Southern Literary Review

You are here: Home / About ABOUT OUR MISSION The Southern Literary Review is dedicated to honoring southern writers and their impact on American literature. We spotlight both timeless authors like Zora Neale Hurston and William Faulkner, who have shaped the genre, along with contemporary novelists such as Tom Wolfe and Wendell Berry, as well as up-and-coming southern talents like Daniel Wallace and Sue Monk Kidd. With an extensive collection of original articles, we strive to provide insightful content about southern authors and their literary contributions. Explore our in-depth reviews of both new southern novels and classic works that define the genre. Founded in 2004, SLR underwent a significant transformation in the spring of 2009, welcoming new contributors to enrich our content regularly. Notably, New York Times best-selling author Julie Cantrell served as our editor-in-chief for nearly two years, supported by managing editor Adele Annesi. After the release of her novel Into the Free, Julie and Adele stepped down. In November 2011, Philip K. Jason and Allen Mendenhall, who had been committed contributors, took over the leadership of SLR. Phil now serves as the publisher and executive editor, and you can reach him at [email protected]. Allen is the managing editor, and his email is listed below. Donna Meredith joined the editorial team in 2017. SLR has featured reviews and interviews from a range of authors, including John Shelton Reed, Casey Clabough, Ace Atkins, Julia Nunnally Duncan, Karen White, Clyde Edgerton, James Nolan, Moira Crone, Charles J. Shields, Daniel Wallace, Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, Paulette Jiles, Steve Yarbrough, Irene Latham, James Lee Burke, John Brandon, Kevin Brockmeier, Mark Richard, Octavia Spencer, Robin Oliveira, and David Bradley.

National

English

Online/Digital

Outlet metrics

Domain Authority

Ranking

Global

#4977288

United States

#1442791

Arts and Entertainment/Books and Literature

#7437

Traffic sources

Monthly visitors

Articles

“Distant Relations” by Cheryl Whitehead

3 weeks ago | southernlitreview.com | Claire Matturro

Cheryl Whitehead is both a gifted poet and a gifted storyteller—and these can be two distinct, albeit complimentary talents. In Distant Relations (Loblolly Press 2025), Whitehead weaves these dual talents together into an always engaging, often uncanny collection of poetry rich with family, nature, culture, and transcendency. Her verses reverberate with turmoil and grace, all carefully captured in stunning images and potent phrases.
Claire Hamner Matturro interviews Cheryl Whitehead, author of the poetry collection “Distant Relations”

3 weeks ago | southernlitreview.com | Claire Matturro

Claire Hamner Matturro: Thank you, Cheryl Whitehead, for being willing to share a bit of yourself with Southern Literary Review. First, congratulations on your very fine book, Distant Relations (Loblolly Press 2025), which is an engaging, evocative collection of poetry involving nature, family, farms, and much more. Your poems are exquisitely detailed in such beautiful ways.
“Dressing the Saints” by Aracelis Gonzalez Asendorf

1 month ago | southernlitreview.com | Donna Meredith

Aracelis Gonzalez Asendorf’s Dressing the Saints (Black Lawrence Press 2024) is a collection of nine short stories that vividly explores the lives of Cuban Americans. The book, which won the Gold Medal for Fiction at the 2025 Florida Book Awards, brings to life the close-knit immigrant communities of South Florida and the rich cultural heritage they carry with them. Vivid Sense of PlaceAsendorf’s writing engages all the senses.
2025 Word of South Music and Literary Festival April 4-6

1 month ago | southernlitreview.com | Donna Meredith

Tallahassee’s beautiful Cascades Park will host the tenth This FREE event will feature music, authors, food and fun all weekend. The only paid event is the Violent Femmes and Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra on Friday, April 4. You can buy tickets here. Everything else is free. A few of the authors appearing are Kristen Arnett, Chris Bohjalian, David Campbell, James Kimbrell, David Kirby, Mark Mustian, Diane Roberts, Jeff VanderMeer, and M.O. Walsh. Here’s a list of all the artists appearing.
“Boy With Wings” by Mark Mustian

1 month ago | southernlitreview.com | Donna Meredith

Is Johnny Cruel an angel or a demon or just an ordinary boy with an unusual birthmark? In Mark Mustian’s literary novel Boy With Wings (Koehler Books 2025), characters often struggle to make sense of Johnny Cruel’s unusual wings—and readers may feel the same. At times, Johnny is heroic; at others, vengeful. In this novel of magical realism, religion, and morality, the lines between good and evil blur.
“The Best That You Can Do” by Amina Gautier

1 month ago | southernlitreview.com | Donna Meredith

Amina Gautier’s The Best That You Can Do (Soft Skull, 2024) is a powerful, multi-award-winning collection of short stories centered on characters from the Puerto Rican and African diaspora. The book has received numerous accolades, including the Midwest MLA Book Award, the Florida Book Awards Silver Medal, and the 2023 Soft Skull-Kimbilio Publishing Prize. It was also longlisted for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize and The Story Prize.
“2000 Blacks” by Ajibola Tolase

1 month ago | southernlitreview.com | Donna Meredith

2000 Blacks (University of Pittsburgh Press 2024) by Ajibola Tolase is a powerful poetry collection that has garnered significant recognition, winning the Gold Medal for Poetry in the 2025 Florida Book Awards as well as the Cave Canem Poetry Prize. Tolase’s poetry is deeply evocative, blending personal history with broader cultural and political themes.
Books of Note: “Queen of the Clouds” by Taylor C. Phillips and “Greed at the Happy Valley Motor Inn and Resort by Leslie Noyes

1 month ago | southernlitreview.com | Donna Meredith

Queen of the Clouds by Taylor C. PhillipsFirst woman to fly around the world—Amelia Earhart, right? Wrong! Yet most of us remember Earhart’s name rather than the two women who did complete that amazing solo journey. Queen of the Clouds: Joan Merriam Smith and Jerrie Mock’s Epic Quest to Become the First Woman to Fly Solo Around the World (Turtle Cove Press 2023) by Taylor C. Phillips sets the record straight.
Southern Literary Review

1 month ago | southernlitreview.com | Donna Meredith

This month Southern Literary Review is focusing on the damage resource extraction causes to the environment and to people and the communities they live in. Two fine environmental novels share the honor of March Book of the Month. The first is Beyond Buffalo by Betsy Reeder. It shines a light on the psychological damage following the Buffalo Creek disaster.
Southern Literary Review

1 month ago | southernlitreview.com | Donna Meredith

It’s easy to understand why Rhonda Browning White’s debut novel, Filling the Big Empty (Redhawk Publications 2024) was shortlisted for the 2022 Neilson Prize. The novel is a tour-de-force, relentlessly examining environmental issues in Appalachia. While never losing focus on a young couple’s relationship, the story drops readers into the horrors of mountaintop removal to extract coal, the clear-cutting of forests, a chemical spill in a river, and opioid addiction.