Chapter 16 - Part 33

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.

Writing the Body

Award-winning poet Beth Bachmann discusses her work—and the way her sister’s violent death affects it

By Maria Browning | April 28, 2010

April 28, 2010 In her first collection, Temper, poet Beth Bachmann grapples with the horror and mystery of violent death. The book’s powerful, carefully crafted poems earned her critical raves and the 2008 Donald Hall Prize for Poetry. This spring, Bachmann also won the prestigious Kate Tufts Discovery Award, given each year to “a first book by a poet of genuine promise.” Bachmann answered questions from Chapter 16 in anticipation of the award ceremony in Pasadena on April 28.

Competing Narratives

Don’t expect celebrity biographer Kitty Kelley to curtsy to Oprah—or Oprah to care

By Maria Browning | April 21, 2010

April 21, 2010 Celebrity biographer Kitty Kelley, famous for her tell-all books on icons like Frank Sinatra, takes on what may be her greatest challenge: the life story of daytime talk queen—and former Nashvillian—Oprah Winfrey. The queen is not amused. Kelley will appear at Davis-Kidd Booksellers in Nashville on April 23 at 7 p.m.

A Spirit That Passes Through

Novelist Madison Smartt Bell talks with Chapter 16 about the art and artists of Haiti

By Maria Browning | April 14, 2010

Madison Smartt Bell, author of three critically acclaimed novels about Haiti, as well as a biography of Haitian resistance hero Toussaint Louverture, is a longtime supporter of a group of artists there. In response to the earthquake last January, Bell has joined with Nashville’s LeQuire Gallery to display the work of these artists, with proceeds to benefit both the artists and Haitian-run humanitarian organizations. Bell answered questions from Chapter 16 prior to his talk at the gallery on April 15.

A Community Within a Community

Lee Dorman’s new collection of photographs documents the history of Nashville’s Jews

By Maria Browning | April 2, 2010

In Nashville’s Jewish Community, Lee Dorman has compiled more than 200 photographs from the Annette Levy Ratkin Jewish Community Archive, creating a visual chronicle of the city’s Jewish citizens from 1850 to 1950. Dorman will sign copies of his book at Barnes & Noble Bookseller in Brentwood on April 3 at 1 p.m.

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