R. T. Smith's "Sherburne" chronicles the title family's encounters with ruthlessness over several generations. The patriarch discovers himself when he encounters Sherman's horse soldiers in 1864 Georgia, and his son, working in law enforcement in the Virginia Blue Ridge, finds himself struggling with moral issues in a harsh landscape. As practitioners and victims of violence, the Sherburne family makes an apt portrait of Smith's conviction that even those who resort to force on behalf of their community must bear the responsibility and carry the scars.
"Ranging through time from the Civil War to the present, this intricate and exquisitely written collection further confirms that R. T. Smith is one of America's best writers. "Sherburne" is a magnificant acheivement."--Ron Rash

In the best tradition of southern storytelling, Uke Rivers Delivers features raconteurs as beguiling as the tales they tell. These lyrical, darkly humorous monologues portray a range of denizens of the American South desperately trying to come to grips with their inherited pasts. A Confederate reenactor receives a message from the beyond to lay to rest the remains of Stonewall Jackson's horse. A docent at Washington and Lee University's Lee Chapel offers prim instruction on the facts and legends about "the General" with both reverence and irony. The young son of a lewd, alcoholic, self-dubbed evangelist acquires the wits -- and the will -- for survival by protecting the family's sunflower crops. A midget ukulele virtuoso is so surprised by his own eruption into violence that he can attribute it only to genetics. One of Jeff Davis's fellow cross-dressers; the killer of John Wilkes Booth; a Rebel deserter whose superior exacts his pound of flesh -- all these characters and more, through their twisted and torn vernaculars, seek understanding and revival in R. T. Smith's superb collection.

In Common Wealth Sarah Kennedy and R. T. Smith mine the deep vein of Virginia poetry to present a comprehensive collection of contemporary works that reflects the vibrant community of poets working today. Notable for its ethnic diversity, Common Wealth showcases the work of fifty-three poets--all of whom have a close connection to the Commonwealth--ranging from the virtually unknown to the well established, and representing all regions of the state.

Contributors:

Talvikki Ansel * Jennifer Atkinson * Molly Bendall * Kelly Cherry * Michael Chitwood * Rosanne Coggeshall * Stephen Cushman * Richard Dillard * Gregory Donovan * Rita Dove * Claudia Emerson * Forrest Gander * George Garrett * Margaret Gibson * Nikki Giovanni * John Haines * Cathryn Hankla * Henry Hart * David Huddle * T. R. Hummer * Julia Johnson * Sam Kashner * Sally Keith * Sarah Kennedy * Peter Klappert * Jeanne Larsen * Edward C. Lynskey * Heather Ross Miller * Elizabeth Seydel Morgan * Debra Nystrom * Gregory Orr * Eric Pankey * Jim Peterson * Hermine Pinson * Lucinda Roy * Steve Scafidi * Nancy Schoenberger * Tim Seibles * Dana Littlepage Smith * Dave Smith * R. T. Smith * Ron Smith * Katherine Soniat * Lisa Russ Spaar * Dan Stryk * Dabney Stuart * Eleanor Ross Taylor * Henry Taylor * Eric Trethewey * Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon * Reetika Vazirani * Ellen Bryant Voigt * Charles Wright

Sarah Kennedy is Assistant Professor of English at Mary Baldwin College and the author of Double Exposure, Flow Blue, and From the Midland Plain. R. T. Smith is the editor of Shenandoah magazine at Washington and Lee University and the author of several books, including Messenger, Trespasser, and The Cardinal Heart.