Oxford American Launches ‘South Words’ Author Series

The Oxford American has a few new things up its sleeve. In addition to a redesigned magazine (on newsstands now), the publication has announced a brand new author series called South Words at the Ron Robinson Theater featuring renowned Oxford American contributors.

At each event, the author will read from his or her work, then be interviewed onstage by a moderator. The events, all of which are free and open to the public, begin at 6:30 p.m., with the doors opening at 6. Books will be for sale onsite and authors will also participate in a signing.

Here’s the lineup for the inaugural season:

Sarah M. Broom, author of “The Yellow House”

Tuesday, Oct. 15

Sarah M. Broom’s book “The Yellow House” is a memoir set in a shotgun house in New Orleans East. The book was published on Aug. 13, 2019, to wide acclaim, including from The New York Times critic Dwight Garner, who called it “a major book that I suspect will come to be considered among the essential memoirs” of the decade. The conversation will be moderated by KaToya Ellis Fleming, the Oxford American’s 2019-2020 Jeff Baskin Fellow.

Van Jensen and Nate Powell, author and illustrator of “Two Dead”

Tuesday, Nov. 19

Little Rock native Nate Powell has said he’s eager to bring his home state to life through comics and “each book doubles as a love letter to Arkansas in all its contradictory beauty.” His next book is called “Two Dead,” a Little Rock noir set in the 1940s. The book is a collaboration with author Van Jensen, a former crime reporter at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. The South Words event with Powell and Jensen will occur on the book’s publication date. The conversation with Powell and Jensen will be moderated Oxford American Senior Editor Jay Jennings.

Silas House, author of “Southernmost”

Tuesday, Feb. 25

Silas House is a frequent New York Times contributor and the national bestselling author of six novels, including “Southernmost,” which was published in June 2018 and long-listed for the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. “Southernmost” is the story of evangelical preacher Asher Sharp who offers shelter to two gay men after a flood in a small Tennessee town. The conversation with House will be moderated by Seth Pennington, editor-in-chief of Sibling Rivalry Press.

Leesa Cross-Smith, author of “So We Can Glow: Stories”

Tuesday, March 31

Leesa Cross-Smith made her Oxford American debut in 2017 with “Ain’t Half Bad,” her widely read essay about Sturgill Simpson for the Kentucky music issue. She is the author of “Whiskey & Ribbons,” “Every Kiss a War” and “So We Can Glow,” a collection of 42 short stories that will be published next year. The conversation with Cross-Smith will be moderated by Oxford American contributing editor Kevin Brockmeier.

For more information about South Words, visit OxfordAmerican.org/Events.

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