Stories From the Blue Moon Cafe

Stories from the Blue Moon Cafe #1

by Sonny Brewer

This collection of thirty Southern writers gathers some of the finest authors in the country - with stories, essays, and a poem. Demonstrating a range of styles, topics, and themes these stories display each writer's craftsmanship and talent and together form a testament to the grand literary tradition of the South.

Includes:

Final season by Marlin Barton
The blues is dying in the place it was born by Rick Bragg
Bitsy by Jill Conner Browne
S. Trident by C. Terry Cline
My heart's content by Pat Conroy
The octopus alibi by Tom Corcoran
I would like to go back as I am, now, to you as you were, then by Beth Ann Fennelly
The girl from Soldier Creek by Patricia Foster
Christmas 1893 by Tom Franklin
Come home, come home, it's suppertime by William Gay
Everything must go by Jim Gilbert
Going back to the bridge in Berlin by W. E. B. Griffin
Just a little closer to the Lord by Winston Groom
Love like a bullet by Melinda Haynes
Left behind by Frank Turner Hollon
The last days by Silas House
The fall of the Nixon administration by Suzanne Hudson
A modern tragedy by Douglas Kelley
Payback by Tom Kelly
Killing Stonewall Jackson by Michael Knight
White sugar and red clay by Bev Marshall
Blackbird by Barbara Robinette Moss
And when I should feel something by Jennifer Paddock
How this song ends by Judith Richards
From Tucson to Tucumcari, from Hatchabee to Tonopah by Richard Shackelford
Vietnam by George Singleton
Jesus, beans, and butter rum Lifesavers by Monroe Thompson
Arnold's number by Sidney Thompson
The dead girl by Brad Watson
The right kind of person by Steve Yarbrough

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Southern, American

351 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Sonny Brewer is the author of four novels, including The Poet of Tolstory Park and The Widow and the Tree. He edited the anthology series Stories from the Blue Moon Café and most recently, Don't Quit Your Day Job - Acclaimed Authors and the Day Jobs they Quit published by MP Publishing in 2010.

Reviews

[Diane Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars for this collection, rounded up because they are all southern. As with most short story anthologies, some are excellent, some just okay, but all the people and settings and speech patterns were familiar to me. I liked them enough that I'll look for more of these Blue Moon Cafe books.

[Ronald Wilcox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Collection of written works (short stories, poetry, essays) by Southern writes associated with Fairhope, Alabama. Most are enjoyable though forgettable but two authors' writing stood out to me as good examples of Southern writing - Silas House and Suzanne Hudson. Looking forward to reading other collections in the series.

[Yaaresse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like almost all short story collections, there's a bell curve at work here and some stories are outstanding and others overwhelming. In all, however, this is a solid collection of good writing. OTOH, damn, but southern writing leans into the depressing and hopeless sometimes.

[sylvia woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

I own this copy and return to it time and again to reread stories such as the one by Silas House.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of stories, some human interest, some mean, and some that make you cringe. No end to the human condition. I didn't enjoy it as much as other multi-story books. Maybe I might read it again sometime. Some stories I just didn't like much.

[Margaret · Rating 2 out of 5]

A rather lackluster, forgettable collection

The last few stories:

Arnold’s Number
About loneliness

The Dead Girl
Creepy in a grotesque kind of way

The Right Kind of Person

[Gary Turner · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is full of characters to say the least. I suppose one could say a touch of the south if you will.

[Jerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

These short stories paint a fair picture of of the old and new south.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of short stories is the first of several by a group of very distinguished southern writers. It includes poetry and essays as well as stories. The stories run the gamut from tragic to humorous and include some good yarns. The editor also relates the story of the book title which grew out a southern writers conference. I'm looking forward to reading more of the stories from the later collections by these writers.

[Wanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice set of short stories written by some great southern writers.