Chapter 16
A Community of Tennessee Writers, Readers & Passersby

Metaphysician of Daily Life

Former U.S. Poet Laureate Charles Wright will speak at ETSU

In advance of his return to Tennessee, Chapter 16 surveys the life and work of Charles Wright, whose poems are both accessible and deeply philosophical. Wright, a native of Pickwick Dam, will do two public events at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City on October 25.

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Love Prevails

Becca Stevens weaves survivor stories, devotions, and original poems into her latest self-help guide

For Becca Stevens, a love for everything good will set readers on the path of healing from whatever might ail them. Her new book is Love Heals.

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A Colorful Black-and-White Life

The Authorized Roy Orbison offers a loving portrait of a rock icon

Wesley, Roy Jr., and Alex Orbison, along with writer Jeff Slate, deliver a sumptuous illustrated chronicle with their new biography, The Authorized Roy Orbison. The three Orbison brothers will read from and sign copies at Parnassus Books in Nashville on October 21 at 2 p.m.

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Teaching Black Power

Russell Rickford recovers a “lost 1970s” through the history of independent black schools

Russell Rickford’s history of “Pan-African Nationalist” schools, We Are an African People, is the winner of the 2016 National Book award, given by the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change at the University of Memphis. Rickford will speak at the University of Memphis on October 19.

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Path to the Presidency

Curtis Wilkie talks with Chapter 16 about the invention of the modern presidential campaign

In The Road to Camelot, Thomas Oliphant and Curtis Wilkie tell the story of John F. Kennedy’s quest for the presidency, which started in 1956. Prior to their appearance at Novel in Memphis on October 16, Wilkie discussed the book with Chapter 16.

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A Simple, Gentle Joy

A novelist reflects on the pleasures of the Southern Festival of Books, opening today in Nashville

Every year, I’m reminded of how refreshing it is to be among folks who love the sorcery of the written word. The Southern Festival of Books draws a diverse crowd, a vast spectrum of ages and ethnicities. Some gobble up mysteries; some nip at the syllables of poetry. Some are there to share their work, some are there to support those who share their work, and all of us are there because we have fallen under the spell of what can be done with words on a page.

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