NOBODY’S GIRL by Virginia Roberts Giuffre
"Baby" is the opening chapter of Virginia Roberts Giuffre's Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice, a collaborative book with Amy Wallace, published in 2025 by Knopf (Penguin Random House). I have delayed reading this memoir because I knew the impact it would have and the ... Read More
AMERICAN MEN by Jordan Ritter Conn
"Ryan" is the opening chapter of Jordan Ritter Conn's biographical tapestry, American Men, releasing from Grand Central Publishing (Hachette Book Group) on April 21st of this year. American Men is not the sort of title to which I usually migrate; however, the description promised a diverse collection of portraits with ... Read More
THE CRUELTY VIRTUES by Seth Brady Tucker
"Solace" is the opening poem of Seth Brady Tucker's new collection, The Cruelty Virtues released by 3: A Taos Press. This is Tucker's third poetry collection. In "Solace," a father observes his children riding skateboards on a half pipe while the speaker views from above behind glass: A man parks ... Read More
NORTH COUNTRY by Matt Bondurant
North Country by Matt Bondurant released from Blackstone Publishing in November 2025. The literary thriller opens with "Two children of the North Country, up before dawn," a sort of preamble detailing a traumatic moment in the main character's childhood: Their spoons clinked in unison as they ate cereal in the ... Read More
HOLLER, CHILD by LaToya Watkins
LaToya Watkins' collection Holler Child released from Tiny Reparations Books in 2023 and was a finalist for the National Book Award. I first read Watkins' short story "Cutting Horse" and this is where I fell in love with her storytelling. I first heard her read at the 2025 Longleaf Writer's ... Read More
CODE by Charlotte Pence
"Orderly" is the first poem in Charlotte Pence's poetry collection Code, out from Black Lawrence Press. The collection released in 2022. I had the honor of hearing Pence read this summer at the Longleaf Writer's Conference and get a signed copy at the local bookstore, Sundog Books. I find myself ... Read More
ARROYO by Chip Jacobs
I'm enjoying the first chapter of Arroyo (Rare Bird Books), "The Birds of Pasadena," by Chip Jacobs: "Say what you will about his morning pep and cowlick, his galling diet and corny pride. No one ever rode Mrs. Grover Cleveland, the animal, quite like Nick Chance...." ... Read More