Chapter 16
A Community of Tennessee Writers, Readers & Passersby

Abby N. Lewis

On Matters of Life and Death

Neurosurgeon Jay Wellons reflects on a life devoted to healing

FROM THE CHAPTER 16 ARCHIVE: In All That Moves Us, pediatric neurosurgeon Jay Wellons recounts some of the most memorable moments of his career as a children’s doctor. Wellons will discuss the book at the 2023 Southern Festival of Books in Nashville on October 21-22.

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Modern Roommate Wanted

Jenna Levine enters the supernatural romance scene with a centuries-old vampiric heartthrob

My Roommate Is a Vampire, Jenna Levine’s debut romance novel, offers an endearing, unlikely matchup of a centuries-old vampire and a quirky artist in her mid-30s. Levine will discuss the book at Parnassus Books in Nashville on August 29 and The Book & Cover in Chattanooga on September 8.

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When Life Was Simpler

Women reflect on their mountain upbringing

In The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Women, editor Kami Ahrens curates a collection of voices that subvert the pastoral image of mountain living. Ahrens will appear at the 2023 Southern Festival of Books in Nashville on October 21-22.

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What Was Buried

A small town is shaken by racial turmoil in David Joy’s Those We Thought We Knew

David Joy’s Those We Thought We Knew explores family ties, secrets, and revelations that will shake a man to his core.

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Poisonous Dealings

Celia Bell’s debut novel encompasses black magic, murder, and subterfuge in 17th-century France

Baroness Marie Catherine finds herself tangled in a web of lies, crossdressing, and back-alley dealings in Celia Bell’s gripping debut novel, The Disenchantment. Bell will discuss the book at Parnassus Books in Nashville on May 22.

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A River’s Tale

Patti Callahan Henry tells a story of two sisters and the power of fairy tales

Operation Pied Piper, initiated by the British government in September 1939, relocated thousands of children in an effort to protect them from war bombing. In Patti Callahan Henry’s novel The Secret Book of Flora Lea, young sisters Hazel and Flora find themselves displaced with so many others, thrust into a terrifying adventure. Henry will appear at Landmark Booksellers in Franklin and Parnassus Books in Nashville on May 17.

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