During the pandemic, we’ve heard that a lot of people went back to read their favorite novels as comfort and sustenance through the hard times. We at South Central Review have therefore decided to do a special double issue on this topic, scheduled to appear in Fall 2021. We hope to run approximately thirty brief essays (5-8 pages in manuscript form) in which the authors reflect on the literary, artistic, or other merits of the novel in question, why it resonates as it does, and perhaps why it was important at a particular moment in history, or why it remains influential today. We also hope to interview several contemporary novelists and writers about their favorite novels as sources of or inspiration for their own work.

We are inviting essay submissions to Nick Lawrence by email at lawrennm@mailbox.sc.edu. Our submission deadline for essays is April 30, 2021. We will accommodate as many essays as we can, but obviously there is the possibility that not all submissions can be included. Thank you for your interest, and we look forward to hearing from you.