A Publication of Humanities Tennessee

Hometown Homicide

Detective Joe “Preach” Everson never expected to return to his sleepy hometown, but it’s the perfect place to recuperate. Then the first murder victim is discovered. Layton Green will discuss Written in Blood at Union Ave. Books in Knoxville on November 12 at 2 p.m.

The Way and the Truth of Creative Living

In her guide to creativity, Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert’s positivity is infectious not just because she’s funny, irreverent, and frank about her foibles, but because steely discipline and determination have been the mainstays of her creative life. The 2017 Nashville Public Library Literary Award honoree, Gilbert will give a free public lecture at Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville on November 11 at 10 a.m.

To Every Reader Her Book

Alan Gratz’s new middle-grade novel, Ban This Book, is a powerful primer on the dangers of censorship and a heartwarming tribute to libraries and intellectual freedom, all in a fun-to-read package.

Wandering and Wondering Why

“Here’s the score,” writes Nashville author Jamie Blaine in his new memoir, Mercy Never Sleeps. “My social circle consists of junkies and schizophrenics, inmates, suicidal housewives, cops and ER docs, and convenience store clerks on graveyard shift. Am I lost? Or found?”

Scottish Kings and Millenial Minstrelsy

Shakespeare’s “Scottish play” has played an important role in America’s cultural confrontation with racial issues, according to Weyward Macbeth, a collection of essays that survey the play’s complex intersection with the color line. Ayanna Thompson, co-editor of the book, will speak on “Shakespeare, Race, and Performance: What We Still Don’t Know” in Hardie Auditorium at Rhodes College in Memphis on November 2 at 7 p.m.

Living Honestly and Freely

As an Orthodox Jew, Tova Mirvis was taught from childhood that being a good wife and mother was her sacred duty, and her whole existence was shaped and bound by religious law. In her new memoir, The Book of Separation, she recalls her decision to leave her marriage and her faith community. Mirvis will appear at the Memphis Jewish Community Center on November 2 at 7 p.m.

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