Sonny Brewer discusses the Southern work ethic, the future of the book, and editing a new collection of essays by writers about their day jobs
If anyone ever had a finger on the pulse of Southern literature, that person is Sonny Brewer. The Alabama native is the author of four acclaimed novels and editor of…
Ace Atkins’s historical thriller follows George “Machine Gun” Kelly on a kidnap caper gone wrong
In summer 2008, Ace Atkins, author of three previous thrillers based on historical events, was in Memphis researching a new book. While he was at the courthouse one day, a…
Max Watman’s rollicking history of moonshine includes a few tempting (if illegal) recipes
My wife and I recently spent an evening with old friends in Nashville, a couple we have known since graduate school. After dinner, our host pulled out an unmarked bottle…
A bizarre disease that drives some victims into fatal sleep and leaves others languishing in mental illness proves a fascinating subject for Memphis author Molly Caldwell Crosby
Epidemics of encephalitis lethargica—sleeping sickness—have long inspired literature, writes Memphis-based science author Molly Caldwell Crosby in Asleep: The Forgotten Epidemic That Remains one of Medicine’s Greatest Mysteries. “Sleeping Beauty,” “Rip…
A line of immortal human cells, crucial to medicine for decades, leads Memphis author Rebecca Skloot to ask fascinating questions about race, culture, and science
Readers are usually drawn into contemporary nonfiction for one of two reasons: they are already interested in the subject matter, or they trust an author to introduce them to a…
In Nashville to accept the Nashville Public Library Literary Award, the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian talks with Chapter 16 about the past, the present, and the World Series
Last year, when Barack Obama appointed his chief Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, as Secretary of State, the media widely reported that his decision had been influenced by reading Team of…
