Joe Potato’s Real Life Recipes

Tall Tales & Short Stories

By Meriwether O’Connor

Characters bold and bright populate Meriwether O’Connor’s vivid and often humorous short stories. Rooted in rural Appalachia, these tales feature animals, humans and plants that celebrate country living while being brave — or perhaps stubborn — enough to stand unflinching in the face of hardscrabble realities.

O’Connor’s writing is frank, entertaining and imbued with a sense of magical realism. In an interview with Story Circle Book Reviews, O’Connor, who was raised in Kentucky, says that “‘Joe Potato fits into what is now called ‘Grit Lit,’ a more down-to-earth version of Southern Gothic.” A decidedly non-traditional recipe follows each tale, and, like her characters, the recipes don’t take themselves too seriously, either.

“Joe Potato’s Real Life Recipes” is nominated for the Weatherford Award, and O’Connor plans to release another collection next year. — Review by Molly Moore