Chapter 16 - Part 476

“What We Know Every Moon Takes”

A new book features work by two former University of Memphis professors: poems by Gordon Osing and collages by Tom Carlson

By Osing and Carlson | June 1, 2012

June 1, 2012 Gordon Osing is retired from the writing program at the University of Memphis, where he started The River City Writers Series. He is the author of over a dozen books of both poetry and prose. Tom Carlson taught American literature and creative nonfiction at the University of Memphis for thirty-two years. He is the author of Hatteras Blues. The two will appear together at Burke’s Book Store in Memphis at 5:30 p.m. on June 7 to read from and sign copies of their recent collaboration, a collection of poetry and collage, La Belle Dame. The reading will begin at 6 p.m. Other books by both authors will also be available for signing.

Whodunit, Geriatric Style

In a dazzling debut mystery, Daniel Friedman creates an original and unlikely hero in a gruff but lovable octogenarian

By Liz Garrigan | May 31, 2012

May 31, 2012 Debut novelist Daniel Friedman’s Don’t Ever Get Old received starred reviews from all four of the pre-publication literary tastemakers (Kirkus, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist), which happens about as often as newspapers announce they’re expanding their book coverage. Friedman’s hilarious protagonist is eighty-seven-year-old “Buck” Schatz, a legendary Memphis ex-cop who spends his days on the couch, watching Fox News and anticipating his next bowel movement, until he’s inconveniently distracted from it all and must hunt down an escaped Nazi war criminal who nearly killed him. On June 7 at 6 p.m., Friedman will discuss Don’t Ever Get Old at the Booksellers at Laurelwood in Memphis.

“A Nazi, a Treasure, a Murder, a Car Chase, and Two Fistfights”

Daniel Friedman talks with Chapter 16 about his Memphis family—and which of his grandfathers inspired the octogenarian ex-cop who’s the hero of his new mystery

By Liz Garrigan | May 31, 2012

May 31, 2012 In his new mystery, Don’t Ever Get Old, Daniel Friedman spins an engrossing tale of intrigue, but that’s only one element of what makes this acclaimed debut so notable. He also manages to write page after page of hilarious—and sometimes poignant—commentary by an octogenarian ex-cop named Buck Schatz, a Jewish guy from Memphis who finds himself on the hunt for the Nazi war criminal who nearly killed him during World War II. On June 7 at 6 p.m., Friedman will discuss Don’t Ever Get Old at the Booksellers at Laurelwood in Memphis.

The Soldiers of Shiloh

Novelist Jeff Shaara returns to his Civil War roots

By Chris Scott | May 29, 2012

May 29, 2012 In his new novel, A Blaze of Glory, Jeff Shaara tells a story centered on the Battle of Shiloh, the most famous battle ever fought in Tennessee. Following the format established by his Pulitzer Prize-winning father, Michael Shaara, and honed over a series of novels chronicling America’s major wars, Shaara once again treads the ground where he started his own writing career—the Civil War. Jeff Shaara will discuss A Blaze of Glory at the Nashville Public Library on June 5 at 6:15 p.m. as part of the Salon@615 series.

"The Returning Dead"

To mark Memorial Day, Chapter 16 reprints Sewanee poet Wyatt Prunty’s memorable poem

By Wyatt Prunty | May 28, 2012

May 28, 2012 Wyatt Prunty, a native of Humboldt, Tennessee, is the author of seven poetry collections, most recently The Lover’s Guide to Trapping. His honors include fellowships from the Rockefeller Foundation and the Guggenheim Foundation. Founding director of the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, he teaches creative writing at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee.

Jay McInerney, Pop Icon

Former Nashville novelist Jay McInerney has just released a new book, but that’s not why he’s back in the news

By Margaret Renkl | May 26, 2012

May 25, 2012 It’s tempting to begin every update on novelist Jay McInerney—who’s most famous for his 1980s debut novel, Bright Lights, Big City, though he’s written seven other books since—with the words, “Jay McInerney is back in the news this week….” But, really, when has Jay McInerney not been in the news?

I Gotta Sing!

By Alice Faye Duncan
WaterBrook
40 pages
$14.99

“A whole barnyard makes noise ‘in the Spirit of joy’ throughout this raucous picture book, a sweetly heartwarming sing-along by Duncan. Kellam conveys comfort and happiness as the loved ones reflect sunny enthusiasm in this gladdening rendition of the Black American religious folk song ‘I’m Goin’a Sing When the Spirit Says Sing.’”

~Publishers Weekly