Book Review

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They Write Among Us: New Stories and Essays from the Best of Oxford Writers

From Publishers Weekly: Why is the small university town of Oxford, Mississippi, such a hotbed of literary talent? In his introduction to this anthology, Mississippi Public Radio personality Dees attributes the town's literary fame to the late Willie Morris. In 1984 Morris (Taps, etc.) came to teach at Ole Miss, and was soon followed by cult hero Barry Hannah (Airships).

Both venerable writers appear in Dee's selection: Morris's essay "My Two Oxfords" works as the book's foreword, and Hannah opens the fiction section with "All the Harkening Faces at the Rail."

In the nonfiction section, James Beard Award nominee John T. Edge describes how he followed in the footsteps of A Confederacy of Dunces's Ignatius J. Reilly by selling wienies for Lucky Dogs, Inc., and, in the verse section, Pushcart Prize winner Beth Ann Fennelly contributes some new poems.

This rewarding volume will please readers who want to tune in to the best of the contemporary South.

– Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.