Literary Friday, Edition 91

Happy Valentine’s Day + a Giveaway

Whether you’re loving or lamenting the arrival of Valentine’s Day, our book giveaway should help. We have a copy of John Milliken Thompson’s Love and Lament, one of our 8 Reads to Fall in Love With in February, up for grabs. Set in rural North Carolina between the late 1800s and World War I, the book chronicles one family’s extraordinary hardships and misfortunes. To enter to win, comment here and tell us what you’re in love with this month, whether it’s your longtime spouse, a new beau, the winter snow or just a good piece of chocolate. We’ll choose a winner on Monday.

Notes on Faulkner & Flannery – Week 3 

This week’s class covered three of Faulkner’s short stories, including his most famous, A Rose for Emily, along with short films of two of his works. Get the notes here and find out what we’re reading next.

Literary News  

Flavorwire’s 50 Sexy Books to Get You in the Mood (for Valentine’s Day) includes Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind and Rita Mae Brown’s Rubyfruit Jungle.

The winner of the Nicholas Sparks Novel Showdown in Parade is … The Notebook, making it the North Carolina romance author’s best novel of all time.

Go Nola’s list of Famous New Orleans Couples is a fun read, with Stanley and Stella Kowalski at the top.

Erika Marks has released the cover of her next novel. It Comes in Waves is set on South Carolina’s Folly Beach and includes a tryst with a sexy pro-surfer. The bad news? We have to wait until July.

#SouthernlitSocial 

The website nolavalentines.com has collected tweets that double as New Orleans-themed Valentine’s Day card messages. The one below sounds like Tennessee Williams could have written it. Write your own and tag it #nolavalentines.

Literary Events

The Savannah Book Festival will be held February 13-16 with guest authors Wiley Cash, Alice Hoffman, Wally Lamb, Anita Shreve and more.

The Alabama Shakespeare Festival brings “The Great Gatsby” to the stage through February 16 in Montgomery.

Dahlonega Literary Festival will take place March 8-9 with authors Kim Boykin, Joshilyn Jackson, Terry Kay, Cassandra King, Erika Marks, Charles McNair and more.

The Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival released its full schedule this week. Save the date for March 19-23 in the New Orleans French Quarter.

New in Southern Voice 

I’m Sorry, There’s No Smoking, a short story about a new dad who desires just one more cigarette before assuming his responsibilities, by Chad Rhoad.

To find out more about Southern authors’ haunts and hangouts, download the Deep South Literary Trail App, available direct from iTunes and for Android.