Chapter 16
A Community of Tennessee Writers, Readers & Passersby

Tina Chambers

The Past Is Never Dead

A new memoir by Lawrence Wells pulls back the curtain on a Southern literary community

Lawrence Wells and his wife, the late Dean Faulkner Wells, had a rare view into the literary community of Oxford, Mississippi, during their nearly 40 years together. Wells recounts it all in his engaging memoir, In Faulkner’s Shadow. He’ll discuss the book at an online event hosted by Novel in Memphis on September 28.

Read more

Grief, Guilt, and Greed

Communing with the dead is good business in Helene Dunbar’s Prelude for Lost Souls

“St. Hilaire was all about guiding the living through contact with the dead,” explains 17-year-old Russ in Helene Dunbar’s new young adult novel, Prelude for Lost Souls. “We simply relayed the words of the dead to those who needed to hear them.” Russ is one of three troubled teens whose lives intersect one summer in a mysterious New York town. Dunbar will discuss the book at YA-hoo Fest, an online celebration of young adult literature hosted by the Southern Lit Alliance in Chattanooga, September 14-17.

Read more

Battered by the Bomb

Within a love triangle, broken characters seek healing from the wounds of war

The war is over, but deep and debilitating scars remain in Jennie Fields’ novel, Atomic Love, set in 1950s Chicago. When an FBI agent asks a former Manhattan Project nuclear physicist to investigate her former lover, who is accused of treason, her quiet life is turned upside down. Jennie Fields will discuss Atomic Love at a virtual event hosted by Parnassus Books in Nashville on August 18.

Read more

Problims Solved

Natalie Lloyd talks with Chapter 16 as she concludes her Problim Children series

Mona Problim and her siblings are off to new adventures in Island in the Stars, the third and final installment in Natalie Lloyd’s Problim Children fantasy series. Lloyd talks with Chapter 16 about saying goodbye to beloved characters, writing from the heart, and being “a queen in Narnia.”

Read more

Be Brave or Be Crazy

Nashville writer and musician Rob Rufus examines the anger and fear of American youth in 1968

In The Vinyl Underground, a young adult novel by Nashville writer and musician Rob Rufus, 17-year-old Ronnie Bingham is reeling from the death of his beloved older brother in Vietnam and terrified of following in his footsteps.  

Read more

Be Like Your Tail

A dedicated service dog narrates a funny guide to the complicated world of humans

With Zeus, Dog of Chaos, Kristin O’Donnell Tubb has written another charmer, sure to be popular with young dog lovers for its sheer joyful exuberance, while it also demonstrates the vital role service dogs play in the lives of those who benefit from their selfless loyalty. Kristin O’Donnell Tubb will discuss the book during a virtual launch party on Parnassus Books’ Facebook page on June 2.

Read more
TAKE THE SHORT READER SURVEY! CHAPTER 16 SURVEYOR SURVEYING