Stewart O’Nan’s latest novel captures F. Scott Fitzgerald’s quest for authenticity in Hollywood
January 7, 2016 In his novel West of Sunset, Stewart O’Nan imagines F. Scott Fitzgerald’s final years, a time when he tried to make a fresh start in Hollywood. O’Nan will appear at Crosstown Arts in Memphis on January 12, 2016, at 6 p.m.
Appalachian writers reckon with their cultural inheritance in Walk Till the Dogs Get Mean
January 6, 2016 In Walk Till the Dogs Get Mean, a new essay anthology edited by Adrian Blevins and Karen Salyer McElmurray, contemporary Appalachian writers explore the secretive elements of their cultural inheritance.
Ed Tarkington’s debut novel is an ode to love in all its complicated forms
January 5, 2016 In Only Love Can Break Your Heart, longtime Chapter 16 contributor Ed Tarkington hits many of the classic coming-of-age tale’s familiar notes, but the cast of characters and the rural Virginia town he populates in his accomplished debut are nothing less than singular. Tarkington will appear at Parnassus Books in Nashville on January 5, 2016, at 6:30 p.m.
On the launch date of his debut novel, a Chapter 16 writer considers the failures of his past
January 4, 2016 With the foolish, feverish urgency of a gambler betting all he has left on a longshot to win, I tried again, finishing another novel in less than a fifth of the time it had taken me to write the first one. There was a quick flurry of interest from editors but still no publishing deal. My agent—who had already sunk hundreds of hours into my career for nary a nickel, and hence will be my hero for life—remained hopeful. “I have a good feeling about this one,” she said. “Have faith.”
Christmas memories can be complicated
December 18, 2015 The Brownings excelled at Christmas excess, and no one enjoyed it more than I did. Becoming an adult took most of the shine off the holiday for me. There is not much wonder in shopping and cooking and managing contentious relatives. But there was a time when Christmas wonder returned….
With Tammy Derr, founder of Fairytales Bookstore, everyone was inside the circle
December 17, 2015 I have no idea if Tammy heard any of the things I said to her. Perhaps she can tell me someday when I see her on the other side. But this I know for sure: that waiting room was filled with people, and every single one of them belonged there. Everyone was in because Tammy had drawn them in. That is Tammy’s legacy. The legacy of belonging, the legacy of community.
