John Vercher’s latest novel reckons with Black identity in the past and present
In John Vercher’s third novel, Devil Is Fine, a biracial father grieves his deceased son and dying career, realizing that he only understands both through a post-mortem examination. Vercher will appear at the 2024 Southern Festival of Books in Nashville on October 26-27.
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Saeed Jones writes poetry of grief and survival
FROM THE CHAPTER 16 ARCHIVE: Alive at the End of the World is the latest apocalyptic collection of poetry from Memphis native Saeed Jones.
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Two books of Afrofuturist fiction envision Black possibility and protest
Black Panther: Panther’s Rage by Sheree Renée Thomas and the anthology Africa Risen, which Thomas coedited, imagine worlds rich in Black life and agency. Sheree Renée Thomas will appear at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City on March 27.
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Percival Everett’s James builds a new story from an old one
Prolific, critically acclaimed writer Percival Everett offers a new take on a controversial classic with his latest novel, James. Everett will appear at Parnassus Books in Nashville on March 25.
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In Edgar Kunz’s Fixer, plain language makes way for depth of meaning
Images of ordinary life convey warmth, grief, and complicated emotion in Edgar Kunz’s second poetry collection, Fixer. Edgar Kunz will appear at Vanderbilt University in Nashville on March 21.
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Stories from the Tenants Downstairs explores a place that’s both hell and home
FROM THE CHAPTER 16 ARCHIVE: Sidik Fofana’s Stories from the Tenants Downstairs, a debut collection of linked stories, emerges from a high-rise in Harlem, brilliantly capturing the scrapes, scents, and spirit of this gentrifying neighborhood. Sidik Fofana will appear at Vanderbilt University on February 22.
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