Chapter 16
A Community of Tennessee Writers, Readers & Passersby

Fresh Soil in Old Territory

Ron Rash’s In the Valley displays his masterful command of short fiction  

From haunting, short-form meditations on loss to a thrilling, suspenseful novella that revives an indelible antihero, In the Valley offers a distillation of Ron Rash’s storytelling mastery at its best. Rash will discuss In the Valley at the online 2021 Southern Festival of Books on October 9.

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Getting Off the Mountain

Sewanee literary institutions seek new voices and perspectives

Literary and academic institutions in Tennessee have long served as hubs for acclaimed writing, and none more notably than the University of the South, home to The Sewanee Review and the Sewanee Writers’ Conference. Both organizations are working to elevate a new generation of writers who better reflect the growing diversity of the region and the country. 

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Hoop Dreams — and Nightmares

Keith B. Wood explores the meaning of basketball in Memphis

In Memphis Hoops, Keith B. Wood examines how basketball promoted racial unity in Memphis, while also reflecting the city’s persistent prejudices. It centers around Larry Finch, a local legend as both player and coach.

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Danger in the Woods

Erin A. Craig unleashes chills in Small Favors

In Erin A. Craig’s second YA thriller, a growing sense of unease slowly envelops the community of Amity Falls. Crops turn bad. Supplies disappear. Bizarre creatures are seen in the dark. And irrational suspicions among the village’s citizens threaten to disrupt the status quo. Young Ellerie Downing may be the only one to save them all, if she can only get past her own doubts and fears.

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“Center Hill”

Book Excerpt: Savage Flower

Anna B. Sutton was born and raised in Nashville. She received her B.F.A. from the Appalachian Center for Craft at Tennessee Tech and her M.F.A. from University of North Carolina Wilmington. Her debut collection, Savage Flower, was the winner of the 2019 St. Lawrence Book Award. She will appear at the online 2021 Southern Festival of Books.

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Finding L.A.

Rosecrans Baldwin tries to make sense of Los Angeles

Author of two bestselling novels, as well as the widely acclaimed memoir Paris, I Love You but You’re Bringing Me Down, Rosecrans Baldwin turns to nonfiction with an essay collection. In Everything Now: Lessons from the City-State of Los Angeles, Baldwin grapples with defining the second largest urban entity in the U.S.

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