Proud to report that Garden and Gun Magazine has named my forthcoming book, Daughters of Muscadine, on its list entitled Best New Books for Southerners in 2023. Thanks Garden and Gun, University Press of Kentucky, and Silas House! Here’s the link to the article:
Orchard Keeper Writer’s Residency
I had the pleasure of staying for one week at the Orchard Keeper farm this summer. My time at the orchard was my first residency, and I spent it in the hills and mountains of northeast Tennessee near the Cumberland Gap. Though I wasn’t as disciplined as I would have liked to have been, I did get quite a bit of work done. The orchard is the perfect place for solitary writing time. No wifi. No tv. Just me and my computer’s word processing program. Needless to say, I felt a little lonely at times, but the solitude was perfect for my writing. Denton Loving, the man who owns the farm, was welcoming and super helpful. If you’re looking for a residency or a retreat, consider applying to this one.
East Tennessee State Literary Festival
I’m proud to read and teach a fiction workshop at the upcoming East Tennessee State University Literary Festival. Here’s a link to their website:
East Tennessee State University Literary Festival
My Favorites
I’m an English teacher and have also worked at a public library, which means people often ask which authors and books I enjoy. I have a penchant for Southern fiction, working-class literature, and African-American literature. Here’s a short list of some of my favorite works:
Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody
Outer Banks by Anne Rivers Siddons
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
Upstate by Kalisha Buckhanon
Gap Creek by Robert Morgan
Big Stone Gap by Adriani Trigiani
“The Shipfitter’s Wife” by Dorianne Laux”
“What Do Women Want” by Kim Addonizio
“Scheherazade” by Richard Siken
Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison
The Color of Water by James McBride
“Going to Meet the Man” by James Baldwin
“Ruby Tells All” by Miller Williams
“The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara
The Road to Memphis by Mildred D. Taylor
“When We Were Young and Confederate” by Jeremy Collins
“Superman and Me” by Sherman Alexie
“Barn Burning” by William Faulkner
Saving Grace by Lee Smith
Heavy by Kiese Laymon
Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King
”The Third and Final Continent” by Jhumpa Lahiri
“Nilda” by Junot Diaz
”Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Bullet in the Brain” by Tobias Wolff
“Time and Distance Overcome” by Eula Biss
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass
Maude by Donna Mabry
Monic Ductan 