Review: I Have the Answer, Kelly Fordon, Wayne University Press – Kelly Fordon’s latest collection of short stories I Have the Answer deals with the unexpected losses that life hands out ….
Ellen Birkett Morris
Ellen Birkett Morris is the author of Beware the Tall Grass, winner of the Donald L. Jordan Award for Literary Excellence, judged by Lan Samantha Chang, published by CSU Press. She is also the author of Lost Girls: Short Stories, winner of the Pencraft Award and finalist for the Clara Johnson, IAN and Best Book awards. Her fiction has appeared in Shenandoah, Antioch Review, Notre Dame Review, and South Carolina Review, among other journals. She is a winner of the Bevel Summers Prize for short fiction. Morris is a recipient of an Al Smith Fellowship for her fiction from the Kentucky Arts Council.
Morris is also the author of Abide and Surrender, poetry chapbooks. Her poetry has appeared in The Clackamas Literary Review, Juked, Gastronomica, and Inscape, among other journals, and in eight anthologies. Morris won top prize in the 2008 Binnacle Ultra-Short Edition and was a finalist for the 2019 and 2020 Rita Dove Poetry Prize. Her poem “Abide” was featured on NPR’s A Way with Words. Her essays have appeared in Newsweek, AARP’s The Ethel, Oh Reader magazine, and on National Public Radio.
Morris holds an MFA in creative writing from Queens University-Charlotte.
https://www.ellenbirkettmorris.com/
Interview: Stansel’s End of Days Captures Today’s Anxieties
Glossary for the End of Days, Ian Stansel, Acre Books – Ian’s Stansel’s Glossary for the End of Days is a collection of short stories that perfectly captures the anxiety of our times and the ways in which we can lose ourselves as we try to make sense of a disordered world.
Interview: Austen’s Persuasion Inspires Modern Take in All Stirred Up
All Stirred Up, Brianne Moore, Alcove Press – Winter is a great time to escape into books that feature food, a bit of romance and family drama. Brianne Moore’s All Stirred Up offered a modern take on Jane Austen’s Persuasion that features competing restaurateurs, interfering family and the captivating backdrop of Edinburgh, Scotland.
Themes of Loneliness Underlie Parker’s Short Stories
Snapshots, Eliot Parker, Morgan James fiction – Eliot Parker grew up in Appalachia, so it is no surprise that his award winning collection of short stories Snapshots is rooted in the people, places and customs of the region. His stories have a dark, sometimes surreal edge, befitting the author, who also pens mystery novels.
Interview: The Wrong Kind of Woman Looks at Staying True to Self
The Wrong Kind of Woman, Sarah McCraw Crow, Harper Collins – An unexpected death and a wave of social upheaval collide in Sarah McCraw Crow’s The Wrong Kind of Woman (MIRA Books/HarperCollins).
Sybelia Drive Explores Effects of Viet Nam War on Small Town
Sybelia Drive, Karin Davidson, Braddock Avenue Books – In Sybelia Drive, author Karin Cecile Davidson offers a kaleidoscopic look at the lives of the residents of a small lake town in Florida amidst the tensions of the Vietnam War.
Grief Binds Women in The All-Night Sun
The All-Night Sun, Diane Zinna, Random House – Diane Zinna’s The All-Night Sun tells a story of grief, loss, and friendship between Lauren Cress, a 28-year-old English teacher from Washington, D.C., and Siri, an 18-year-old art student.
Three Ways to Disappear: The Evolution of a Novel
Three Ways to Disappear, Katy Yocom, Ashland Creek Press – In Three Ways to Disappear, Katy Yocom tells story of sisters Quinn and Sarah’s return to India, where they spent time as children and were marked by a family tragedy.
Interview: A Small Thing to Want
A Small Thing to Want, Cawood, Press 53 – A Small Thing to Want is a series of stories about the tricky nature of love and relationships. It chronicles how the choices we make are often influenced by the ghosts of failed relationships and lost love. Shuly Xóchitl Cawood discusses the creation of the collection, working across genres and how to stay motivated.
Interview: Risk Sentiment and Empathy Drive Poisssant’s Lake Life
Lake Life, David James Poissant, Simon and Schuster – Lake Life, David James Poissant’s debut novel, begins with a tragic accident that brings up long buried family secrets and forces members of the Starling family to examine their relationships.
