Chapter 16 - Part 525

Missiles Put To Better Use

Margaret Lazarus Dean mourns the end of the space-shuttle program

By Margaret Renkl | July 19, 2011

July 19, 2011 Knoxville novelist Margaret Lazarus Dean has always been fascinated by space travel, and her first novel, The Time It Takes to Fall, is set on the Space Coast during the time of the Challenger disaster. So it makes sense that she made the trip to Florida for the final launch of the orbiter Atlantis on July 10. In an essay for the Knoxville News-Sentinel, Dean describes what it’s like to watch the end of an era for American space flight:

Veteran Input

Rob Simbeck discusses his career and the art of freelance writing

By Morey Hill | July 19, 2011

July 19, 2011 With the sustained recession and the inevitable decline of many print publications, the market for freelance writers is difficult, but Nashville-based journalist Rob Simbeck has some advice for aspiring writers.

Living by the Grace of Inspiration

Richard Tillinghast talks with Chapter 16 about poetry, politics, and being Southern (or not)

By Maria Browning | July 19, 2011

July 19, 2011 Memphis native Richard Tillinghast has been traveling the globe and writing critically acclaimed poetry for more than four decades. Recently returned to the United States after several years in Ireland, Tillinghast answered questions from Chapter 16 about his various roles as poet, translator, critic, and citizen of the world. Tillinghast will give a reading on September 27 at the University of Memphis, followed by an interview on September 28. He will also appear at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, October 14-16.

Lofty Recognition

New work by Diann Blakely appears on The Chronicle of Higher Education’s website

By Tristan Hickey | July 18, 2011

Poet Diann Blakely, a graduate of both the University of the South and Vanderbilt University, begins this week on a great note: The Chronicle of Higher Education has just featured her poem “Dead Shrimp Blues” at its Arts & Academe blog. The poem is part of her collection-in-progress, Rain in Our Door, a series of “duets” with blues artist Robert Johnson.

Rehabilitating Butterfat

For Jeni Britton Bauer, making splendid ice cream is one way to make the world a better place

By Susannah Felts | July 18, 2011

July 18, 2011 For Jeni Britton Bauer, the creative force behind Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, butterfat is a blank canvas on which to explore a palette of exotic, tantalizing flavors: Salty Caramel, Wildberry Lavender, Cherry Lambic, Bangkok Peanut (cayenne pepper, coconut, honey, and peanut-butter ice cream). Her first store outside of her home state of Ohio opened in Nashville a few weeks ago, coinciding with the publication of her first cookbook, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams At Home. The book, which has made The New York Times bestseller list, explains how to make foolproof versions of Jeni’s fabulous flavors at home. It also reveals a business firmly in step with current food trends: artisanal production and locally sourced, farm-fresh ingredients. Bauer will demonstrate recipes and sign copies of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home at Williams-Sonoma in the Mall at Green Hills in Nashville on Thursday, July 21, at 3 p.m.

Soaking Up the Voices

Lee Martin talks with Chapter 16 about telling the stories of people on the margins

By Pablo Tanguay | July 15, 2011

July 15, 2011 A Lee Martin novel combines the fast pacing and suspense of a thriller with the craftsmanship and lyricism of literary fiction. One of Martin’s chief tactics is the drawn-out reveal: his characters cling to their secrets as long as they can, unburdening themselves slowly, layer by layer. In Martin’s fiction, revelation can lead to punishment (prison, retribution, outcasting), but it also, almost always, leads to freedom. We are only as sick, his fiction argues, as our secrets. Lee Martin will appear at the 2011 Southern Festival of Books, held October 14-16 in Nashville. Today he talks with Chapter 16 about his work.

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