“The South is simultaneously a collection of different but interconnected spaces, and an intriguingly ephemeral trace, a connective thread, a resonant echo of Black being.” —Carter Mathes

The Oxford American’s Southern Literature Issue includes original short fiction by PEN/Faulkner Award winner Deesha Philyaw, as well as stories by Dawnie Walton, Mary Miller, and others. This issue also features five blues poems by the Afro-Futurist writer and Arkansas native, Henry Dumas.

Plus: West Virginia state folklorist Emily Hilliard revisits writer Breece D’J Pancake’s hometown of Milton, while S. J. Kim explores Southern Gothic themes through the poetry of Louisiana native Yusef Komunyakaa.

Copies of the Southern Lit Issue will mail to subscribers and customers who pre-order on August 17, 2021. The issue will be available on newsstands on August 31, 2021.