Chapter 16
A Community of Tennessee Writers, Readers & Passersby

What Is Justice?

Preston Shipp recounts his journey from retribution to reconciliation

Preston Shipp’s Confessions of a Former Prosecutor details his transformation from an ambitious young lawyer in the Tennessee Attorney General’s office to an activist committed to reform.

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Good Old-Fashioned Murder

Michael Sims’ new anthology of short fiction presents antique whodunit gems

In his latest anthology of Victorian-era fiction, The Penguin Book of Murder Mysteries, Michael Sims presents the evolution of the short-form murder mystery. Sims will appear at the 2024 Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, October 26-27.

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Ghosting with Gertrude

Lawrence Wells recalls a tempestuous literary collaboration in Ghostwriter

In Ghostwriter, author and publisher Lawrence Wells embarks on an improbable journey: serving as ghostwriter to a University of Mississippi benefactor determined to prove that Edward de Vere wrote the plays attributed to William Shakespeare. Wells will appear at the 2024 Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, October 26-27.

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What the President Knew and We Don’t (Yet)

On the destructive power of hatred

Fifty years ago, Richard Nixon concluded his farewell speech with advice he probably wished he’d heeded. “Always remember,” he said, putting away his prepared remarks and looking out at the supporters whose trust he had betrayed, “others may hate you, but those who hate you don’t win unless you hate them, and then you destroy yourself.”

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Jesus Gets Us, But Do We Get Him?

Amy-Jill Levine makes a case for understanding the historical Jesus

In Jesus for Everyone: Not Just Christians, Vanderbilt professor Amy-Jill Levine helps readers understand Jesus as the Jewish man he was, the traditions he knew, and the messages he truly cared about.

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Not a Place to Visit

Reflections on You Are Here, a collection of contemporary nature poetry

For You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World, U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón commissioned 50 American poets to reflect on their unique place in the world, wherever they are and however they see it. Sara Beth West reflects on her journey with the collection.

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