Chapter 16 - Part 240

Goin’ to Memphis Where the Beat is Tough

Robert Gordon’s Memphis Rent Party captures the grit and heart of the blues

By Randy Fox | March 1, 2018

Memphis Rent Party: The Blues, Rock & Soul in Music’s Hometown is a fascinating journey through the back alleys and juke joints of Memphis as nonfiction author Robert Gordon searches for musical icons and forgotten heroes. Gordon will appear at the Stax Museum of American Soul Music in Memphis on March 9, at Earnestine & Hazel’s in Memphis on March 10, and at Parnassus Books in Nashville on March 17.

Sometimes You Can Go Home Again

Helene Dunbar discusses her latest YA novel, Boomerang

By Tracy Barrett | February 28, 2018

Teenagers often have questions about their identity, but Sean Woodhouse is more confused than most. In the five years since he disappeared from home, he’s acquired a new name, a new family, and a new relationship. Helene Dunbar will discuss Boomerang, her new young-adult novel, at Parnassus Books in Nashville on March 9.

Trading Mystery for Intrigue

Body Farm co-author Jon Jefferson raises the stakes with a new thriller, Wave of Terror

By G. Robert Frazier | February 26, 2018

Jon Jefferson, half the mystery-writing team known collectively as Jefferson Bass, switches gears from forensic mystery to scientific intrigue in his new novel, Wave of Terror. Jefferson will appear at Union Ave. Books in Knoxville on March 4, at Parnassus Books in Nashville on March 7, and at Star Line Books in Chattanooga on March 8.

The Long Arc of History

Minrose Gwin’s new novel tells a tale of racism in the aftermath of natural disaster

By Tina Chambers | February 23, 2018

On April 5, 1936, a massive tornado producing winds greater than 300 miles per hour destroyed half the city of Tupelo, Mississippi, in a matter of minutes, a story Tupelo native Minrose Gwin tells in her latest novel, Promise. Gwin will appear at Novel in Memphis on February 27.

Faith and Serpents

Julia C. Duin turns up a sordid tale at the fringes of American religion

By Peter Kuryla | February 21, 2018

With ln the House of the Serpent Handler Julia C. Duin depicts the lives of the faithful in Appalachian serpent-handling churches, charting the tragic fall of one its leading lights.

“We’re Loud and We’re Boisterous”

The new Center for Southern Literary Arts brings Tayari Jones to Memphis

By Peggy Burch | February 20, 2018

On February 27, the Center for Southern Literary Arts in Memphis will bring novelist Tayari Jones to the stage of the Halloran Centre for Performing Arts to talk about her new book, An American Marriage.

Tias and Primas: On Knowing and Loving the Women Who Raise Us

By Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez, illustrated by Josie Del Castillo
Seal Press
304 pages
$30

“Within these pages, I found my abuela, my tías and my primas — laughing, crying, and nodding alongside me. This book is a gift of understanding, and loving one’s family, even when our families are complicated and painful. It’s a beautiful reminder of the power of storytelling and the profound connection of kinship.”

~ Paola Mendoza, author, organizer and filmmaker