Chapter 16
A Community of Tennessee Writers, Readers & Passersby

Abby N. Lewis

Seeing Through the Fog

Evil haunts every corner of Erica Waters’ The Restless Dark

In Erica Waters’ The Restless Dark, three young women navigate an insidious landscape, the true-crime podcast-loving people around them, and their own darkest impulses. Erica Waters will appear at the 2022 Southern Festival of Books in Nashville on October 14-16.

Read more

Secrets and Questions

Julia Watts’ latest novel takes on faith, sexuality, and family loyalty

FROM THE CHAPTER 16 ARCHIVE: Kody, the 16-year-old protagonist of Julia Watts’ Needlework, secretly enjoys dressing up like his idol, Dolly Parton. When he receives a Facebook message from a young woman who claims to be his sister, Kody finds himself forced to keep more and more secrets from those he loves. Julia Watts will appear with Susan Underwood and Marianne Worthington at Union Ave. Books in Knoxville on September 25 and at the 2022 Southern Festival of Books in Nashville on October 14-16.

Read more

A Body in Need of a Home

Shawna Kay Rodenberg reveals the complicated lives of rural-born women in Kin

Raised for several years in a religious commune known as The Body, Shawna Kay Rodenberg delves into the complex intersection of religion, femininity, familial expectations, and personal agency in her memoir Kin. Rodenberg will appear with Robert Gipe at the Johnson City Public Library on September 10 and at the 2022 Southern Festival of Books in Nashville on October 14-16.

Read more

Less than Total Recall

Julian R. Vaca revisits the 80s in an alternate universe plagued by lost memory

The Memory Index, the first book in a series by debut author Julian R. Vaca, explores an alternate 1987, where a disease has ravaged human memories and people rely on technology to preserve a sense of self. Vaca will discuss the book at North Wind Manor in Antioch on August 13.

Read more

Woven in the Seams

Women push the boundaries in turn-of-the-century New Orleans

Two young women come together to take part in an all-female Mardi Gras krewe in Diane C. McPhail’s second novel, The Seamstress of New Orleans. McPhail will discuss the book at Novel in Memphis on June 9.

Read more

Fish Out of Water

Cathey Daniels explores personal agency in rural Appalachia in her debut novel

In her debut novel, Live Caught, R. Cathey Daniels explores betrayal and illicit activity in the rural North Carolina mountains. Daniels will discuss the book at a virtual event hosted by Union Ave. Books in Knoxville on April 25.

Read more
TAKE THE SHORT READER SURVEY! CHAPTER 16 SURVEYOR SURVEYING