Table Rock Journal Submission Request
Essays and Book Reviews wanted for Table Rock Journal
Table Rock Journal is a quarterly Substack publication of the Table Rock Writers Workshop. Evolving out of the Duke University Writers Workshop in the late 1990s, we are now a community of writers who gather each August in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina to write, read, and revise our works in progress with the guidance of a generous faculty of veterans who work across genres.
This multi-state network of literary citizens is lively. We have 19 states represented this year at our gathering. We also connect virtually during the rest of the year, offering support and encouragement to each other while attending readings, workshops, and communicating through social media.
For the next four months, TR Journal is soliciting reader-friendly essays of 1500 words or less and book reviews of 500 words or less. We want to explore the changing landscape of books written in and about the South. Here are some possible themes we invite you to ponder and write about for our community to consider…
What subgenres of fiction do you see growing in popularity here and why?
Do you listen to audio books, and how is that experience different from reading a print book for you as a writer?
Book clubs seem to be popping up like mushrooms these days. What do you think these circles of readers provide to their members that has created such an explosion? Is it worth going to book clubs to present your book?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of on-line readings for writers? What has been your experience of this option-made-standard during COVID?
Writers also seem to be pairing up more to do readings and thematic conversations rather than going solo on book tours. What is your experience in these events, either as an author or an audience member?
Some bookstores now require customers to register and purchase a book in advance to attend an author appearance. Is this practice helpful or discouraging to an audience?
What makes Southern literature distinctive in these times?
What is it about landscape and place in Southern lit that remains so interesting to people inside and outside the region?
What Southern lit best reflects the vast political and cultural changes in the South?
What is your advice for young writers (or newcomers at any age) looking to join the literary community?
FOR BOOK REVIEWS: We want a concise appraisal that explains why a writer should read the book you have read. What did you learn from the book about such aspects as use of language, overall architecture, dialogue, experimentation, description, characterization?
Send your essay proposal, book review, or finished piece to: tablerockwriters@gmail.com. We will acknowledge receipt quickly and work with you to polish the piece if it fits our needs. Depending on response, we may increase the frequency of these postings!