The Earth Beneath Our Feet

THE EARTH BENEATH OUR FEET is a literary fiction novel set in Poncana, a small college town in South Georgia, where history and present-day tensions collide. At its heart is The University, a land-grant institution reckoning with its namesake—a former slave owner. The novel follows five central characters: Dr. Jones, a history professor researching the town’s plantation past; Aaliyah, a sophomore balancing activism and personal love; Jordan, the leader of a white supremacist militia; George, a university police chief longing to be a poet; and Laci, a biology student struggling with grief. When Dr. Jones’ research is republished in national media, it ignites campus-wide unrest, drawing in student activists, far-right extremists, and university leadership. As protests escalate and a hurricane looms, THE EARTH BENEATH OUR FEET explores race, history, and community in a divided rural Southern America. Told through multiple perspectives, the novel captures a single, turbulent week that will change Poncana forever.