Q & A

November 12, 2010 Sedaris’s trademark brand of humor is marked by equal doses of caustic wit and the sweet wistfulness of the true romantic. Sedaris never misses a chance to point out the absolute idiocy of human beings—including, invariably hilariously, his own mistakes and misadventures—but it’s impossible to read his essays and stories without concluding that he secretly enjoys the parade of human foolishness he’s treated to every day. He recently spoke with Chapter 16 prior to his signing of Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk at Davis-Kidd Booksellers in Memphis on November 13 at 3 p.m.

October 28, 2010 It was clear from the beginning that Lydia Peelle’s debut story collection, Reasons for and Advantages of Breathing, was something special. Though small—it contained only eight stories—and published in paperback, it immediately caught the eye of critics. (The The New York Times Book Review compared Peelle to “masters of the unsettling short story like Mary Gaitskill, or even Alice Munro.”) Peelle has won two Pushcart Prizes and an O. Henry Award; twice she has been included in Best New American Voices. No wonder, then, that the National Book Foundation named her to its 2009 list of the best “5 Under 35” writers, or that in March she was short-listed for the PEN/Hemingway award. And last night, the Nashville resident and former Bredesen speechwriter won her biggest prize to date: a coveted Whiting Writers’ Award, which carries a stipend of $50,000. She took a few minutes to answer questions from Chapter 16 about the prize.

October 26, 2010 One of the most gifted and popular writers of her generation, Canada’s Margaret Atwood has always brought a social and political conscience to bear in her award-winning poetry, fiction and critical writing. Prior to her visit to Nashville, she spoke with Chapter 16 about her work, the mixed blessings of technology, and how she’s aiding environmental causes. Margaret Atwood will give the keynote address to the ninth annual Belmont Humanities Symposium on October 27 at Belmont Heights Baptist Church at 7 p.m. She will also participate in a panel discussion on October 28 at 9:30 a.m. in the Massey Boardroom on the Belmont University campus. Both events are free and open to the public.

October 25, 2010 Aimee Bender, a modern fabulist and sharp prose stylist, sprinkles fairy-tale dust into contemporary settings and conflicts. The central conceit of her latest novel, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, is fetchingly simple and surreal: one day, a young girl names Rose Edelstein bites into a forkful of her mother’s lemon cake and finds she can “taste” her mother’s feelings. Bender recently spoke with Chapter 16 about the book, food as metaphor, and what compels her to write magical realism. She will discuss her work at Vanderbilt University in Nashville on October 28 at 7 p.m.