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NORTH CAROLINA L I T E R A R Y RE V I E W
Winter 2022
Back Issue Bonanza by Margaret D. Bauer, Editor In this section, find reviews of books by writers we’ve published – Allan Gurganus’s selected stories collection and Ed Southern’s memoir – and on the subject of previous content – Popcorn Sutton. Enjoy poems by writers who have been James Applewhite Poetry Prize finalists before: J.S. Absher, Priscilla Melchior, and Benjamin Pryor. And here too we pay our respects to North Carolina's much lauded and beloved mystery writer, Margaret Maron, and her husband, Joe, who passed away within months of each other this past year. As D.G. Martin often advises new North Carolina residents, I learned much about the many treasures of North Carolina through Margaret's Deborah Knott series, while also enjoying the escapades of her central sleuth and admiring Judge Knott for refusing to accept limitations often put upon women of her region and time. I am so grateful to Margaret for the lovely essay she wrote for our 2018 issue. Other reviews and the literary award stories in this section hearken back to the special feature topics of past issues: 2017's Literature and the Other Arts, 2015's Global North Carolina, 2005's Outer Banks literature, 2001's speculative fiction,
and 2000's focus on genre.* As Dale Bailey contemplates the genre of the oddly paired books we sent him to consider for review, he reflects on where we find books in our favorite bookstores, which inspired us to promote several independent bookstores of North Carolina within the layout of his review. And here I add my own promotion of independent bookstores, who contribute so significantly to the strong literary culture of our state. Congratulations to their owners and operators for holding on through the pandemic, and thanks to them all for providing so much of our entertainment while we were secluding ourselves for safety. Many bookstores drastically reduced and even waived postage charges for mailorder book buying. Bookstores were also among the first to host Zoom readings, allowing writers to celebrate and talk about their new books. I am sure the reviews in this section – in the whole issue – will inspire book purchases, and I urge you: please buy those books from independent bookstores. Consider the cost difference from what you might pay Amazon to be a donation to a very good cause. n
* Who out there is reading the issue introductions? Match the back issue themes listed here with a review or award story, and receive free copies of all of these issues mentioned. Already have one or more them? We can offer substitutions from back issues to help complete your set of NCLR. Email your response to NCLRStaff@ecu.edu before the print issue release in June.
