We hear so much about Oxford as a writer’s community that it is easy to overlook what a special place our small city holds in the literary world.

Just this week we had news that Oxford’s Neil White made the New York Times’ bestselling list with his 2009 memoir “In the Sanctuary of Outcasts,” and that Oxford’s Tom Franklin is having not one, not two, but three of his prized works being made into films by James Franco.

Beyond that, we have the privilege each and every day of being home to Square Books, undeniably one of the best independent bookstores in the entire world.

Since Richard and Lisa Howorth opened Square Books in 1979, it has become the center of Oxford’s universe and the home to many fantastic Southern writers, and is a leader in the U.S. and abroad for promoting valuable writing.

Not many cities in the world under 25,000 in population can claim dozens of successful authors as residents as we can, either. From the brilliant Beth Ann Fennelly (who also happens to be Tom Franklin’s wife) to John T. Edge and so many more, the legacy established by greats including William Faulkner and Barry Hannah just keeps growing.

We celebrate the success of Neil White, Tom Franklin, Square Books and the rest of our Oxford authors, and look forward to many years more of good writing and reading.