Spoon Theory
Morgan DePue on how good memories, childhood trauma, and chronic pain can all rest in the hollow of that wooden spoon you hold in your hand.
Stories
A Single Green Feather
Ron Rash weaves a haunting tale of obsession, preservation, and the dark lengths some will go to possess beauty.
By Ron Rash /
For Dead Molesters Whose Secrets We Kept
Closure is elusive, and maybe justice more so, but this Chattanooga poet is determined to pray, question, and bless the wounded.
By Cynthia Robinson Young /
A Cemetery Soloist Sings Amazing Grace
Amidst increasing frailty, tough terrain, and inevitable loss, a lone singer can steady the spirit.
By Sam G. Candler /
Lostville Found: A Novelist’s Venture Into Songwriting
Mississippi novelist Michael Farris Smith teams up with legendary musician Jimbo Mathus to create a debut album that bridges literature and music.
By Chuck Reece /
Wayman
A gritty Southern noir unfolds at a rundown motel, where a bloodied stranger’s arrival disrupts the night’s eerie calm. An excerpt from the upcoming novel Lay Your Armor Down.
By Michael Farris Smith /
The Last Face
When fate chooses your vehicle as its instrument, the road ahead gets mighty hard to travel.
By Wilton Barnhardt /
Never Knowing the Way
From the comfort of a minivan to the haunted fields of Gettysburg, two poems conjure the allure of the unknown.
By Heather L. Davis /
A Tale of Two Hauntings
As coastal development displaces long-time residents, one woman discovers that some spirits refuse to be uprooted.
By Deb Bowen /
The Devil’s Godson
John Henry wouldn’t be here without the Devil. Where will the Devil be without John Henry?
By J. Michael Hayes /
Testifying and Telling: Frank X Walker’s Poetic Civil War History
In his new collection, the Affrilachian Poets founder gives voice to Black Civil War soldiers and their families, aiming to uncover hidden truths inside Southern history.
By Jacqueline Allen Trimble /
After the Deluge: Appalachia’s “Climate Haven” Myth Unravels
Transplants, retirees, and second-homers thought western North Carolina would be a refuge from the ravages of climate change. Hurricane Helene thought otherwise.
By Jessica Martell and Zackary Vernon /
Readers
In celebration of National Book Month, a poem about little free libraries, those humble guardians of literature that stand watch in our neighborhoods.