Chapter 16
A Community of Tennessee Writers, Readers & Passersby

It’s 1968 All Over Again

A new book by Memphis historian Aram Goudsouzian explains the rise of partisan politics

As Aram Goudsouzian makes clear in The Men and the Moment: The Election of 1968 and the Rise of Partisan Politics in America, the tensions that animated the 1968 election still dominate public discourse today. Goudsouzian will discuss his new book at Novel in Memphis on April 10.

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Melding Voices

Beth Ann Fennelly and Tom Franklin talk with Chapter 16 about writing a novel of romance and suspense—and raising a family—together

In a starred review, Booklist called The Tilted World, a historical novel by poet Beth Ann Fennelly and novelist Tom Franklin, a “full-bodied shot of bluesy Americana.” Fennelly and Franklin will discuss The Tilted World at Chattanooga State Community College April 8-9. Fennelly will also discuss her most recent essay collection, Heating & Cooling, at Star Line Books in Chattanooga on April 10.

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The Lens is Not the Landscape

Barbara Brown Taylor’s latest Christian memoir encompasses other world religions

Barbara Brown Taylor’s Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others, a brief survey of world religions, is the next logical step in her own spiritual journey. Taylor will appear at First Presbyterian Church in Knoxville on April 8, at Novel in Memphis on April 9, and at Parnassus Books in Nashville on April 16.

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Math as Muse

Rationality and creativity converge in Stephen Ornes’s Math Art

In Math Art: Truth, Beauty, and Equations, Nashville science writer Stephen Ornes sets out to survey the remarkable breadth of contemporary art that’s fueled by a fascination with math. Ornes will appear at Star Line Books in Chattanooga on April 4.

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False Impressions and True Selves

Michael Knight’s At Briarwood School for Girls is haunted—and haunting

Michael Knight’s new novel, At Briarwood School for Girls, juxtaposes teen pregnancy, boarding- school intrigue, an ill-fated attempt to build a Disney theme park next to a Civil War battlefield, and a visitation of spirits. Knight will appear at Union Ave. Books in Knoxville on April 4.

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The Wolf at the Door—and Inside It

In Brute, poet Emily Skaja invokes the savage ironies of love

Memphis poet Emily Skaja brings an inventive imagination and fearless pursuit of craft to her debut collection, Brute, winner of the Academy of American Poets’ Walt Whitman Award. Skaja will discuss the book at Novel in Memphis on April 2.

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