Chapter 16 - Part 32

Chatting with the Enemy

American adventurer Mark Stephen Meadows gets to know the rebel terrorists of Sri Lanka

By Maria Browning | June 10, 2010

June 10, 2010 Seeking an understanding of terrorism that goes beyond media fear mongering, Mark Stephen Meadows journeyed to Sri Lanka to interview the Tamil rebels who began using terror tactics more than two decades ago in their war against the government. In Tea Time with Terrorists, he reports on a troubled country, its gentle people, and the human face of terrorism. He answered questions from Chapter 16 prior to his event at Davis-Kidd Booksellers in Nashville on June 15 at 7 p.m.

Lifting Up Spirits

Anne Brown considers the faithful art of Brother Mel

By Maria Browning | June 4, 2010

June 4, 2010 Since 1958, Marianist Brother Mel Meyer has created inspired art infused with the joy of his faith. In Brother Mel: A Lifetime of Making Art, Nashville gallery owner Anne Brown offers a lavish, full-color guide and tribute to his work. Brown will join Brother Mel in an appearance at Davis-Kidd Booksellers in Nashville on June 4 at 7 p.m. and at a reception honoring the artist’s 82nd birthday at The Arts Company on June 5 from 6 to 9 p.m.

Across the Age Barrier

Poets from Youth Speaks Nashville add their voices to Nashville’s literary census

By Maria Browning | June 1, 2010

June 1, 2010 Youth Speaks Nashville gives teens the opportunity to learn and express themselves through spoken-word poetry. Some of its talented young poets will add their voices to Nashville Now: 2010 Spoken Word Census, a portrait of the city in poetry, prose, and song. The three-day series of events will take place at the Darkhorse Theater at 7:30 p.m. on June 3, 4, and 5.

Looking Forward to a Life in Poetry

Vanderbilt grad student Stephanie Pruitt garners national recognition

By Maria Browning | May 14, 2010

May 14, 2010 As she prepared to receive her M.F.A. degree in creative writing from Vanderbilt this month, Nashville native Stephanie Pruitt found herself unexpectedly listed—along with the likes of Rita Dove and Gwendolyn Brooks—as one of Essence magazine’s “Forty Favorite Poets.” She spoke with Chapter 16 about the national recognition, and about her dedication to poetry.

The Wisdom of the Hummingbird

Waiting, and hoping for the best

By Maria Browning | May 7, 2010

May 7, 2010 As rain invaded my basement on the second day of the deluge, I struggled to open a long-stuck garage door that would (maybe, I hoped) let some of the rising water escape. For the next three hours I pushed a big broom through the surf, trying to get the tide to flow out faster than it was flowing in, and rubbing my hands sore in the process. All of this labor was absolutely futile. The sky was still spewing water like a fire hose.

King Cotton and His Victims

Financial historian Gene Dattel looks at the human impact of the cotton trade

By Maria Browning | April 30, 2010

April 30, 2010 Financial historian Gene Dattel literally follows the money in his account of America’s cotton trade. In this compelling analysis, he argues that King Cotton was critical to the economic interests of both the North and the South, and that an “amoral” quest for wealth consistently trumped the nation’s qualms about slavery.

Isabel and the Invisible World

By Alan Lightman, illustrated by Ramona Kaulitzki
MIT Kids Press
40 pages
$18.99

“In simple, engaging language, complemented by luminous artwork from best-selling illustrator Ramona Kaulitzki, author and physicist Alan Lightman unveils the hidden world of light waves—the ones you can see and the ones you can’t.”

~ the publisher