The celebrated nature writer Robert Macfarlane journeys to three continents to confront the question in his latest book’s title: Is a River Alive? Joined by a changing cast of fascinating characters, he roams three rivers, looking for answers. Macfarlane will give a free public lecture at Rhodes College in Memphis on October 1.
The Midnight Special: The Secret Prison History of American Music sets the stories of Lead Belly, Johnny Cash, and Tupac Shakur free from the myths that surround them. Author Colin Asher will appear at the 2026 Southern Festival of Books in Nashville on October 17-18.
With her sophomore novel, Clutch, Emily Nemens joins the ranks of creatives dissecting the challenges of womanhood and motherhood. The novel begins and ends with the reunion of five women who were once college roommates and are now long-distance best friends all turning 40. Nemens will appear at the 2026 Southern Festival of Books in Nashville on October 17-18.
In his latest Southern crime novel, award-winning author Henry Wise grapples with the violent history of an impoverished small town. Wise will appear at at Trezevant Manor in Memphis on September 8 and the 2026 Southern Festival of Books in Nashville on October 17-18.
Emilee Hackney’s debut All That’s Unseen: An Appalachian Memoir traces her journey from Virginia’s coal country to Harvard, intertwining her own story with those of people and places often overlooked by the powerful. Hackney will appear at the 2026 Southern Festival of Books in Nashville on October 17-18.
In Alan Gratz’s new middle-grade novel, Flight: A Story of Seeking Refuge, 13-year-old Daniella Lopez and her 9-year-old brother Carlos travel north from their home in Honduras in search of a better life.
