Q & A | Chapter 16

Same War, Same General

Connor Towne O’Neill grapples with America’s legacy of white supremacy

By Kim Green | September 29, 2020

In Down Along with That Devil’s Bones, Connor Towne O’Neill explores the battles over Nathan Bedford Forrest monuments in Nashville, Murfreesboro, Memphis, and Selma, Alabama, in a quest to understand how white supremacy continues to shape American society. O’Neill will appear at a virtual event hosted by Novel in Memphis on September 29 and at the 2020 Southern Festival of Books, held online October 1-11.

Surviving the Curse of “Nowville”

Greetings from New Nashville considers the city’s transformation and its future

By Sean Kinch | September 28, 2020

In Greetings from New Nashville, a collection of essays edited by Steve Haruch, contributors grapple with the rise of the city as a tourist destination and the municipal issues that have arisen as a result. Haruch will discuss Greetings from New Nashville at the 2020 Southern Festival of Books, held online October 1-11.

Another Way to Be

Michael Ian Black makes the case for a new masculinity in A Better Man

By Maria Browning | September 25, 2020

Michael Ian Black’s A Better Man is a tender, funny, hopeful book, conceived as a letter to his 18-year-old son. Through a mix of memoir, comic commentary, and fatherly advice, Black makes the case against the cultural pressures that harm men, from impossible ideals of strength and independence to damaging rhetoric about toxic masculinity. Black will appear at the 2020 Southern Festival of Books, held online October 1-11.

Dreams and Nightmares

Nicholas Buccola dissects the dramatic 1965 debate between James Baldwin and William F. Buckley

By Aram Goudsouzian | September 22, 2020

In The Fire Is Upon Us, Nicholas Buccola tells the story of the famous Cambridge Union confrontation between James Baldwin and William F. Buckley, revealing both the roots of our current racial dilemmas and the experiences of these two significant intellectuals. Buccola will join a virtual conversation with Terrence Tucker of the University of Memphis on September 24.

Following the Story Wherever It Goes

After three decades in children’s books, acclaimed author-illustrator David Wiesner is still eager to innovate

By Julie Danielson | September 17, 2020

David Wiesner talks to Chapter 16 about his newest picture book, Robobaby, and returning to the Southern Festival of Books after nearly 30 years. Wiesner will appear at the 2020 Southern Festival of Books, held online October 1-11.

Making Sunshine, Nurturing Change

Acclaimed children’s author Renée Watson talks about inspiration, collaboration, and activism

By Julie Danielson | September 3, 2020

Renée Watson’s Ways to Make Sunshine is the first in a new chapter book series for young readers. Watson will discuss the book at the 2020 Southern Festival of Books, held online October 1-11.

Tias and Primas: On Knowing and Loving the Women Who Raise Us

By Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez, illustrated by Josie Del Castillo
Seal Press
304 pages
$30

“Within these pages, I found my abuela, my tías and my primas — laughing, crying, and nodding alongside me. This book is a gift of understanding, and loving one’s family, even when our families are complicated and painful. It’s a beautiful reminder of the power of storytelling and the profound connection of kinship.”

~ Paola Mendoza, author, organizer and filmmaker