Chapter 16 - Part 349

Scattered Sparks

With The Pinch, Steve Stern continues his dazzling fictional exploration of the intersection of reality, spirituality, and mysticism

By Ed Tarkington | May 28, 2015

May 28, 2015 High-wire acts performed by an acrobatic enchantress; a young couple making love in a giant tree in the midst of an earthquake; a drug-dealing bookstore clerk who finds a decades-old history of his neighborhood and discovers that he himself appears as a character in its pages—these are some of the elements of The Pinch, Steve Stern’s latest novel. Stern will appear at Burke’s Book Store in Memphis at 6 p.m. on June 4, 2015.

Prologue to Tragedy

Steve Inskeep casts new light on the ideas of land ownership that led to the Trail of Tears

By Brenda Jackson-Abernathy | May 27, 2015

May 27, 2015 In Jacksonland: Andrew Jackson, Cherokee Chief John Ross, and a Great American Land Grab, Steve Inskeep has produced a compelling study of the interwoven lives of Jackson and Ross, as well as the struggle over land that played out between whites and Native Americans. Inskeep will appear at the Bijou Theater in Knoxville on June 2, 2015, and at the Nashville Public Library on June 4, 2015.

Mrs. Philpott’s Penguins

Mary Laura Philpott’s all-too-human penguins have made the leap from Tumblr to the printed page

By Margaret Renkl | May 26, 2015

May 26, 2015 Mary Laura Philpott’s new book, Penguins With People Problems, features a charming set of hilarious cartoon penguins that Philpott draws with her finger on an iPad mini. The author and her birds will appear at Parnassus Books in Nashville on June 1, 2015, at 6:30 p.m., and at The Booksellers at Laurelwood in Memphis on June 4, 2015, at 6:30 p.m.

“June 8th”

By Sarah Beavers | May 22, 2015

May 22, 2015 Sarah Beavers is a native of Sewanee. During high school, the Tennessee Young Writers’ Workshop was the highlight of her summers; with the help of her fellow writers, her counsellors, and her workshop leaders, she grew into a writer she is proud to be. Beavers is now a student of government and international politics in the honors college at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.

Into History

In Fresh Water from Old Wells, Cindy Henry McMahon confronts her family’s tumultuous path toward social justice

By Emily Choate | May 21, 2015

May 21, 2015 In Fresh Water From Old Wells, Cindy Henry McMahon reveals a tumultuous family history that encompasses both civil-rights activism and backwoods hippie enclaves as she seeks to restore her own fractured memories. McMahon will discuss Fresh Water from Old Wells at Union Ave. Books in Knoxville on May 31, 2015, at 2 p.m.

From Cold Cases to Hot Pursuit

What Lies Behind, J.T. Ellison’s new thriller, whiplashes Samantha Owens from a crime of passion to a global conspiracy

By Kathryn Justice Leache | May 20, 2015

May 20, 2015 Samantha Owens, the protagonist of What Lies Behind, J.T. Ellison’s latest thriller, has left crime-scene investigation to take a plum job in academia. Then a brutal crime pulls her back in. Ellison will appear at Parnassus Books in Nashville on May 26, 2015; at Reading Rock Books in Dickson on May 28, 2015; and at Books-A-Million at Nashville on May 29, 2015. All events are free and open to the public.

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