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

Most city slogans are kind of dumb. Even if they sound clever at first, they begin to annoy over time. I’d be happy if I never heard, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” again. Or “Keep Austin Weird.” If you’ve been to Austin lately, you know that battle has been lost. But whoever came up with the slogan for Marfa, Texas, nailed it: “Tough … Continue reading The mysterious allure of Marfa

With eyes so big they dwarf his gaunt face, the child stands beside an open refrigerator, its contents looking more like garbage than food. Dead flies appear to float in the sludge coagulated on the bottom shelf. Captured in black-and-white, the haunting image and others like it provided the centerpiece for a 1967 congressional hearing on poverty that resulted in an overhaul of the federal … Continue reading Muckraking duo’s legacy endures in photo show of ’80s-era homeless

Amber Tamblyn has already had a more varied career than most people twice her age. Perhaps best known for her roles in “Joan of Arcadia,” “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” and “House,” the 35-year-old actress also has published three books of poetry and directed a feature film, “Paint It Black,” in 2016. Her nonpaying jobs include activist and parent, a responsibility she shares with … Continue reading Amber Tamblyn flips the script with debut novel, ‘Any Man’

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — When Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico for 12 hours last September, I watched the news in horror like everyone else. Although I am not of Puerto Rican descent, it felt personal. I was 13 years old when my family moved from our quiet, suburban ranch house in Charlotte, N.C., to a high-rise apartment in San Juan for my father’s job. … Continue reading After the Storm: Volunteer trip to Puerto Rico reveals island still recovering 5 months later

Standing in the doorway, a stick-thin arm protectively crossed against his solar plexus, the dirty-faced boy stares with furrowed brow at the camera. He’s not the focal point of the black-and-white photograph. That’s reserved for the pre-adolescent girl and toddler, whom she holds in her arms with the self-assurance of a seasoned mother. The boy huddles in their shadow. He looks to be around 8 … Continue reading ‘Still Hungry in America’ revisits 1967 photo project that helped change food stamp policy