Bradley Sides

Dec 4, 2024 | southernlitreview.com | Bradley Sides

Maggie Nye’s debut, The Curators (Curbstone Books 2024), mixes magical realism with history. Set in Atlanta during the summer of 1915, The Curators follows a group of young girls–known as the Felicitous Five–as they create and deal with a golem in the aftermath of Mary Phagan’s murder and Leo Frank’s lynching. Nye’s novel boldly and authentically looks at desire, hunger, and friendship. It’s the kind of book that you don’t soon forget.

Nov 19, 2024 | southernlitreview.com | Bradley Sides

Willie Davis’ I Can Outdance Jesus (2024) is a rip-roaring collection of excellent rural short fiction–one that is almost certain to leave a lasting impression on readers. In Davis’ stories, songwriters taunt Episcopalians leaving church, a young girl preaches to chickens, and miracles appear (well—maybe not). It was my pleasure to be able to talk with Willie about humor, rascally characters, and rural fiction. Bradley Sides: Thank you for taking the time to chat with me, Willie.

Oct 1, 2024 | southernlitreview.com | Bradley Sides

For those readers who believe nothing original or new is being written these days, check out and marvel at Jen Fawkes’s Daughters of Chaos, a shapeshifting, powerhouse novel that balances explorations of history, myth, identity, and monsters. Fawkes’s novel, told in letters and a variety of forms, tells the story of Sylvie Swift as she makes her way to Nashville to learn more about a mysterious script that she receives.

Aug 21, 2024 | southernlitreview.com | Bradley Sides

Shaun Hamill’s The Dissonance is a big and bold novel that mixes fantasy, horror, and heart. The magical story weaves between characters and time periods, as readers encounter themes of friendship and love. Just like with the author’s previous book, A Cosmology of Monsters, there are even monsters. Shaun Hamill received his BA in English from the University of Texas at Arlington, and his MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. His debut novel, A Cosmology of Monsters, was published in 2019.

Aug 20, 2024 | nashvillescene.com | Bradley Sides

Knoxville author Erica Wright opens her latest novel, Hollow Bones, with the image of a snake being pulled onto a lap. It’s an eerie beginning, and it serves as the perfect transition from the author’s 2020 essay collection, Snake, about the often-maligned creature. In both the earlier book and this new one, fear exists — and it is consuming. Hollow Bones By Erica Wright Severn House 208 pages, $29.99 Wright will appear at the 2024 Southern Festival of Books, Oct. 26-27.