Q & A | Chapter 16

A Neat Shot

With American Whiskey, Bourbon & Rye, Clay Risen chronicles the rebirth of a lost national craft

By Michael Ray Taylor | October 17, 2013

October 17, 2013 The new book by Chapter 16’s own Clay Risen, American Whiskey, Bourbon & Rye, covers the history of American whiskey and investigates current practices in the industry. It also offers profiles, ratings, and tasting notes for over 200 whiskeys. Risen will launch the book at a whiskey-tasting event at Barista Parlor in East Nashville October 25, 2013, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $35 and include a copy of the book. All proceeds will benefit Humanities Tennessee.

The Demon Brain

Susannah Cahalan talks with Chapter 16 about a rare disorder that took her away from her loved ones and herself

By Faye Jones | October 10, 2013

October 10, 2013 In Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness, Susannah Cahalan recounts her battle against a rare neurological disorder that threatened her life and her very identity. Having no memory of this period, Cahalan used her skills as a journalist to recreate the effects the disease had on her and her loved ones.

A Confluence of Greatness

Bill Bryson talks with Chapter 16 about Charles Lindbergh, Babe Ruth, and other historical figures great and small

By Michael Ray Taylor | October 9, 2013

October 9, 2013 Nonfiction author Bill Bryson may be best known for his witty travel writing, but he also has a gift for converting large swaths of history into readable narratives. His new book, One Summer: America, 1927, covers a small swath of history, but with novelistic grace and style. He recently talked with Chapter 16 prior to his appearance at the twenty-fifth annual Southern Festival of Books, held in Nashville October 11-13, 2013. All festival events are free and open to the public.

Reckoning with Mystery

Ayana Mathis discusses the mysteries of human experience, including her novel’s elusive protagonist

By Emily Choate | October 8, 2013

October 8, 2013 Hattie Shepherd, the woman at the center of Ayana Mathis’s debut novel, The Twelve Tribes of Hattie—made famous as the first selection of Oprah’s Book Club 2.0—has survived the Jim Crow South, a decades-long struggle with poverty, and life as the mother of eleven children. Today Mathis talks with Chapter 16 about Hattie’s complicated character. Mathis will appear at the twenty-fifth annual Southern Festival of Books, held in Nashville October 11-13, 2013. All festival events are free and open to the public.

Making the Ancient World Fresh and Relevant

Percy Jackson is back as Rick Riordan releases another long-awaited installment of his Heroes of Olympus series

By Tina LoTufo | October 4, 2013

October 4, 2013 Rick Riordan continues his popular Heroes of Olympus series with the fourth installment, The House of Hades, in which Percy Jackson and his friends head to the very gates of Hell. Today Riordan talks with Chapter 16 prior to his appearance at the twenty-fifth annual Southern Festival of Books, held in Nashville October 11-13, 2013. All festival events are free and open to the public.

Where the Plots Are

Acclaimed novelist Maile Meloy talks with Chapter 16 about why she turned to fiction for children

By Susannah Felts | October 2, 2013

October 2, 2013 When Maile Meloy—the author of two novels and two short-story collections for adults—tried her hand at writing for children, the result was The Apothecary. Intelligent, deftly plotted, magical and historical in equal measure, the novel might easily win a kid over to books for a lifetime—that is, if her parents don’t swipe it from her first. Meloy will visit Nashville’s Parnassus Books on October 3, 2013, at 6:30 p.m. to read from The Apprentices, her newly released sequel to The Apothecary.

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