On the Southern Literary Trail discussion

Greetings all. I am currently at my first residency at the Rainier Writing Workshop Low-Res MFA program at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, WA. I have met some Southern authors here that this group is sure to appreciate. The first is Ann Pancake who's latest novel "Strange as This Weather Has Been" is coal mining southern. She read from it the other night and it is endearing, funny, and as twangy as a banjo on an Appalachian porch.

Poet Lola Haskins is here as well, as is Stephen Corey, editor of The Georgia Review.

To get an inside view of the RWW MFA program residency in action, please visit my blog at http://bit.ly/Nbc3qS.

Like every third person on Goodreads, I too have recently published a novel - HACK - and the paperback is now available on Barnes and Noble. The hardback is on Amazon and it will be available in all formats on both sides soon. If you would like to write a review please let me know and I will arrange to get you a copy.

OK i have both reading and writing assignments to tackle but will keep everybody updated re: the MFA Program on my blog. See you there!Ann Pancake

Jeb wrote: "Greetings all. I am currently at my first residency at the Rainier Writing Workshop Low-Res MFA program at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, WA. I have met some Southern authors here that this..."

Jeb, many thanks for updating us on new voices in Southern literature. And congratulations on the publication of your novel. I'm headed to your blog site now.

Mike
Lawyer Stevens

Have you guys read any Silas House? He's from Kentucky. I have not read him, but Rusty Barnes has and he's the editor of Coffee and Fried Chicken, a publication many of you may want to check out. It's a zine doing short fiction and poetry that comes out of redneck america, the rural and the dirty south. (Their descriptions not mine.)

Rusty Barnes is also editor of Night Train, or used to be, anyway. Maybe he still is. I'll go check out Coffee and Fried Chicken.

He shut down Night Train a year or two ago, but it's possible he got lonely for it and started again when I wasn't looking.

Too bad about Night Train. Oh, well, on to the Fried Chicken!

Deborah wrote: "Have you guys read any Silas House? He's from Kentucky. I have not read him, but Rusty Barnes has and he's the editor of Coffee and Fried Chicken, a publication many of you may want to check out. I..."

Deborah, Thanks for mentioning Silas House. I am familiar with him as an Algonquin Press author, but have not had the opportunity to read him. Please consider nominating one of his works for the November Group reads. We're set through September. The poll went up for October today. In September, I'll be calling for November nominations. I look forward to your recommendations.

Mike

Mike wrote: "Deborah wrote: "Have you guys read any Silas House? He's from Kentucky. I have not read him, but Rusty Barnes has and he's the editor of Coffee and Fried Chicken, a publication many of you may want..."

I really like Silas House and agree for consideration in November!

Apologies to Jeb though. I've wandered off topic. See! Mike warned I would be trouble.

I reread Gurney Norman's Kinfolk about every two years. Gurney wrote this collection of connected short stories and Divine Right's Trip - which was originally published in the margins of the Whole Earth Catalogue.

Kinfolks is one of the great american short story collections. If you loved The Last Picture Show you'll love Kinfolks (but you'll have to hunt for it, its been out of print) It follows the life of Wilgus Collier from around 8 to 35 as he experiences Eastern Kentucky in the 1950's 60's and 70's.

The stories are written simply and sparingly but have a near mythic channel into the rural coming of age experience.