Chapter 16
A Community of Tennessee Writers, Readers & Passersby

Abby N. Lewis

Trailblazers in Space

Meredith Bagby’s The New Guys remembers NASA’s Astronaut Class 8

Meredith Bagby spotlights NASA’s first diverse astronaut class, which included Tennessean Rhea Seddon, in The New Guys.

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Poetry in Motion

A young girl connects with poetry during difficult times

Caroline Brooks DuBois’ second middle-grade novel tackles the healing power of poetry amid loss and destruction. DuBois will appear at Parnassus Books in Nashville on January 21.

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On Modern Farming

Arwen Donahue illustrates daily life on a Kentucky farm

Life moves rapidly in the 21st century, but Arwen Donahue invites readers to slow down and consider the small moments in Landings: A Crooked Creek Farm Year.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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