For Tennessee writers, our environment’s fate hinges on unearthing the truth about where we stand
When I look across Tennessee’s literary ecosystem, I see how many of our writers feel compelled to write about their relationship to the land. Some have intertwined their literary vision with an environmental mission. Others have devoted their work to excavating truths about our history that have lain buried for too long.
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Rickie Lee Jones recalls her family and career in Last Chance Texaco
Rickie Lee Jones’ memoir looks back at her family, her career, and the long road to seeing the beauty in her life. Jones will appear at the online 2021 Southern Festival of Books on October 9.
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Alan Lightman explores the beauty of the night sky in his first children’s book
Author and physicist Alan Lightman’s first children’s book, Ada and the Galaxies, written with Olga Pastuchiv and illustrated by Susanna Chapman, captures a girl’s joy over visiting her grandfather and exploring the star-filled sky over his home on an island in Maine.
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Sewanee literary institutions seek new voices and perspectives
Literary and academic institutions in Tennessee have long served as hubs for acclaimed writing, and none more notably than the University of the South, home to The Sewanee Review and the Sewanee Writers’ Conference. Both organizations are working to elevate a new generation of writers who better reflect the growing diversity of the region and the country.
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The state’s largest literary event will feature 100 authors
This year’s Festival will feature 100 authors, offering attendees the opportunity to connect online with their favorite authors from a variety of genres, including nonfiction, poetry, mystery, and more.
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Michael Sims discusses biological and literary creativity
From the Chapter 16 archive: Where do babies come from? It may be a child’s question, but the answer is far from simple, especially if we consider the baby-making processes of the whole animal kingdom, as Michael Sims does in his companion to the National Geographic Channel’s television special of the same name, In the Womb: Animals. It features ultrasound images of fetal animals that are so detailed and vivid it’s almost hard to believe they aren’t simulations.
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