Literary Friday, Edition 216
Get Our 2016 Fall/Winter Reading List
As the days get darker, your reading pile should get higher, especially as we debut our newest seasonal reading list. This time, we’re bringing you 34 of the latest mysteries, family dramas, literary fiction, short story compilations and more. You’ll find stories about cursed Florida theme parks, what happens when Atlanta puts its first black cops on the streets, a mermaid banished to a small North Carolina town, the dark side of marriage and a farm widow in search of her “one good mama bone.”
We’re still lining up author interviews, giveaways and Twitter chats for the fall, so stay tuned for that schedule. But we are kicking things off with an interview with Ethan Brown about his book Murder in the Bayou, which uncovers what became one of the most suspenseful and mysterious investigations of the decade.
Happy Birthday to Truman Capote!
Our celebration of Truman Capote‘s life and work continues as we mark what would have been his 92nd birthday. This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of his novel In Cold Blood, the book that took Capote’s celebrity to new heights and may have also been responsible for his downfall. Capote has managed to stay in the news for almost 70 years running, proof that he isn’t done telling us stories or entertaining us.
The sale of Capote’s ashes at auction last Saturday for $45,000 (including buyer’s fees) made headlines around the world and, while the buyer hasn’t been announced, auction house CEO Darren Julien told CNN that the new owner promised “that Truman will continue his adventures.”
Literary News
Watch the trailer for “Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise,” which will be the first feature documentary profiling the late poet who passed away in 2014.
National Reading Group Month has selected its “Great Group Reads,” including Miss Jane by Brad Watson and Over the Plain Houses by Julia Franks.
Today is the last day to bid on a piggy bank decorated by your favorite author or illustrator as part of a fundraiser for Parnassus Books.
Literary Events & Workshops
The Flannery O’Connor Childhood Home will continue its lineup of fall lectures in Savannah, Georgia, on Sundays through December 11.
Birmingham Public Library is holding its Eat Drink Read Write Festival October 1-7 with a focus on adventurous foods.
University of Tennessee at Knoxville continues its fall series of Writers in the Library on October 3 with novelist Tawnysha Greene and poet Kristi Maxwell.
The New Orleans Public Library will host Kristy Woodson Harvey on October 8 as part of National Reading Group Month.
Save the dates for upcoming book festivals, including Southern Festival of Books in Nashville October 14-16 and Louisiana Book Festival October 29 in Baton Rouge.
The Louisiana Book Festival has also announced its WordShops on October 28 with writers Margaret Eby, Catherine Gourley, Daniel Jose Older, Peter Cooley and Bill Loefelm.
New in Southern Voice
Clarksdale, a story about a midnight meeting at Mississippi’s crossroads, by Jeff Fleischer.
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].
