Southern Writers on Writing

by Susan Cushman (Editor), Alan Lightman (Foreword)

Contributions by Julie Cantrell, Katherine Clark, Susan Cushman, Jim Dees, Clyde Edgerton, W. Ralph Eubanks, John M. Floyd, Joe Formichella, Patti Callahan Henry, Jennifer Horne, Ravi Howard, Suzanne Hudson, River Jordan, Harrison Scott Key, Cassandra King, Alan Lightman, Sonja Livingston, Corey Mesler, Niles Reddick, Wendy Reed, Nicole Seitz, Lee Smith, Michael Farris Smith, Sally Palmer Thomason, Jacqueline Allen Trimble, M. O. Walsh, and Claude Wilkinson The South is often misunderstood on the national stage, characterized by its struggles with poverty, education, and racism, yet the region has yielded an abundance of undeniably great literature. In Southern Writers on Writing, Susan Cushman collects twenty-six writers from across the South whose work celebrates southern culture and shapes the landscape of contemporary southern literature. Contributors hail from Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Florida. Contributors such as Lee Smith, Michael Farris Smith, W. Ralph Eubanks, and Harrison Scott Key, among others, explore issues like race, politics, and family and the apex of those issues colliding. It discusses landscapes, voices in the South, and how writers write. The anthology is divided into six sections, including “Becoming a Writer;” “Becoming a Southern Writer;” “Place, Politics, People;” “Writing about Race;” “The Craft of Writing;” and “A Little Help from My Friends.”

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction

192 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 16, 2018

About the author

Cushman's eighth book, "Pilgrim Interrupted," releases June 7 , 2022. Her seventh book, "John and Mary Margaret," was published June 8, 2021.

Susan's sixth book, a collection of linked short stories titled "Friends of the Library," was published by Koehler Books in August, 2019. Her third anthology, "The Pulpwood Queens Celebrate 20 Years!," was published in December, 2019.

Susan's first novel, "Cherry Bomb," released in July 2017. Her first book, "Tangles and Plaques: A Mother and Daughter Face Alzheimer's," was released in January 2017. She was also editor of "A Second Blooming: Becoming the Women We Are Meant to Be," (March 2017) and "Southern Writers on Writing," (University Press of Mississippi, May 2018.) Susan has essays published in over 10 journals and magazines and four anthologies.

Susan was co-director of the 2010 and 2013 Oxford Creative Nonfiction Conferences, and Director of the 2011 Memphis Creative Nonfiction Workshop. She lives in Memphis where she loves leading a writing workshop at a senior living facility and volunteering for Room in the Inn, which provides food and shelter for the homeless.

Reviews

[Corey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chock full of wonderful writers. A gift for all writers, all Southerners, and for anyone looking for inspiration.

[Shari Stauch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love southern writers, love southern writing -Susan's deft and elegant handling of this material makes it a reader favorite (and a fave at our local bookstore!)

[Claire Fullerton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The easiest way to portray how much I loved Southern Writers on Writing is to tell the truth as it happened: After reading each moving essay, I sighed and thought, “This one is my favorite.” Apart from the fact that I’m a lover of the first-person narrative, these confessional essays held me at every turn. What they all have in common is an honesty not easily revealed unless the recipient has earned complete trust. These essays are more than Southern writers pontificating on their “process.” These essays are personal—sometimes painfully so. As an assembly, they are variations of a truth that seeks to put into words the profound impact of what it means to be part and parcel of a storied land, more than the sum of its disharmonious parts. A sense of nostalgia runs through Southern Writers on Writing, and what strikes me most is its unified theme. Task a Southern writer with writing about craft, and invariably, all roads lead back home. Southern Writers on Writing is a treasure for both readers and writers. Each essay contains the intrigue of a gripping short story, and each compelling voice allures the reader’s undivided attention. Thank you, Susan Cushman, for gifting us with this book. And to each author who contributed to this gem, thank you for sharing your story.

[Burke's Bookstore Book · Rating 5 out of 5]

Southern writers galore! Wonderfully inspiring essays on the difficult, delightful art of writing. And it contains an essay by our owner, Corey Mesler.

[Joy Powers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m now inspired to write...more

[Debbie Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't recall when last I took so long to read a book -- not because I found Southern Writers on Writing a difficult or tedious to read, but quite the opposite: I wanted to savor and ponder each and every chapter. Thankfully, I discovered this collection of essays in Parnassus, Ann Patchett's bookstore in Nashville. Clearly, Susan Cushman, editor of this anthology, assembled a variety of essays that capture what it means to be a Southern writer, and what it means to transcend regionalism while still honoring one's writing roots. Essays are grouped under themes, all of which add a new level of understanding about writing. As an American writer living in the West Indies, I was often struck by how many of the sentiments expressed have their roots in the West Indies. These are essays that every reader and writer should discover. I count this as one of my favourite, unforgettable books.

[Pauline Mountain · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting group of essays on writing, some of which I liked better than others, most dealing in some form with the question of what makes a Southern writer different from any other writer. I don't know if there was any real answer because every writer had a different take-away on what Southern writing means to them. This is a fine book that made me think about what Southern writing means to me.

[Krista Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard Susan on a military spouse podcast and bought a second blooming and this book and very much enjoyed both.