Chapter 16 - Part 4

In Praise of Strong Women

Robert K. Massie, winner of the 2013 Nashville Public Library Literary Award, talks about the inspiration for his blockbuster biography of Catherine the Great

By Fernanda Moore | November 4, 2013

November 4, 2013 Two years after the publication of Catherine the Great, Robert K. Massie still finds his subject’s political example instructive, and he often notes parallels between Catherine’s public reputation and the treatment of today’s female leaders. Prior to his Nashville visit to accept the 2013 Nashville Public Library Literary Award, Massie spoke with Chapter 16 about his career and inspiration. He will give a lecture on November 9, 2013, at 10 a.m. at the University School of Nashville. Massie will also appear—with novelist Suzanne Kingsbury—at the Nashville Public Library on November 10 at 2 p.m. as part of the Nashville Writers Circle series. Both events are free and open to the public.

Life After Pi

Yann Martel talks with Chapter 16 about this year’s Nashville Reads pick

By Fernanda Moore | February 26, 2013

February 26, 2013 Yann Martel’s novel, Life of Pi, was a blockbuster in every sense of the word: it spent fifty-seven weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, won the 2002 Man Booker Prize as well as a host of other international literary prizes, was translated into forty languages, and has sold more than seven million copies. Martel will give a lecture at the Nashville Public Library on March 2 at 3 p.m. as the kickoff event for Nashville Reads, a partnership between the library, the office of Mayor Karl Dean, Humanities Tennessee, Parnassus Books, Friends of the Library, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and the Nashville Public Library Foundation. Martel’s reading is the first event in a series of activities, including a screening of the film Life of Pi, in a citywide reading campaign that extends through April 13. The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are available in advance by clicking here.

Tender Hearted

Legendary children’s author Katherine Paterson and her husband, John Paterson, revive a forgotten fairy tale

By Fernanda Moore | October 4, 2012

October 5, 2012 The Flint Heart, co-written by Katherine Paterson and her husband, John, reads like a modern retelling of an ancient fairy tale: at the behest of a power-hungry would-be chief, a Stone-Age “mystery man” makes a heart-hardening charm—the Flint Heart—and sells it for thirty-two sheep and thirty-two lambs. What happens next feels deliciously familiar, as all good fairy tales must. Katherine and John Paterson will discuss The Flint Heart at Nashville’s Southern Festival of Books on October 13 at 9:30 a.m. in the War Memorial Auditorium. All festival events are free and open to the public.

Pretty in Prose

Actor and teen star Molly Ringwald talks with Chapter 16 about reinventing herself as a novelist

By Fernanda Moore | September 10, 2012

September 10, 2012 Long before director John Hughes cast the then-teenaged Molly Ringwald as the star of Sixteen Candles, she was a singer with a jazz album (I Wanna Be Loved By You, recorded with her father’s band) under her belt. Now Ringwald, forty-four, has written When It Happens to You, a novel composed of eight linked stories. The author and actor recently answered questions from Chapter 16 prior to her appearance at the Nashville Public Library on September 18 at 6:15 p.m. as part of the Salon@615 series. The event is free and open to the public.

The World is Not So Different Now

Legendary author Judith Viorst talks with Chapter 16 about her work, her kids, and the bratty heroine of her new book for young readers

By Fernanda Moore | September 5, 2012

September 5, 2012 The beloved picture book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day established Judith Viorst as a world-famous children’s author, but the versatile author has also written non-fiction, humorous poetry, novels for adults (notably the wickedly funny Murdering Mr. Monti: A Merry Little Tale of Sex and Violence), and even a musical. Viorst, now eighty-one, will discuss her newest book for children, Lulu Walks the Dogs, at the twenty-fourth annual Southern Festival of Books, held October 12-14 at Legislative Plaza in Nashville. All events are free and open to the public.

Drop Dead Funny

In pursuing all the health advice he could find, A.J. Jacobs was willing to try almost anything (though he drew the line at yogurt colonics)

By Fernanda Moore | August 9, 2012

August 9, 2012 A.J. Jacobs is “okay looking ridiculous as long as there’s a chance it will lead to something interesting or insightful.” In fact he’s the kind of writer for whom virtually every experience leads to something interesting—and very, very funny. Jacobs is the author of The Know-It-All, for which he read the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica, and The Year of Living Biblically, in which he spent a year living by the literal prohibitions of the Bible, including stoning adulterers (with pebbles). His newest book is Drop Dead Healthy: One Man’s Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection, which he will discuss at the twenty-fourth annual Southern Festival of Books, held October 12-14 at Legislative Plaza in Nashville. In advance of his visit, he took Chapter 16’s Fernanda Moore to a Manhattan health-food restaurant for lunch.

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