Editor’s Notes

It’s an all-festival lineup at Chapter 16 this week, with reviews of three very different books by authors who’ll be joining us in Nashville on October 18-19. Cheryl McKissack Daniel, a Nashville native, will discuss The Black Family Who Built America, her account of her remarkable Tennessee family and their architectural and entrepreneurial legacy. Reviewer Peggy Burch describes the book as “disarmingly…

The July heat was pretty relentless this year, and no doubt there are a few sweltering days still to come, but here at Chapter 16 we’re already looking forward to fall and the return of our beloved Southern Festival of Books. The 2025 author lineup includes, among many others, Jason Reynolds, Hannah Pittard, and David Levithan. You can see a list of all Chapter…

This is our last newsletter before Chapter 16 takes its usual July hiatus, but never fear: We’ll be back on August 4 with new book coverage and literary news. In the meantime, make sure you’re subscribed to the newsletters for Humanities Tennessee and/or the Southern Festival of Books. An exciting announcement about the festival is coming soon! Speaking of exciting…

Summer has arrived, bringing hot weather and, at least for some of us, a little down time and more opportunities to relax with a book. If you happen to be in the mood for poetry, don’t miss Emily Choate’s roundup of recent collections, with books by Richard Tillinghast, Stephanie Niu, and Abby N. Lewis. Aram Goudsouzian interviews fellow historian Brian Kwoba about his book Hubert…

In recognition of the upcoming Juneteenth holiday, Chapter 16 is featuring an excerpt from a forthcoming book by Serina K. Gilbert and Learotha Williams Jr., From the Fiery Furnace to the Promise Land, which tells the story of a remarkable Dickson County community founded by formerly enslaved men and women after the Civil War. We also have Bradley Sides’ essay “Volcanic, Universal Inspiration,” a story about…

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…