Editor's Note
Celebrated poet, novelist, playwright, and cultural critic Ishmael Reed will visit Chattanooga on March 15 as a featured speaker for the Chattanooga Public Library’s Culture on 4 series. Reed, who was born in Chattanooga, first gained a reputation as an original, uncompromising literary voice with his early novels Yellow Back Radio Broke-Down (1969) and Mumbo Jumbo (1972), which was a finalist for the National Book Award. His 1972 poetry collection, Conjure, was also a finalist for the NBA. Throughout his long career he has remained a vibrant, visionary artist, as evidenced by a recent poem and profile in The New Yorker. He discussed his early experiences and influences in a 2016 interview with The Paris Review.
Reed’s March 15 appearance will also feature a reading by Rhyme N Chatt. The event is free and open to the public.
Today at Chapter 16, Emily Choate reviews a new poetry collection by Tiana Clark, praising Scorched Earth“s “smoldering honesty and formal inventiveness.” Last week, we revisited an excerpt from Tyler Friend’s 2022 poetry collection Him or Her or Whatever; Jane Marcellus reviewed Spell Freedom, a new book by Elaine Weiss about the Freedom Schools that were an integral part of the Civil Rights Movement; Mary Liza Hartong celebrated friendship and surprises in her essay “Cobs of Wisdom”; and Abby N. Lewis reviewed Patti Callahan Henry’s latest novel, The Story She Left Behind.
News Roundup
- Nikki Giovanni has been posthumously awarded the Frost Medal for lifetime achievement.
- Jamie Quatro and Boyce Upholt are among the recipients of the 2024 Willie Morris Awards.
- Tova Mirvis was interviewed for Moment.
- David George Haskell was interviewed for KPCW’s The Green Earth. Haskell recently announced that he will be leaving his faculty post at Sewanee.
