Chapter 16 - Part 249

Scottish Kings and Millenial Minstrelsy

Ayanna Thompson returns to Memphis to discuss Shakespeare and race

By Maria Browning | October 27, 2017

Shakespeare’s “Scottish play” has played an important role in America’s cultural confrontation with racial issues, according to Weyward Macbeth, a collection of essays that survey the play’s complex intersection with the color line. Ayanna Thompson, co-editor of the book, will speak on “Shakespeare, Race, and Performance: What We Still Don’t Know” in Hardie Auditorium at Rhodes College in Memphis on November 2 at 7 p.m.

Stars of Southern Literature Arrive in Tennessee

The SouthWord Literary Feast will convene in Chattanooga November 3-4

By Peggy Burch | October 26, 2017

SouthWord Literary Feast, a biennial book festival and reunion of the Fellowship of Southern Writers, will feature forty celebrated Southern authors, including Wendell Berry, Charles Frazier, Jill McCorkle, and Ron Rash. Seating is available for talks, readings, panel discussions, book signings, and meals November 3 and 4.

Living Honestly and Freely

Novelist Tova Mirvis writes about her decision to abandon Orthodox Judaism in The Book of Separation

By Maria Browning | October 25, 2017

As an Orthodox Jew, Tova Mirvis was taught from childhood that being a good wife and mother was her sacred duty, and her whole existence was shaped and bound by religious law. In her new memoir, The Book of Separation, she recalls her decision to leave her marriage and her faith community. Mirvis will appear at the Memphis Jewish Community Center on November 2 at 7 p.m.

Wordsworth’s Heir

Billy Collins, former poet laureate, talks with Chapter 16 about why we’re all born for poetry—and how school kills it for kids

By Margaret Renkl | October 23, 2017

Billy Collins is a frequent guest on National Public Radio shows like A Prairie Home Companion and Fresh Air, and his readings pack even halls that seat two thousand people or more. Collins will read from his new collection, The Rain in Portugal, at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music on October 26 at 6:15 p.m.

Telling Stories

Hampton Sides talks about Memphis, civil rights, and why some people think he’s a CIA agent

By Clay Risen | October 23, 2017

Hampton Sides will appear in conversation with novelist John Grisham in the University Theater at Christan Brothers University in Memphis on October 26 at 7 p.m. Ticket price includes a copy of Grisham’s new novel, The Rooster Bar.

On the Beach, On the Road, On Top of the Bestseller List

John Grisham is heading to Memphis

By Stephen Usery | October 23, 2017

John Grisham will discuss his new novel, The Rooster Bar in an onstage conversation with nonfiction author Hampton Sides at Christian Brothers University in Memphis on October 26 at 7 p.m.

Camilla and the Caterpillars

By Frances Figart, illustrated by Matt Brass
Smokies Life
68 pages
$14.95

A young girl’s encounter with an extraordinary caterpillar in the Great Smoky Mountains leads her and her family on a quest to plant a national park right in their own backyard.

This environmentally themed chapter book for ages 6 through 11 introduces young readers to important ecological concepts including habitat loss and the interdependence of native species and offers a compelling grassroots solution through native-plant gardening that invites anyone to take part in addressing the growing biodiversity crisis.

~the publisher