Dayton, Tenn., author Rachel Held Evans, whose books challenged the evangelical teachings of her childhood and urged conservative Christians to make their churches more compassionate and more inclusive, died on Saturday after a short illness.
When my agent asked to see a complete revision of my work-in-progress, I didn’t know whether I could face it again. As with that tangle of cords and cables you stash in the back of your closet just in case you’ll need them, even though you’re not sure what half of them are for, I feared that if I pulled on one cord, the others would tighten into a death knot. How would I ever rewrite the whole book and hand it in on time? Fortunately, I had a plan: I’d apply to Rockvale Writers’ Colony.
Last year, Humble Universe Disturbers Used Books and More both opened its doors and changed locations. Now planted firmly on Franklin Street in Clarksville’s developing downtown district, co-owners Aubrey Collins and Ericka Arcadia spoke with Chapter 16 about how they got here and where they’re going.
Kate Daniels is the author of five collections of poetry, including Four Testimonies and A Walk in Victoria’s Secret. She lives in Nashville, where she directs the creative-writing program at Vanderbilt University. “In the Midst of the Heroin Epidemic” will appear in her forthcoming collection, In the Months of My Son’s Recovery, which will be published by Louisiana State University Press on May 15, 2019.
Beyond the Point, the debut novel by Nashville writer Claire Gibson, is set at the United States Military Academy at West Point. The story’s protagonists are three women—a nationally-ranked point guard, the granddaughter of an Army general, and a rebellious homecoming queen—who struggle to remain close even as life takes them in different directions. The book will be published by William Morrow on April 2, 2019.
Appalachian Reckoning is a collection of regional responses to J.D. Vance’s controversial bestselling memoir, Appalachian Elegy. In this essay from the book, Kingsport native Robert Gipe, author of Trampoline and Weedeater, writes with humor and compassion about the town where he grew up, the industries that made people sick there, and the people he knew. Appalachian Reckoning will be published by West Virginia University Press on March 1, 2019.
