Tom Markham

June 27, 2012 A Memphis native known for both literature (he’s a novelist, poet, and essayist) and science (he’s a physics professor at MIT), Alan Lightman has a penchant for tackling tough philosophical questions, and his new book, Mr g: A Novel About the Creation. is no exception. A mythical novel that tells the story of the universe and of God’s—a.k.a. Mr g’s—hand in its creation, the book addresses some hotly-debated questions about the nature of a creator god.

June 20, 2012 Former Nashvillian Jay McInerney is enjoying a fruitful summer thanks to his love of grapes and their derivative beverages. A novelist who also works as an enthusiastic wine critic for The Washington Post, McInerney has published The Juice: Vinous Veritas, a collection of essays on his favorite subject.

June 18, 2012 Memphis writer Cary Holladay, director of the River City Writers series at the University of Memphis, has landed the top honor in Ohio State University’s annual short-fiction prize with her book The Deer in the Mirror: Stories and a Novella. In announcing the news, the Ohio State University Press, which will publish the collection next year, wrote, “Cary Holladay enriches her fiction with historical detail, folklore, and regional culture.”

June 11, 2012 In an essay written for The Guardian, esteemed novelist, wine critic, former Nashville resident, and part-time actor Jay McInerney has set out to plumb the depths of the spirit of American consciousness.