Editor's Note
There’s been some dire discourse in recent years about the decline of reading. Sadly, the numbers don’t lie. People of all ages do seem to be reading less than they once did. But even so, there’s still enormous interest in books and a vibrant culture of reading here in Tennessee. The enthusiastic authors and audiences at last month’s Southern Festival of Books refute any claim that the written word is passé.
Of course, Chapter 16’s loyal readership is further proof that love for books is alive and well. We want to continue doing our part to keep it alive and help it grow — and for that, we need your support.
All the Humanities Tennessee programs associated with the Tennessee Center for the Book — including Chapter 16, the Southern Festival of Books, the Tennessee Book Award, Student Reader Day, and TN Writers | TN Stories — focus on furthering literacy and promoting human expression through the literary arts. A gift to HT’s current fundraising campaign will allow these programs to continue and thrive. If you value this work, please support it through a donation today. The campaign continues through November 13. Every gift is appreciated.
Today at the site, Sara Beth West reviews A Bowl of Goodness: Nourishing Poems with a Side of Soup, a unique anthology edited by Major Jackson that combines poetry and recipes in warm celebration. “Like an excellent soup, a good poem appears simple but is suffused with layered complexities,” Sara Beth writes. “And both are better when shared with others.”
Joy Harjo’s new poetry collection, Cloud Runner, was written in the wake of her daughter’s death, and reviewer sam long writes that the book “moves through poems of rage, memory, and hope, reflecting the nonlinear nature of grief.”
Sharon Cameron’s latest YA novel, Up from the Ashes, follows two young people, Selma and Chaim, as they confront the horrors of the Holocaust. Reviewer Tina Chambers writes that the couple’s “unforgettable story demonstrates the human capacity for withstanding extreme suffering and responding with strength and courage.”
News Roundup
- C-SPAN Book TV sessions from the Southern Festival of Books will be broadcast this week.
- A new novella by George Singleton is being serialized in Porchlight.
- Michael Ray Taylor wrote about astronomy and art for Smithsonian Magazine.
- Silas House discussed The Tulip Poplars on Inside Appalachia.
- Two new books by Destiny Birdsong are due in 2027.
