Literary Friday, Edition 155

Interview, Chat & Giveaway with Karen White 

Our summer author chats continue today with Karen White on her new book The Sound of Glass. The story of a woman traveling South for the first time when she inherits her husband’s family home in Beaufort, South Carolina, The Sound of Glass weaves together complicated family relationships, a history of domestic violence and a love story. White’s premise for the book started with the the 1955 bombing of United Airlines Flight 629, and her reimagining of the story is a riveting read that may have resulted in one of her best books yet.

We chat with Karen White via Twitter today from 1-2 CST (that’s 11 a.m.-noon PST & 2-3 p.m. EST) using the hashtag #southernlit. You can log into our chat room here to participate or just follow the hashtag on Twitter. We also have a copy of The Sound of Glass to give away to one lucky chat participant.

And to see sites from the novel in Beaufort, check out our literary travel guide for The Sound of Glass here.

View our full Summer Reading List here and the complete Twitter chat schedule here. 

Heart is a Lonely Hunter Readalong

We’re wrapping up part one this week and getting the notes ready to post. There’s still plenty of time to join in though. Reading for part two goes through June 20 and part three from June 21-30. Get more details on the readalong, plus a special Lonely Hunter Twitter chat & other content here. And to tweet about the book while you read, use the hashtag #LonelyHunterDSM.

Literary News 

Find out The Truth According to Us author Annie’s Barrows’ Favorite Books About Small Towns over at Goodreads.

Samantha Bee talks to Judy Blume about her decades of writing for young readers and her new novel for adults in The New Yorker.

Great Thoughts has a great list of The Best Beach Reads of Summer 2015.

Sundress Academy for the Arts in Knoxville, Tennessee, is now accepting applications for short-term artists’ residencies in creative writing, visual art, film/theater, music and more. Residencies run from September 1-November 30, and the deadline for applications is June 30.

Swann Auction Galleries’ 19th and 20th Century Literature sale will take place June 17 on eBay’s live auction platforms and include “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams, along with works by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Mark Twain, Truman Capote, William Faulkner and more.

Literary Events

The Welty Biennial in Jackson, Mississippi, is happening now through July 3 with exhibits, concerts, a dance party and snapshot contest.

Save the Date for Hemingway Days in Key West, Florida, July 21-26.

New in Southern Voice 

Lummox, a story about a boy and the neighborhood gardener, by Fred Miller.

To find out more about your favorite Southern authors’ haunts and hangouts, download the Deep South Literary Trail App, available direct from iTunes and for Android and perfect for those fall road trips.