FEATURES

Welcome to Itta Bena, Little Lady! 
A young boy is captivated by his father’s unforgettable ex-girlfriend
by Lewis Nordan

Spirituality in the Modern Novel
A writer takes a look at faith against the backdrop of a secular literary tradition
by Donna Tartt

FICTION

Awareness
Bomb threats, illness, a warped relationship—what does it take for a woman to become aware?
by Wendy Brenner

Christmas Eve
A Christmas surprise turns into a childhood discovery
by Tony Earley

My Hand Is Just Fine Where It Is
On a trip to Nashville, two lovers are forced to face a situation beyond their control
by William Gay

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS 

Gone off up North:
The Unvanquished
Ever hear the story of Faulkner's barefooted tennis game?
by Roy Blount Jr.

Dealer's Choice:
The Last Southern Hero
Frank Johnson was Jim Crow's most powerful natural enemy
by Hal Crowther

Local Fare: 
A ROOM OF OUR OWN
by John T. Edge

Comics
by P. Revess

Photo Essay: 
Faith & Doubt
In Contemporary Southern Photography

Book Views:
“Oh, I know who you are. You’re William Falkner. You look just like your pictures.”
by Donald Kartiganer

Book Views:
A Native Son’s Secret Life
by Anthony Walton

Book Views:
Common, All Too Common
by John Jeremiah Sullivan

Southern Music 
What’s Old Is Always New Again
by Tom Piazza

Southern Scenes:
The Blind Serpent Handler, 1987
Photograph by Shelby Lee Adams

POETRY

Autobiography of a White Girl Raised in the South
by Kate Daniels

SOUTHERN GALLERY

Wendy Brenner

Tony Earley

William Gay

Cover: “Anna as Chinese Princess. Sumner, Mississippi. 1997.” by Maude Schuyler Clay