Literary Friday, Edition 191
Readalong Conclusion & Twitter Chat With Joshilyn Jackson
We finish up our readalong for Joshilyn Jackson’s The Opposite of Everyone today and chat with her on Twitter from 1-2 p.m. CST (2-3 p.m. EST & 11 a.m.-noon PST) using the hashtag #southernlit. Part three includes chapters 9-13, and we discuss the further deterioration of Paula and Kai’s relationship and the return of Hana in our notes, along with questions to consider and a few of our favorite quotes. Join in by commenting on the notes or on social media using the hashtags #southernlit and #jjreadalong.
For more fun content, including who should play brother Julian in the movie version, head over to our readalong partner Traveling With T.
And don’t forget to join us this afternoon when we ask Joshilyn all our burning questions about this book on Twitter! You can log into our chat room for easy participation here.
Literary News
Our 11 picks for spring reading are out, including several memoirs, short story collections, original fiction and a few thrillers.
Making headlines on Monday was news that Harper Lee’s mass market paperback version of To Kill A Mockingbird will no longer be published. The late author’s estate made the announcement at the same time her will was sealed, and fans all over the world reacted about the impact the decision could have on school children.
Can you pass this Flannery O’Connor stories quiz on Sporcle? We couldn’t.
Read about Brooklyn Paper‘s faux bar celebrating a Southern town that doesn’t exist. Belle Shoals is straight out of a Tennessee Williams play and serves pecan pie-flavored Mai Tais and a $15 poboy.
Literary Events, Contests & Workshops
The University of Tennessee at Knoxville’s Writers in the Library series presents Poetry Spring, a series of readings and author chats, through April 18.
The Sweet Potato Queens Musical is happening through March 27 at Theater Under the Stars Underground in Houston, Texas.
Sundress Academy for the Arts in Knoxville, Tennessee, wraps up its series of workshops as part of its OUTSpoken platform for the LGBTQ community on March 26.
Tennessee Williams Birthday Celebration
is taking place through March 31 in Key West, Florida, with a party, classic film series and forum, theater performances, art exhibits and more.
And the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival takes place March 30-April 3 this year with Megan Abbott, Dorothy Allison, Mary Badham, Kiese Laymon, Rick Bragg and lots more. View the full schedule here. (Saints and Sinners literary conference also takes place April 1-3 in New Orleans.)
Win the chance to work in Ernest Hemingway’s Key West writing studio by entering the new Florida Keys Flash Fiction Contest. Entries are due March 31.
The first annual Dave Robicheaux Literary Festival is coming to Iberia Parish, Louisiana, April 8-10.
Save the date for the F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum’s annual gala April 30. This year’s event celebrates the 100th anniversary of Zelda’s debut into Montgomery, Alabama, society with a special performance by the Montgomery Ballet.
New Guidelines for Southern Voice
We’re taking a break from submissions today to tell readers about our new guidelines and reading periods. We are currently accepting submissions of fiction and nonfiction through April and will accept again in the fall. Our publishing of poetry will mainly be limited to the month of April (National Poetry Month), and submissions for poetry are currently closed. Read our full guidelines here and feel free to comment or email us with any questions. We appreciate everyone’s patience during this transition and will honor all submissions received up to this point.
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 winter road trips.
Have a piece of news, event, video or something else related to Southern lit that you’d like us to consider for Literary Friday? Send an e-mail to [email protected].
