Chapter 16 - Part 523

Lion of the Blues

Author Charles Farley tells the story of blues legend Bobby “Blue” Bland, invoking a pantheon of soul music’s most important faces and places

By Joe Nolan | August 10, 2011

August 10, 2011 With Soul of the Man: Bobby “Blue” Bland, Charles Farley illuminates the life of a towering talent that The New Yorker recently called a contender for “voice of the century.” While Bobby “Blue” Bland may not be a household name outside the music community, he played a pivotal role in the blending of blues, country, and gospel that created the soul-music revolution. Farley recently answered questions from Chapter 16 via email and will be signing his new book at The Booksellers at Laurelwood in Memphis on August 11 at 6 p.m.

Another Honor for Mattawa

Khaled Mattawa wins the 2011 PEN Award for Poetry in Translation

By Margaret Renkl | August 10, 2011

August 10, 2011 Libyan-born (and University of Tennessee-educated) poet Khaled Mattawa has been in the news often during the last six months, thanks to his activism on behalf of the nascent Libyan revolution. Today he is back in the news for a more literary reason. The PEN American Center, the largest branch of the world’s oldest literary and human-rights organization, announced that he has won the 2011 PEN Award for Poetry in Translation. The award, which carries a stipend of $3,000, is given annually to a book-length translation of poetry into English.

From Ahab to Akmaaq

John Minichillo’s The Snow Whale is a satirical retelling of Melville’s Moby-Dick

By Ed Tarkington | August 9, 2011

August 9, 2011 In his debut novel, The Snow Whale, MTSU creative-writing professor John Minichillo uses Melville’s Moby-Dick as a touchstone for a satirical juxtaposition of the trivialities of cubicle culture with the wilds of Northern Alaska, where men still hunt whales—to consequences both hilarious and unexpectedly moving. Today Minichillo talks with Chapter 16 about the challenges of imagining a traditional whale hunt, finding a venue for unconventional fiction in small-press publishing, and taking on the Great American Whale.

Romances of the White Man's Burden: Race, Empire, and the Plantation in American Literature, 1880-1936

By Tristan Hickey | August 8, 2011

Timeless

In Myra McEntire’s YA thriller, Hourglass, two young sweethearts travel into the past to prevent a murder

By Tina LoTufo | August 8, 2011

August 8, 2011 When Emerson Cole discovers that she may have the ability to travel through time, she’s not particularly thrilled. As a high-school senior with exactly one friend, she’s actually far less interested in time travel than in avoiding the label of total freak. In Hourglass, Myra McEntire takes a twisting, turning journey through the physics of time, but the most important journey is Emerson’s discovery of her own surprising reserves of courage, love, and loyalty. Timeless qualities indeed. On August 8 at 6:30 p.m, McEntire will read at Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Brentwood as a part of the Ash2Nash Tour of YA authors.

Scenic Reads

Myra McEntire, Beth Revis, and Victoria Schwab take an innovative route to promote their books

By Tristan Hickey | August 5, 2011

August 5, 2011 Most book tours take authors only to stores in cities—and only really big cities, if publicity departments have anything to say about it. It’s a tried-and-true tactic that increases book sales and author renown: fans come to hear their favorite literary voices in person, and the bookstore’s more oblivious customers discover a new talent to add to their shelves. There are always losers to every winning strategy, however: in this case, it’s the fans who live in more rural areas where authors wouldn’t normally travel.

Camilla and the Caterpillars

By Frances Figart, illustrated by Matt Brass
Smokies Life
68 pages
$14.95

A young girl’s encounter with an extraordinary caterpillar in the Great Smoky Mountains leads her and her family on a quest to plant a national park right in their own backyard.

This environmentally themed chapter book for ages 6 through 11 introduces young readers to important ecological concepts including habitat loss and the interdependence of native species and offers a compelling grassroots solution through native-plant gardening that invites anyone to take part in addressing the growing biodiversity crisis.

~the publisher