Editor’s Notes

Father’s Day is coming up, and we’re marking the occasion with a trio of pieces that feature stories of fathers and their children. “July 16, 1944,” an essay by longtime contributor Chris Scott, is the story of “a curious man,” as Chris puts it, who saved himself and his yet-to-be-conceived offspring when a moment of caution overcame his natural inquisitiveness. Faye…

Memphis Magazine published a column by Alex Greene last week on the broad impact of the NEH funding cuts in the city. Chapter 16, especially through its media partnership with the Commercial Appeal, is part of that picture. University of Memphis historian Aram Goudsouzian, a regular Chapter 16 contributor, was also personally affected, losing a grant that would have supported completion of his new book, The Sports Page. As…

The funding crisis had us so preoccupied back in April that we failed to nod to National Poetry Month. But there’s always plenty of poetry news here in Tennessee. Some recent items of note:  Marcus Wicker announced a new poetry collection, Dear Mothership, due in 2026. Major Jackson shared some thoughts with Vanderbilt Magazine on how to read a poem. Caki Wilkinson received the Clarence…

The cover for Gone Before Goodbye, Reese Witherspoon’s collaboration with award-winning mystery author Harlan Coben, was revealed last week, and that got us thinking about some of the other intriguing books due for release this fall. Silas House, writing as S.D. House, has penned his own mystery novel with Dead Man Blues, which, like Gone Before Goodbye, is due in October. September will bring Nashville…

The Mountain Heritage Literary Festival is coming up May 30-31, with featured authors including Frank X Walker and Denton Loving. The Clarksville Writers Conference will take place June 4-6. Margaret Renkl and Billy Renkl will be the keynote speakers for the conference, and featured authors include Amy Wright, Joy Jordan-Lake, and Meredith Lyons. If you’ve dreamed of a Smoky Mountain writing retreat, take note that the Tremont Writers Conference is still…

There’s abundant good news this week about Humanities Tennessee’s fundraising efforts in response to the DOGE cancellation of NEH grants. The outpouring of support from Ann Patchett’s $20 challenge has been extraordinary, with more than 1,000 contributors so far. The campaign continues through May 9. Meanwhile, other donors have made generous gifts, and the Mellon Foundation has stepped up to offer a…