Fans of literature and the arts will have one more opportunity to discover new writers in 2024 with SoLit. SoLit will host fiction writer Bradley Sides Saturday, Dec. 7, at ArtsBuild, 301 E. 11th St., at 4 p.m.
Mr. Sides will be in conversation with SoLit's executive director, Chelsea Risley, discussing his second short story collection, Crocodile Tears Didn’t Cause the Flood, followed by a Q&A session and book signing. Attendees will have the opportunity to purchase copies of Crocodile Tears Didn’t Cause the Flood at the event.
Sponsored by HHM and First Horizon, this event is free and open to the public. Find out more details at solitchatt.org.
Review for Crocodile Tears Didn't Cause the Flood:
Crocodile Tears Didn’t Cause the Flood is a collection of magical realism short stories that merge the South with the weird. Here, a boy creates a guide to his beloved pond monster, a parent weighs the consequences of the coming apocalypse, a man protects a jar of delicate moths, a test taker fearlessly faces death, a young woman rejects ownership of her vampire family’s farm, a father leaves a letter for his ghost daughter, and a flood of broken robots sparks pure joy.
For Electric Literature, Wendy J. Fox writes, “Rather than being fantastical, Crocodile Tears Didn’t Cause The Flood reads more like hopes and fears made true. Across the stories, there is a longing for connection and family: lament for family lost, hope for reconciliation. Set in the American South, both the gothic and magical realism are at play, but what Sides is at his best when he is writing about the deep wounds of children, intergenerational relationships, and the intersection of communities. Each story offers its own strange beauty.”
Full of grief, loss, and, somehow, even hope, Mr. Sides’ fantastic stories boldly and tenderly explore the complexities of humanity.
Mr. Sides is the author of two short story collections, Those Fantastic Lives and Crocodile Tears Didn’t Cause the Flood, and the upcoming novella, The Volcano Keeper, which will be out from Regal House in the fall of 2026. His stories have been nominated for Year’s Best Weird Fiction and featured on LeVar Burton Reads. Additionally, he has written reviews, interviews, and essays for Chapter 16, Chicago Review of Books, Electric Literature, Los Angeles Review of Books, and others. He lives in Madison, Alabama, with his wife. On most days, he can be found teaching writing and literature at Calhoun Community College.
SoLit has evolved into a literary arts hub for Chattanooga since it was founded in 1952. SoLit’s mission is to provide the community with opportunities for literary experiences that engage young people and adults in a life-long love of reading, writing, and community conversation. For more information on SoLit and upcoming literary events in Chattanooga, visit www.solitchatt.org.