Ed Tarkington talks about the class conflicts at the heart of his second novel, The Fortunate Ones
Ed Tarkington’s The Fortunate Ones is a story of love and social status in the New South, where “good people can end up going to dark places when the stakes get high and they come to believe that the ends justify the means.” Tarkington will appear at the online 2021 Southern Festival of Books on October 10.
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Jess Walter on the audacity and terror of writing novels
Novelist Jess Walter talks with Chapter 16 about The Cold Millions, the sources of his fiction, and why he’s a “structuralist by nature.” Walter will appear at an in-person session of the 2021 Southern Festival of Books, held at Parnassus Books in Nashville on October 4.
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Kathi Appelt delivers an epic tale of camels, kestrels, and the power of stories
Kathi Appelt will appear at the online 2021 Southern Festival of Books to discuss her new novel for young readers, Once Upon a Camel, the tale of a storytelling camel and the two baby kestrels she protects.
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Margaret Renkl discusses her new essay collection, Graceland, at Last
Graceland, at Last: Notes on Hope and Heartache from the American South collects 60 of Margaret Renkl’s essays for The New York Times. Her fascinating explanations of the natural world are the standouts, but she also weighs in with authority on politics and culture. Renkl will discuss the book at a free ticketed event held in Harpeth Hall’s Frances Bond Davis Theater in Nashville on September 14, at a virtual event hosted by Novel in Memphis on September 16, and at the online 2021 Southern Festival of Books.
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Keith B. Wood explores the meaning of basketball in Memphis
In Memphis Hoops, Keith B. Wood examines how basketball promoted racial unity in Memphis, while also reflecting the city’s persistent prejudices. It centers around Larry Finch, a local legend as both player and coach.
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Former governor Bill Haslam discusses the role of faith in government
Former Tennessee governor Bill Haslam does a deep dive into the two subjects not fit for polite conversation in Faithful Presence: The Promise and the Peril of Faith in the Public Square. Haslam, also the former mayor of Knoxville, outlines a way of approaching the role of religious faith in the hardball arena of politics. He will appear at the online 2021 Southern Festival of Books.
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