelity, love, loss, death. In each instance, there’s a sense that the outcome could go either way, and therein lies the tension that propels the reader through this collection of 11 tightly wound short stories. … Continue reading ‘Milk Blood Heat’ an unflinching look at female psyche

Author Terry Kay often told the story of Pat Conroy coercing him into becoming a novelist. The yarn always ended with Kay saying, “For a boy who never wanted to write a book, it’s been a splendid adventure.” The author’s many admirers could say the same after reading one of his beloved books. Kay, 82, a masterful storyteller and author of the internationally acclaimed novel … Continue reading Terry Kay, Georgia’s prize-winning accidental author, dies at age 82

Crime fiction set in Appalachia has grown so prolific, it has spawned its own genre known as Appalachian noir, or its ruder cousin, hillbilly noir. Recent entries in the canon include Georgia author Brian Panowich’s “Hard Cash Valley” and “When These Mountains Burn” by David Joy from North Carolina. Some reviewers lump in New York Times bestselling author Ron Rash, perhaps even suggesting he’s a … Continue reading Ron Rash revisits ‘Serena’ in new novella

Natasha Trethewey was a 19-year-old freshman at the University of Georgia when a police officer appeared at her dorm room and gave her a phone number to call. The voice at the other end of the line informed her that her mother was dead. Gwendolyn Ann Turnbough had been shot twice at close range by Trethe­wey’s former stepfather, a man she called Big Joe. It … Continue reading Poet Natasha Trethewey on her new memoir and her bittersweet relationship with Atlanta

David James Poissant’s literary debut signaled the arrival of a notable new voice in 2014. His short story collection, “The Heaven of Animals,” was named one of the best books of the year by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, one of the best short story collections of the year by Amazon and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times book prize. Six years later, his debut novel, … Continue reading Secrets bob to the surface in dazzling debut novel

With the voice of an angel and a face to match, singer-song-writer Allison Moorer is a captivating performer, especially when she sings with her sister, Grammy Award winner Shelby Lynne. Their chill-inducing harmonies were honed from birth, an aural manifestation of the sisterly bond that sustained them through their horrific childhood, much of it spent cowering in fear from their rage-filled father. Their terror ended … Continue reading Allison Moorer explores violent past in memoir ‘Blood’

Portraying Mister Rogers, a jaunty Tom Hanks tosses a loafer in the air while changing shoes on the set of the eponymous children’s show. That’s the image featured in the ads and trailers for the upcoming holiday release, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. But the movie is not a biopic about the beloved TV-show host. Fred Rogers isn’t even the central figure. It’s Lloyd Vogel, … Continue reading How Mister Rogers changed Atlanta writer Tom Junod’s life

Watching a child pitch a full-blown tantrum can be a spectacular thing to behold. The flailing limbs and crumpled face, the copious tears and ear-piercing howls. But imagine if instead of throwing a tantrum, a child expressed extreme agitation by bursting into flames. And what if that child had a twin, and they spontaneously combusted in tandem? That is the premise of Tennessee author Kevin … Continue reading Flammable children fuel quirky love story

Mention New Orleans and most people think of the French Quarter, with its cast-iron balconies, rowdy bars, street musicians and Mardi Gras parades. It is the heart of the city’s tourist industry, attracting 18 million visitors a year. But despite its titanic significance to the city’s economy, the French Quarter encompasses less than 1 square mile of real estate in a city of 400,000 people. … Continue reading Loss of home leaves family adrift in ‘The Yellow House’

A low-residency MFA writing program is a master’s degree curriculum in which students gather on a campus to attend lectures and workshops for a week or two every semester, and then return to their homes to workshop their writing with their cohorts online. As a product of just such a program, I’m keenly aware of how ripe that world is for skewering, and Belle Boggs does … Continue reading Belle Boggs’ ‘The Gulf’ examines what divides us with humor, insight

Fictional tales of dark doings in the hollers and hamlets of Appalachia have become so prolific in recent years, they’ve spawned their own genre: Appalachian noir. North Carolina author David Joy is one of its leading proponents. But his third novel, “The Line That Held Us,” is straight up Southern gothic, and it is as horrifying and delicious as that label suggests. It takes a while for … Continue reading David Joy’s ‘Line That Held Us’ a dark tale of revenge in Appalachia

The latest estimate of lives lost in Puerto Rico as a result of Hurricane Maria is nearing 3,000 and rising. In reading “We Fed an Island” by chef José Andrés, one wonders what that number might have been had the author not arrived five days after the storm and — with the help of 25,000 volunteers — disrupted a federal relief effort he portrays as paralyzed … Continue reading ‘We Fed an Island’ portrays chef’s radical approach to disaster relief