Chapter 16
A Community of Tennessee Writers, Readers & Passersby

Why Merle Haggard Deserves a Nobel Prize

Peter Guralnick discusses his latest book, Looking to Get Lost

In a wide-ranging interview with Chapter 16, music journalist and biographer Peter Guralnick recalls some of his most famous subjects, from Solomon Burke to Johnny Cash, and explains why the longest piece in his new collection of profiles, Looking to Get Lost, “was the story I felt I had to write.”

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Spenser Hits 50

Ace Atkins keeps the action going in Robert B. Parker’s Someone to Watch Over Me

Spenser faces an old nemesis in Someone to Watch Over Me, Ace Atkins’ ninth addition to the late Robert B. Parker’s much-loved series. Accompanied by his friend Hawk and new protégé Mattie, the detective chases a billionaire sex trafficker from Boston to the Caribbean, drawing the interest of the strange villain known as the Gray Man.

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From Fur Traders to Chart Toppers

Hidden History of Music Row dives into the history of Nashville’s most iconic neighborhood

Hidden History of Music Row by Brian Allison, Elizabeth Elkins, and Vanessa Olivarez is a deep dive into the history one of Nashville’s most magnetic areas. From early fur traders to fringe, this book details the guts, glam, and glory of Nashville’s most iconic neighborhood and the people who made it famous.

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An Uptick in Fondness for the World

George Saunders shares his passion for 19th-century Russian masters of the short story

In A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, George Saunders relates the insights he has gathered from 20 years of teaching 19th-century Russian short stories to aspiring writers. Saunders will discuss the book at a ticketed virtual event hosted by Parnassus Books in Nashville on January 19.

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Future Farms

A science writer traveled to the fields and labs where agriculture is changing

Nashville-based science writer Amanda Little talks with Chapter 16 about The Fate of Food, the result of five years of research in 15 countries. A paperback edition of the book has just been released.

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An Unbroken Thread

Poet Jesse Graves discusses his fourth collection, Merciful Days

In haunting lyric poems and traditional narratives, Jesse Graves’ Merciful Days shows us the ‘ghost-lives’ that shaped the boy learning the rough language of cows and that imprint the returning adult who walks the fence line now without his father. Graves talks with Chapter 16 about the experiences and influences that inform his work.

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