Chapter 16
A Community of Tennessee Writers, Readers & Passersby

“The Skin of Meaning”

Book Excerpt: The Skin of Meaning

Keith Flynn is the award-winning author of six collections of poetry and an essay collection, The Rhythm Method, Razzmatazz and Memory. From 1984-1999, he was lyricist and lead singer for the nationally acclaimed rock band The Crystal Zoo, which was formed in Nashville and produced three albums. Flynn is founder and managing editor of Asheville Poetry Review.

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Intertwining Personal and National Histories

Michael Knight’s third novel seeks to make the comic campus story into something deeper

Knoxville novelist Michael Knight discusses the intersection of the personal and political in his third novel, At Briarwood School for Girls, set at a prep school in 1990s Virginia.

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Small Mercies

Shuly Xóchitl Cawood mines the nuances of daily life in A Small Thing to Want

By delving into intimate moments of her characters’ lives, Johnson City writer Shuly Xóchitl Cawood taps a deep well of compassion in her story collection, A Small Thing to Want.

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Rediscovering the Delta

A long-lost study of the Mississippi Delta reveals the source of the blues

Lost Delta Found, edited by Robert Gordon and Bruce Nemerov, uncovers a long-lost account of the lives and music of African Americans in the Mississippi Delta region.

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Giving Women a Voice

Vivien Mildenberger paints a picture of an obscure Tennessee figure in the fight for women’s suffrage

Vivien Mildenberger illustrates The Voice That Won the Vote, Elisa Boxer’s account of Tennessee State Representative Harry Burn in 1920 and the letter from his mother that changed the course of U.S. history.

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The Glorious Pastime: Chanelle Benz

Memphis writer Chanelle Benz shares her current reading list and the story that haunts her

A Q&A with Memphis writer Chanelle Benz launches a new feature at Chapter 16: “The Glorious Pastime,” an occasional series devoted to the reading lives of prominent Tennesseans. Benz, a novelist and short story writer, discusses her wide-ranging reading list and the book she hopes to read … someday. 

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