Chapter 16 - Part 489

Catching Up With Patchett

Nashville novelist Ann Patchett is in the news so often these days that it’s almost impossible to keep up

By Margaret Renkl | March 16, 2012

March 16, 2012 Here at Chapter 16, we like to post news of Tennessee authors—and authors who once lived in Tennessee—as the news occurs, one news item at a time, but that strategy has proved impossible with Ann Patchett, whose annus mirabilis bestows new mirabiles faster than we can keep up. Here’s the latest news for the Patron Saint of Independent Bookstores:

Billy Collins, Honorary Tennessean?

Former Poet Laureate Billy Collins will give a reading in Clarksville tomorrow night, and it’s his fourth visit to the state in the past fifteen months

By Margaret Renkl | March 15, 2012

March 15, 2012 Billy Collins came to Tennessee in November 2010 to accept the Nashville Public Library Literary Award and apparently became entranced with Tennessee: since then, he’s returned to the state two more times—for a reading at the University of the South in Sewanee, and a residency at Vanderbilt University in Nashville—and he’ll be appearing in Middle Tennessee again this week when he reads on March 16 on the campus of Austin Peay State University in Clarksville.

Inside the Story

Sebastian Junger talks with Chapter 16 about his latest book, War, and the dangerous business of reporting it

By Michael Ray Taylor | March 15, 2012

March 15, 2012 Sebastian Junger, bestselling author of The Perfect Storm and A Death in Belmont, discusses his 2010 book War and the difficulties of writing within combat zones. Junger will appear at Middle Tennessee State University’s Tucker Theatre in Murfreesboro on March 20 at 2:40 p.m. to deliver a free public lecture entitled “Dispatches from War: Stories from the Front Lines of History.”

Soul Survivor

In Every Night’s a Saturday Night, legendary rock ‘n’ roll saxophonist Bobby Keys, best known for his adventures with the Rolling Stones, shines a light on the life of a career sideman

By Ed Tarkington | March 14, 2012

March 14, 2012 Legendary Rolling Stones sideman Bobby Keys has just produced a surprisingly lucid and detailed account of his hazy whirlwind life on the road and in the studio with many of modern music’s greats. Written with the assistance of former Nashville Lifestyles editor Bill Ditenhafer, Every Night’s a Saturday Night meticulously traces Keys’s extraordinary rise from the dusty outskirts of Lubbock, Texas, to bear witness to the glory years of rock ‘n’ roll. Bobby Keys will discuss Every Night’s a Saturday Night at Parnassus Books in Nashville on March 19 at 7 p.m., and at The Booksellers at Laurelwood in Memphis on March 21 at 6 p.m.

Continuing Tribute

Writer William Gay is remembered by publications nationwide

By Serenity Gerbman | March 13, 2012

March 13, 2012 The death of Tennessee novelist William Gay at his home on February 23 brought reminiscences and career retrospectives from publications around the country. Most, like the obituary in The New York Times, noted his rural roots and lack of a formal education while connecting him stylistically to Southern literary icons William Faulkner, Cormac McCarthy, and Flannery O’Connor.

Dashed Hopes, Pieced Together Again

In The Lost Saints of Tennessee, Amy Franklin-Willis skillfully explores the dreams that pull families together and apart

By Faye Jones | March 13, 2012

March 13, 2012 In her debut novel, Amy Franklin-Willis tells the story of a family that seems destined to repeat the same mistakes, generation after generation. With Ezekiel Cooper, there’s finally a real chance to make a new life, but can he break the family pattern? In answering this question, The Lost Saints of Tennessee—which has been praised by Pat Conroy, Dorothy Allison, and Mark Satterfield—seems destined to take its place among novels that truly capture the heartbreak and hope of the working poor. Amy Franklin-Willis will read from The Lost Saints of Tennessee on March 17 at 1 p.m. at The Booksellers at Laurelwood in Memphis, and on March 21 at 6:30 p.m. at Parnassus Books in Nashville.

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