The Alabama Writers’ Forum
The Alabama Writers’ Forum, a partnership program of the Alabama State Council on the Arts, works to cultivate our state’s literary culture. We do that through supporting writers at all stages. We encourage our young writers to find their creative voice through the Father Goose Poetry Festival for Kids!–and through our Alabama High School Literary Arts Awards. We support the work of our state’s literary community through our Alabama Authors Directory, First Draft magazine, and other programming and opportunities for writers across the state. And we celebrate our state’s rich literary legacy through the Alabama Writers Hall of Fame. We are, above all, a community of writers united by our desire to advance the literary arts in Alabama. If that describes you — join us! There are many ways to get involved.
Little Ones
Little Ones By Grey Wolfe LaJoie Hub City Press; 2024 Paperback: $17.95 Genre: Short Stories Reviewed by Edward Journey Scattered here and there are folk art installations that defy description but create a lasting impact with surprises around every corner. Howard Finster’s Paradise Garden in Summerville, Georgia, comes immediately to mind. Butch Anthony’s Museum of Wonder Drive-Thru in Seale, Alabama, is another. Joe Minter’s African Village in Birmingham. Sam Rodia’s Watts Towers in Los Angeles. Brother Joseph Zoettl’s Ave Maria Grotto in Cullman, Alabama. Reading Grey Wolfe LaJoie’s short story collection Little Ones feels like that. One never knows quite what to expect next, but it is sure to be strange, visceral, and fantastical, and will linger in memory. Little Ones, LaJoie’s first collection, is published by Hub City Press out of Spartanburg, South Carolina. Over time, I have discovered that Hub City publications are reliably intriguing, and Little Ones is definitely in that mode. While reading Little Ones, there are occasional brief reminders of other writers. Gertrude Stein might be evoked by La Joie’s celebration of words; Sam Shepard in the desperate plight of many of the characters; Barry Hannah in the raw and inventive gonzo spirit of the language; and a memorably heartbreaking dog that would [...]
